Post in Teacher Community... Appeal for Petition Submission
Webtoon artist Joo Ho-min (41) revealed that his son was abused at school and reported a special education teacher, and now a colleague of the accused special education teacher has come forward to clarify the previously unknown details of the incident.
On the 26th, a post titled "Yongin City Special Education Teacher Child Abuse Report Incident" was uploaded on the current teachers' community 'Indischool.' The author, identified as A, stated, "(Joo's son, B) had already exhibited problematic behaviors in the first semester, such as repeatedly slapping and tilting the heads of girls in the integrated class, and physical contact, which caused a lot of distress among the children." He added, "At the beginning of the second semester, during class, B showed a female student in the integrated class his underwear by pulling down his pants, which led the victim's mother to request separation from B. B frequently hit the victim student."
He continued, "The integrated class teacher was on leave due to COVID-19 infection, so special education teacher C handled all the council procedures," and explained, "It was decided that B would receive full-day classes in the special class and then attend the integrated class after receiving sex education. During this process, Joo's wife, dissatisfied with the situation, began secretly placing a recorder with the child."
According to A, special education teacher C, who was sued by Joo, said to B during dictation instruction, "It is mean to pull down your pants in front of female students. That is why you cannot study with your friends right now." When B repeatedly tried to leave the classroom, the special education teacher blocked the door and said, "You cannot leave during study time. You cannot go to the (integrated class) classroom right now."
After hearing this recorded content, Joo's side reported C to the police in September last year for emotional child abuse. C is currently suspended from duty and is undergoing trial.
A also shared Joo's side's actions after the report. A said, "There were days this year when B brought a recorder to school again. Joo's wife went around the ○○ City Office of Education and ○○ Province Office of Education demanding the expansion of special classes in an elementary school with no vacant classrooms, but suddenly left all parent group chat rooms. Then, it was said that they transferred to Seoul in the second semester."
He also shared information related to the trial. A said, "While listening to the recordings during the trial, the atmosphere was like, 'Really? With this?' However, the prosecutor asked, 'Why did you speak with irritation and sigh during class?' to which C replied, 'I should have been more patient, but I lost my composure,' and the charge was acknowledged." He added, "The teacher who was B's homeroom teacher last year said, 'The special education teacher was truly admirable, so this is very unfortunate,'" and said, "I earnestly pray that C will be acquitted at the third trial scheduled for the end of August." He also appealed to fellow teachers to submit petitions, saying, "This is a situation and pain that any teacher could face."
Joo: "Special Education Teacher's Inappropriate Behavior... Please Wait for Trial Results"
Meanwhile, after the news of the special education teacher's accusation became public, Joo expressed his position on the afternoon of the 26th through his social media accounts.
Regarding the reason for secretly placing the recorder, Joo explained, "Due to the characteristics of a second-grade elementary school child with developmental disabilities, accurate communication was impossible, and since only children with disabilities attend special classes, there was no way to convey the situation, but verification was necessary."
He also emphasized, "Our child's impulsive behavior occurred during the class of another general teacher, not the special education teacher we reported. The special education teacher's actions happened a week after the incident. Even though it did not occur during his own class time, he made very inappropriate remarks and actions toward our child, which I believe clearly has problematic implications."
He said, "The recording contained situations that are hard to see as simple discipline and caused great shock, but first, we sought external advice to objectively determine whether there was a problem rather than making a subjective judgment," and explained, "The school tried to resolve the issue, but in cases of emotional child abuse, we were told that teacher replacement is possible depending on the judicial investigation results, so we reported it." He added, "Please wait for the trial results to determine whether the teacher's actions were legitimate discipline or abuse of a child with developmental disabilities."
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