Parent Complaints Handled First by 'Chatbot'
Guidance on Responding to Students with Emotional and Behavioral Risks
Connecting Schools with Advisory Lawyers and Forming Response Teams
On the 19th, marking two months since the death of a teacher at Seoi Elementary School in Seoul, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education announced a comprehensive plan to protect teachers' rights. This plan specifies response measures by adding a complaint response stage and establishing a new guidance system for students with emotional and behavioral crises, building on the measures announced on the 2nd of last month.
◆ Prevention of Disruption to Educational Activities = The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education decided to minimize direct complaints from parents to teachers and share the handling of such complaints between schools and the education office. To this end, a '24-hour Complaint Consultation Chatbot Service' will be introduced to respond to simple and repetitive complaints. Other complaints will be answered by call center counselors (Call Center 1396) via chat or phone, and simple inquiries by school will be handled through the school's website. Inquiries related to educational activities will be managed under the principal’s supervision, with the vice principal and administrative office coordinating with the responsible staff.
To prevent malicious complaints made to teachers’ personal mobile phones, a call recording system will be established, and a mobile phone call connection tone informing about the protection of educational activities will be set. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education plans to allocate a budget of 3 billion KRW next year for this purpose. To prevent unauthorized visits by outsiders to schools, a 'School Visit Pre-Reservation System' will be gradually introduced starting September next year. Interview rooms and waiting rooms will be installed at each school to separate educational activity spaces from counseling rooms.
◆ Protection of Teachers in Classrooms = Based on the 'Notice on Teachers’ Student Life Guidance' implemented by the Ministry of Education on the 1st, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is preparing a 'Sample Student Life Regulation.' This sample, which includes separation measures for students who do not comply with life guidance, will be distributed to each school by October. An 'emergency bell system' will also be piloted in each classroom.
The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education will introduce the 'Seoul Positive Behavior Support (PBS)' method to guide students with emotional and behavioral crises. PBS is a term referring to a behavioral guidance method that transforms problematic behavior into positive behavior. One specialist will be assigned to each of the four education support offices in Seoul’s districts, with plans to expand this to all education support offices. Additionally, training will be provided to general teachers, and retired teachers will be trained as 'Positive Behavior Supporters' to secure related personnel. Furthermore, the number of short-term workers supporting learning and psychological/emotional stability, called learning support tutors, will be increased by 300 from the current approximately 1,000.
◆ Post-Incident Support = A system has also been specified to enable teachers to respond when facing legal disputes such as false accusations of child abuse. First, a 'One School One Lawyer System' (tentatively named 'Our School Lawyer System') will be introduced to provide legal consultation services. If a legal dispute arises, the 'Child Abuse and Educational Activity Protection Rapid Response Team (SEM119)' within the education support office will visit the school to verify the matter and ensure the teacher receives assistance from a lawyer. In addition, the teacher safety mutual aid service will simplify the litigation cost support procedures and expand the scope of support.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
