Parents Sue Principal for 'Child Neglect' Over 'Apartment School Bus Entry Ban'...

Parents "Please allow buses to enter the school grounds"
School denies due to safety and fairness concerns
Parents sue principal for child neglect and other charges

Parents of an elementary school in Busan have filed a complaint against the principal, who banned apartment shuttle buses from entering the school premises, on charges including child neglect.
[Photo by JTBC]

Parents of an elementary school in Busan have filed a complaint against the principal for child neglect and other charges after he prevented a school bus operating from an apartment complex from entering the school grounds.

According to a report by 'JTBC' on the 22nd, a recent conflict arose between the school and parents at an elementary school in Dongnae-gu, Busan, over the method of commuting to and from school.

The main point of contention is the "apartment school bus drop-off point." Parents from the apartment complex are requesting that children be allowed to get on and off the bus inside the school, while the principal firmly opposes this, citing fairness for all children and safety within the school grounds.

About 100 students living in an apartment complex located 1.4 km from the school use a dedicated school bus. Since the school and the apartment are about 1.4 km apart, walking to school takes about 30 minutes, and there are many crosswalks along the way, making it dangerous. Therefore, they reportedly use a chartered bus for commuting.

Parents using the apartment school bus have requested that the school allow the bus to pick up and drop off children inside the school. They argue that there is a steep road about 200 meters in front of the school gate, and letting children off there is too dangerous.

However, the school refused, stating that "considering the safety of all children, vehicle entry into the school grounds is not allowed." Instead, they advised using the children's boarding and alighting stop located at the beginning of the school route along the roadside.

In response, the parents protested, saying that the main road is dangerous for children and that they are also being fined for illegal parking. Eventually, they filed a complaint against the principal for dereliction of duty and child neglect.

The parents who filed the complaint against the principal have even threatened to refuse to send their children to school on the first day of the new semester, the 2nd of next month, escalating the conflict.