"School Should Be the Safest Place for Students"
Emergency Meeting Held... Procedures for Teacher Leave and Reinstatement to Be Strengthened
Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education Superintendent Lee Jungseon expressed his condolences on the 11th regarding the incident where a first-grade student died after being attacked with a weapon by a teacher at an elementary school in Daejeon, stating, "School should be the safest place for students."
Superintendent Lee said on his Facebook page that day, "A heartbreaking incident has occurred. I deeply mourn this tragic death," expressing his grief.
He added, "The Gwangju Office of Education will conduct thorough safety inspections so that students can attend school with peace of mind as the new semester approaches," and "We will also carefully provide mental health and psychological support for all school members."
He further stated, "Such sad and unfortunate incidents must never be repeated," adding, "We will do our utmost to ensure our children can grow up safely."
An emergency meeting of agency heads was held on the 11th at the Gwangju Western Office of Education. Photo by Gwangju Metropolitan Office of Education
On the same day, the Gwangju Office of Education held an emergency meeting attended by Superintendent Lee and all agency heads to discuss countermeasures for school safety incidents.
The city education office plans to carry out safety inspections at schools ahead of the new semester. In particular, in light of this incident, it will require a diagnosis from specialized medical professionals for teachers taking leave or returning to work. The personnel departments and the Eastern and Western Education Support Offices, which handle teacher leave and reinstatement, will thoroughly review medical certificates regarding the diagnosis and recovery status of teachers taking sick leave or returning to work.
Additionally, the office plans to strengthen reinstatement procedures through the Education Staff Sick Leave Committee and the Teacher Disease Review Committee, and support stable school operations. It will also identify detailed status by type of leave and, for teachers on mental health-related sick leave, provide regular monitoring and programs for psychological and emotional well-being even after their return.
The city education office will also thoroughly manage safety during after-school hours at Neulbom School, which could become a safety blind spot. It will establish a safety management system by having staff, school safety guards, and police officers patrol vulnerable areas, and support students' safe return home through services such as the "Student Safety Notification" program as part of "Neulbom School Safety Management."
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