Sick Teacher Review Committee Also Ineffective
"If Educational Authorities Had Intervened, the Tragedy Could Have Been Prevented"
As it became known that the teacher who caused the death of an elementary school student in Daejeon was suffering from depression, the management of teachers with mental health histories is becoming a controversial issue. There are calls for active intervention by educational authorities regarding 'teachers with mental health histories.'
According to a briefing by the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education on the 11th, teacher A, who killed an 8-year-old girl at school, was scheduled to take a six-month medical leave starting December 9 last year due to depression but returned to work early on December 30 of the same year. This was after submitting a medical opinion stating that "daily life is possible."
Choi Jae-mo, Director of the Education Bureau at the Daejeon Office of Education, explained, "According to the regulations related to leave and return to work, if a teacher applies for reinstatement after medical leave with a doctor's certificate, they must be reinstated within 30 days," adding, "The return was possible based on a psychiatrist's opinion that 'daily life is possible.'"
He further stated, "If leave and return due to illness are repeated, the teacher can be monitored through the Sick Teacher Review Committee, but in this case, since the teacher had only taken leave once, there was no reason to convene the committee."
The Sick Teacher Review Committee can recommend leave or dismissal at the superintendent's discretion for teachers judged to have difficulty performing their duties due to mental or physical illness. However, the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education, where this incident occurred, has not convened the committee even once since 2021, leading to criticism that it is ineffective. The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education is in a similar situation. Although it established the Sick Teacher Review Committee regulations in February 2021, involving medical experts, legal experts, human rights experts, teacher organizations, and parent groups, no reviews have been held since the regulations were enacted.
The Seoul Teachers' Union released a statement on the same day, saying, "It can be seen that the Sick Teacher Review Committee is virtually not operating," and criticized, "Although the regulations were established, due to the passive attitude of the education office, the so-called practice of 'passing on teachers with mental health histories' continues in schools."
They added, "The perpetrator showed abnormal signs, including violent behavior toward fellow teachers, but continued to attend school," and said, "If the education office had actively intervened, the tragedy could have been prevented."
Teacher A, the perpetrator, was reportedly exhibiting abnormal behavior even before the crime. For example, he damaged a computer because it was slow to access the work portal, and on the 6th, he showed violent behavior by applying a 'headlock' to a fellow teacher who said, "Let's leave together," while A was wandering in a darkened classroom. The school took measures to have A work next to the vice-principal, but the tragedy could not be prevented.
The Ministry of Education plans to hold an emergency meeting on the 12th with superintendents from 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education to discuss response measures.
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