[Violation of Educational Authority] School-Police Cooperation 'Missing'... Blind Spot of Public Authority

Sent to Prosecution for Special Assault and Stalking Charges
Assemblyman Jeong Woo-taek: "Police Must Intervene to Prevent Additional Crimes"

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] Crimes against teachers are widespread, yet they remain effectively outside the reach of public authority. There is no preemptive recognition system for infringements on educational activities, and there is no cooperation system between schools and the police.

10 'Teacher's Rights Violation Cases' Referred to Courts and Prosecutors This Year

According to the 'Status of Referral of Teacher's Rights Violation Cases' submitted by the National Police Agency to Rep. Jeong Woo-taek of the People Power Party on the 19th, there were 10 cases referred to courts or prosecutors from January to September this year concerning violations of teachers' rights.

In May this year, Student A was referred to the prosecution on charges of assault (special assault) for swinging a hammer at a teacher. In June, Student B was referred to the court on charges of stalking for repeatedly calling a teacher. Other cases included entering the restroom to spy on a teacher's private moments and extorting cash from a teacher's wallet.

According to Article 31-2 of the School Violence Prevention Act (Operation of School Police Officers), provisions exist regarding protection of victim students and guidance of offending students, but there is no institutionalized system related to 'student crimes against teachers.' Rep. Jeong stated, "A fundamental overhaul is needed for the ineffective school police officer operation system," adding, "We should establish a mandatory police intervention manual when crimes against teachers occur and consider revising related legal provisions."

'School Police Officers' Greatly Reduced During COVID-19... Number of Schools per Officer Increased

There are also opinions that the number of school police officers, which decreased during the COVID-19 period, should be increased to monitor crimes against teachers. According to the 'Status of School Police Officers by Province' submitted by the National Police Agency, the number of school police officers steadily declined from 1,046 in 2019 to 1,040 in 2020, 1,030 in 2021, and sharply dropped to 970 as of August this year.

On the other hand, the number of schools assigned per police officer has actually increased. In 2019 and 2020, one officer was responsible for 11.3 schools, rising to 11.4 schools in 2021 and 12.7 schools as of August 2022.

Within the police force, it is commonly acknowledged that it is difficult to intervene in teacher's rights violations. A police official said, "If the school resolves the issue internally, the police have no authority to take action," adding, "Also, all teacher's rights violation cases involve conflicting aspects regarding the protection of student human rights." Another officer stated, "Schools often say they have separated students and teachers," and "It is also challenging to encourage additional case reporting."

Professor Lee Woong-hyuk of Konkuk University's Department of Police Science said, "Even when the victim is a teacher, the scope of work for school police officers should be expanded to allow them to examine such matters," adding, "It is appropriate to comprehensively oversee various crimes, delinquency, and disorder occurring within schools and conduct policing activities addressing areas where schools lack resilience." He emphasized, "Education through teacher's rights should also accompany this to help acquire judgment of right and wrong and a sense of norms."