i don't know what was happening with the kid in the op, but based on my experiences as a teacher, parent and long ago student
-generaly if a kid has used the office phone to call home more than once in the same day 'someone' knows what the issue is. most schools don't allow kids to use the phone without some form of explanation-and if it's a major issue that they believe the student has a pressing need to reach a parent on but for whatever reason can't-they will try to help them (most schools have forms with an emergency contact number or a message number-the school will call it and say 'x is trying to reach his mom/dad-can you get word to them to call and we will retrieve him from class').
both schools my kids have gone to had policies wherein if a student asked to call home they had to give at least a general reason (privatly) to the teacher-it could be as little as the word 'hygene' (for the girls who have had a staining accident). if the student said they were ill-they were referred to the nurse who made the decision. both schools allowed the kids one instance (in a school year) of calling for a forgotten book, assignment, gym clothes, lunch...-and when the kids called, the office person concluded the call by talking to the parent, asking if they would be bringing the item (had to drop it off at the office-where it would be delivered to the student, they did'nt get more time out of class to retrieve it)-and reminding the parent of the policy. if there was a call for any other reason, the office staff member dialed the number, identified themself and then handed over the phone to the student (first telling the parent not to hang up when done)-the student communicated the information, and then the staff member would ask the parent the disposition of the call (would they be picking the child up for some reason, did they want the child to call back, would they need to call back to speak to the child). that way the staff could be aware if there was a need for more than one call on an issue. some parents/students saw it as personaly intrusive, but it did curtail kids making unneccesary calls-or misleading a teacher into thinking the parent wanted the child to make subsequent calls about an issue.
i did'nt realize how some kids are so quick to call parents about minor issues that they believe are 'emergencies' until i supervised a unit made up largly of women with kids. we had private phone lines but if the line was busy or we were away from our desks the call flipped to voice mail that gave the unit's emergency by-pass number. i could'nt believe the number of calls people got from their kids during school hours that they honestly thought their parents would leave work to address-forgotten stuff for after school activites, did'nt like what THEY chose to wear to school that day-wanted a change of clothes, permission slips for stuff a week off (and not due back yet), were 'too upset to concentrate because x who used to be my bff did'nt sit with me on the bus' or 'my life is over-i did'nt get invited to y's party'-or my 'favorite'-"i don't like what i packed for lunch-can you go to macdonalds/applebees/olive garden
to pick up the order I ALREADY CALLED IN?". i heard women repeatedly tell their kids not to call them, tell the school not to let the kids call unless it was a REAL emergency-but some of the schools just let those kids call as much as they wanted.
as far as the op-and some people's concern that with a boy it might be a bigger issue (because of the tears), i don't nesc. buy into that-some boys have figured out that's great manipulative tool-i've encountered 3 boys at dd's school in the last few years who were very quick to 'turn on the tears' when things did'nt go their way (they learned getting hostile got them in trouble-tears got them 'time to calm down-regroup'-also got them pegged by the girls as 'sensitive/in touch with their feelings'
). 1 of them used it to such an extent that his mom thought he could'nt handle separation from her-so she arranged her work schedual such that she could spend full days with him in the classroom (this was an 8th grader)-she sat at his side to encourage him while he did his work-in actuality she was doing the bulk of the work and when the school came down on it-she decided to pull him out, after a few other schools actualy kicked the kid out (when tears did'nt work he reverted back to hostility) she chose homeschooling where he only does what 'his gentle soul desires' (when he comes back for visits he openly brags to the other kids that 'turning on the tears always works'
). we've got a couple of others that immediatly use tears when confronted with any issue-and their parents use it as an excuse for any bad behaviour ('he's an emotional boy-and he can't be responisible for his actions when he's upset like that'
). i think some boys have finaly clued into using tears just as many girls do.
i think both parents and students need to be aware of their school's policy on using the phone, and if an issue is going on that might cause a kid to want (vs need) to call home-clue the staff in. it does'nt have to be detailed information, just an idea of what's happening. i know when i got sick my ds was realy paranoid about leaving me alone (i had a stroke while he was at school)-so we clued the school in and asked if he requested to call and check in on me he be allowed to do so, but only once per day-we knew he could'nt concentrate if his mind was elsewhere, but we did'nt want him to get into the habit of thinking the school phone was for anything but emergent needs.
How do we know that's not what happened?
Only on the DIS can someone say that, in certain rare situations, a parent has told a child that they should contact them when necessary, and let the parents deal with the adults, and have that equated with that parent thinking THEIR CHILD IS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHILD EVER TO WALK THE EARTH WHO SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO WHATEVER THEY WANT, ALWAYS! 
