Threats Made to Male Student After Dispute with Child
Reports of Teacher Authority Violation and Child Abuse Filed
A parent broke into an elementary school classroom during class and caused a disturbance targeting the teacher and students, prompting a police investigation.
According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education and the Gyeonggi Branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union on the 30th, on the morning of the 27th, a man in his 30s, parent A, suddenly entered a third-grade classroom at an elementary school in Siheung, Gyeonggi Province. At that time, a class was in progress.
A approached male student B and threatened to hit him, and when the homeroom teacher tried to stop him, he verbally abused her, saying, "You are not even a teacher," causing a disturbance. It is known that he came to the school after learning that a dispute had occurred between his child and B. When other teachers tried to restrain him, A left the school.
On the morning of October 18th, in front of the Government Seoul Office, members of a parents' group who love schools held a press conference for a parents' resolution rally to restore teachers' authority for the normalization of public education. [Photo by Yonhap News]
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After the incident, the homeroom teacher of the class reported the violation of teacher authority to the education authorities. The school reported A to the police on suspicion of child abuse, and a police investigation is currently underway. B’s parents have also filed a complaint against A with the police.
The Siheung Office of Education plans to provide psychological stabilization support programs to the homeroom teacher and students who witnessed A’s disturbance in the classroom at the time. In addition, the office held an explanatory meeting for the parents of the class together with the school and police to inform them about the matter. A representative of the Siheung Office of Education stated, "We will do everything possible to support the affected teacher and students to regain stability quickly."
The Gyeonggi Branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union said, "The education authorities must actively ensure the safety of teachers and students to prevent such incidents from recurring."
Also, there was a recent case where a man in his 30s who entered an elementary school classroom during class, strangled a teacher’s neck, and verbally abused her was sentenced to prison and detained in court.
On the 23rd, Judge Jeong Hee-young of the Incheon District Court Criminal Division 9 sentenced woman C, in her 30s, who was indicted without detention on charges including injury and child abuse under the Child Welfare Act, to one year in prison and ordered her immediate detention in court.
C was charged with verbally abusing and strangling female teacher D and forcibly pulling her arm, causing injury, in an elementary school classroom in Incheon at around 1:30 p.m. on November 18, 2021. After receiving notification from the school that her son was identified as a perpetrator of school violence and would be referred to the School Violence Countermeasures Committee, she visited the school with two companions and verbally abused D, saying, "You are not qualified to be a teacher," and "I will report this to the police, the Office of Education, and the Minister of Education." C also shouted at about ten elementary students in the classroom, asking, "Who is playing the bully?" and "Who reported my child?" and was also charged with emotional abuse.
D expressed her suffering in a petition, stating, "After the incident, I have been unable to carry out daily activities due to post-traumatic stress disorder and urinary disorders," and "Some children refused to testify out of fear of retaliation from the defendant." The Incheon Teachers’ Union submitted a petition demanding severe punishment for A and an online signature campaign with 10,000 names to the court.
Both the prosecution and C have appealed the first trial verdict.
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