"The Parent Still Blames My Wife" - Husband of Teacher Assaulted by 6th Grader 'Furious'

"Student's Parents Haven't Called"
"Hope They Reflect Before the Law"

Amid controversy over an incident in which a sixth-grade elementary school student assaulted a teacher, resulting in a three-week medical leave diagnosis, the victim teacher's husband has personally called for signatures on a petition.

The victim teacher's husband, Mr. A, posted on the anonymous workplace community 'Blind' on the 19th, stating, "My wife was assaulted."

Mr. A shared what his wife had heard from the perpetrator student. He said, "(My wife) mentioned that there was a child in the class who could not control his anger. She thought he was just a boy who cursed, shouted, and threw things around." He added, "But on the second day of school, he got angry and punched a girl who was eating, then a few days later hit a boy and stepped on him, and the following week, he hit my wife. I couldn't believe such a kid existed."

A teacher diagnosed with a three-week recovery period due to assault by a student. [Image source=SBS news screen capture]

He continued, "What was even more absurd was that when we called the parents, they did not even say sorry or ask if she was okay," expressing his anger. "They said things like our child is sensitive to noise or maybe she tried to break up a fight, which made no sense." According to Mr. A, his wife suffered from insomnia after the incident.

The assaults and verbal abuse by the perpetrator student continued. Mr. A said, "That kid hit friends, cursed at my wife, and when he was upset, he threatened to report it as child abuse, and if upset again, threatened to report again."

Eventually, the incident escalated. Mr. A said, "My wife called me, crying for a long time, saying she was hit by that kid." He added, "I urgently took a day off and went to the hospital where my wife was. She had a nosebleed, a swollen face, bruises on her face and limbs, a torn mouth inside, a hand in a half cast, and severe pain in her head, left neck, and waist. She was diagnosed with a three-week medical leave."

According to Mr. A, the perpetrator student is about 160 cm tall, weighs 70 to 80 kg, and threw scissors and a tabletop mirror during the assault. Mr. A said, "Even in that situation, my wife said she could not shout because she recently heard that shouting is considered 'emotional abuse,' so she just covered her head and endured it." He lamented, "I sighed, wondering if this is the reality all teachers face these days, and I couldn't even get angry."

He added, "There was not even a single phone call from the perpetrator's side. The school said they received a call." He said, "It started with an apology, but then they said, 'It's not just our child's fault,' and 'The teacher is also at fault.' When I heard that, I was stunned."

Mr. A concluded, "I am angry at the parents who kept blaming my wife, saying it was because of discrimination even in this situation," and "I hope the parents and student sincerely reflect and apologize before the law."

Elementary school classroom. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, according to an SBS report on the 18th, Mr. B, a sixth-grade homeroom teacher at an elementary school in Seoul, was assaulted dozens of times last month by a student, Mr. C, in his class, resulting in a three-week medical leave and a diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

At the time, Mr. C, who attends a special class for one hour daily due to anger control issues, reportedly wanted to attend physical education class instead of counseling, and the incident occurred during Mr. B's attempt to persuade him otherwise.

Regarding this, Mr. C's side claimed, "(Mr. C) is taking medication for depression and has borderline intelligence. We requested special attention, but Mr. B discriminated against and scolded only Mr. C, which led to this incident," and they intend to report Mr. B and other teachers to the education office.

Mr. B's side is also reportedly planning to file a criminal complaint against Mr. C and a civil lawsuit against Mr. C's parents. About 18,000 teachers who learned of the incident have written petitions both online and offline.

Meanwhile, according to the Korea Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA), the number of teacher injury and assault cases reviewed by the School Teacher Rights Protection Committee has reached 1,249 over the past six years.