Gwangju Office of Education Establishes 'Guidelines' for Child Abuse Investigation and Inquiry

The Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education has established guidelines following the mandatory submission of the 'Superintendent's Opinion' during investigations and inquiries into child abuse cases.

Through consultations with related organizations, they plan to protect teachers' legitimate educational activities.

According to the Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education on the 9th, from now on, when a case is received by investigation and inquiry agencies such as the police or district offices, the Office of Education will be informed within one day.

The Education Activity Investigation and Verification Team of the Education Support Office, composed of education professionals, lawyers, and administrative officers, will investigate whether the disciplinary guidance was appropriate, and the superintendent must submit their opinion to the investigation and inquiry agencies within seven days based on this. The submitted superintendent's opinion will be used as reference material for future investigations and inquiries.

The Office of Education has prepared these guidelines and notified institutions and schools at all levels via official documents on the 5th.

Superintendent Lee Jeong-seon stated, "I hope that the educational field, which had been stifled by indiscriminate child abuse reports, will become more vibrant with the establishment of these guidelines," and added, "I hope this will be an opportunity for schools where students, parents, and teachers can all be happy together."

Meanwhile, the Office of Education is implementing measures such as ▲ operating a field support team for teacher rights protection ▲ revising the teacher rights protection ordinance ▲ implementing a school visit reservation system and strengthening school entry control measures ▲ expanding teacher liability insurance services ▲ and enhancing teacher healing programs.