Middle School Sports Team Suspended for Mocking Disabled Cleaning Worker

Ignoring Bathroom Cleaning Sign and Entering
School Imposes Temporary Suspension from Competitions

A student athlete at a middle school in Incheon who mocked a janitor with a disability has reportedly been suspended from participating in competitions.

According to the Incheon Metropolitan Office of Education on the 20th, earlier this month, four first-year students including student A at a middle school in Jung-gu, Incheon, mocked janitor B.

Student A and others, who belong to the sports team, ignored a sign that said "Do not enter while cleaning" and entered the restroom anyway. When janitor B, who was cleaning at the time, said in a slurred voice, "You should not come in," student A and the others mimicked this phrase and mocked B. Janitor B has a mild disability and has been working as a janitor at the school for over two years.

The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo source=Pixabay]

Typically, in such cases, since it is not considered school violence among students, the school principal convenes a guidance committee to decide on disciplinary actions.

The school's own regulations also allow the principal to take disciplinary measures according to student guidance rules if deemed necessary for educational purposes. Disciplinary measures include reprimands, school service, community service, completion of special education, and suspension, all decided through the student guidance committee's review.

However, the school judged that this incident did not warrant convening the guidance committee and instead had student A and the others write reflection letters, deciding to provide character education through the sports team. It is also understood that the team to which student A and others belong imposed a suspension from competitions for a certain period.

The vice principal of the school said, "The matter was not very serious and was a one-time incident, so we did not hold a guidance committee meeting," adding, "To prevent similar incidents from recurring, we also conducted separate education for all students."