A boy A with bruises on his face and body due to school violence. The victim student was diagnosed with injuries requiring 6 weeks of treatment at the hospital. Photo by the victim's side
[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Jun-kyung] A controversy has arisen after an elementary school in Mokpo, Jeonnam, neglected a student who suffered school violence with a careless response.
According to the guardian of the victim student on the 15th, A (12), a 6th grader at an elementary school in Mokpo, was severely beaten on the face and body by B (12), a classmate who demanded money, in the school hallway while going to school on the 8th. Due to the assault, A received a total injury diagnosis of 6 weeks at the hospital, including facial injuries, eardrum damage, and surgical wounds.
Nevertheless, the school did not properly inform A’s parents about the assault and ended the call by saying, “He got hurt a little by a friend. We will check the details and contact you,” without further communication.
A’s parents said, “At first, we thought it was just a simple fight between children. But the moment we saw our son’s wounds, we couldn’t bear to think of it as just a children’s fight,” and claimed, “B’s assaults had occurred repeatedly. On the 26th of last month, B tripped our son by his leg and threw him into a trash bin. Our son injured his waist and was diagnosed for 2 weeks at an orthopedic clinic.”
They continued, “On the 7th, B took our son’s bag and phone at the playground, shot BB pellets, and poured cola into the bag,” expressing anger, “Our second son, a 2nd grader in elementary school at the time, witnessed his older brother being bullied and crying four times, which caused him great shock.”
Injury diagnosis certificate received by the victim student from the hospital. Photo by the victim's side provided.
However, the school consistently responded carelessly. The school did not take the assaulted victim student to the hospital but treated him simply with ointment and bandages, then had him continue attending classes. The school also ignored the victim’s parents’ request to separate the victim from the perpetrator.
A’s parents said, “Our son, the victim, was in so much pain he couldn’t even go to school, while the perpetrator was attending school with a smile,” and appealed, “When our son’s victimization became known, the perpetrator’s parents claimed unfairness and posted insulting comments about our son on social media. Although those posts were deleted after receiving critical comments, our family was hurt once again.”
They added, “We strongly demanded separation measures, but the school refused, saying they needed the perpetrator’s parents’ consent,” and raised their voice, “The perpetrator should be transferred to prevent secondary and tertiary victimization.”
On the other hand, a school official stated, “The separation of the perpetrator and victim was properly implemented, and the victim student is attending school normally and receiving psychological treatment,” adding, “We are cautious in responding due to possible misunderstandings.”
Deleted post that the perpetrator student's parent claimed was unfair and uploaded on SNS. Photo by reader provided
However, upon verification, the school’s claims were found to be untrue. It was confirmed that, as A’s parents claimed, a school official initially responded, “Until the school violence committee’s decision is made, separation measures are difficult without the perpetrator’s parents’ consent.”
Moreover, it was revealed that the school had not kept any records of A’s continuous bullying by friends over the past four years, intensifying criticism that the school was eager to cover up the school violence issue.
Meanwhile, the Jeonnam Provincial Office of Education plans to hold a school violence committee meeting on the 21st to prepare follow-up measures.
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