Comprehensive Survey on Leave and Reinstatement Status for All Kindergartens, Elementary, Middle, High, and Special Schools in March
Focused Safety Inspection of Elementary After-School Care Classrooms, Including Facilities and Student Dismissal, by the 21st
Enhanced Support for Student and Teacher Psychological Counseling and Programs
The Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education is strengthening the reinstatement approval procedures for teachers and enhancing the safety management system for elementary after-school care classrooms.
On the 14th, the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education announced the "Support Measures for Creating Safe Schools" to prevent the recurrence of incidents like the recent case where Kim Haneul lost her life due to a teacher wielding a weapon at a school, which should be the safest place for students.
The measures include: ▲ a comprehensive survey of teacher leave and reinstatement status and reinforcement of reinstatement approval procedures ▲ strengthening the safety management system for elementary after-school care classrooms ▲ expanding support for student psychological counseling and protection personnel ▲ and enhancing counseling and healing programs for teachers.
First, in March, a comprehensive survey on leave and reinstatement status will be conducted for all kindergartens, elementary, middle, high, and special schools. Based on the survey results, consulting support will be provided for each school's leave and reinstatement management.
In particular, when high-risk teachers return early after a sick leave, a Sick Leave Committee must be convened. If a teacher returns after taking sick leave more than twice, a Teacher Health Review Committee will be mandatorily held, significantly strengthening the reinstatement approval procedures.
Additionally, if a school principal requests a review for a high-risk teacher through the School Personnel Advisory Committee, a Teacher Health Review Committee will also be convened.
When forming the Teacher Health Review Committee, at least one psychiatrist must be appointed, and external members such as legal and medical advisors will be simultaneously appointed to strengthen school support.
The safety management system for elementary after-school care classrooms will also be reinforced. By the 21st, staff from the Neulbom Support Center will visit schools in person to focus on checking facility safety, safety during care and educational activities, and safety during student dismissal, and will prepare support measures accordingly. Starting in March, each school will conduct a self-inspection once a month, and the Office of Education will conduct on-site inspections once every quarter.
To ensure student safety during movement, support for installing CCTV in vulnerable areas such as hallways and corridors will be expanded for schools that request it. During vulnerable times after 4:30 p.m., more safety personnel, including volunteers, will be deployed to ensure that students in after-school care can return home safely, establishing a cooperative work system.
To expand support for student psychological counseling and protection personnel, a "Mental Health Council" will be newly established at the Office of Education level to provide comprehensive, customized support according to the type of crisis students. The Wee Center will also be operated as an integrated center led by the city Office of Education to intensively support students in crisis. The operation period of special counseling rooms will be extended so that additional counseling can be provided continuously without time restrictions if needed.
Counseling and healing programs for teachers will also be strengthened. The "Edu Healing Center" will provide individual counseling to all teachers at any time, and the standard 10-session mental care counseling can be extended through consultation with the counselor. In addition, when training is conducted for teachers scheduled to return to work at the Daejeon Education Training Institute, psychological and emotional programs will be mandatorily included. Up to 500,000 KRW per person will be provided for psychiatric treatment to promote teachers' mental health, and up to 1,000,000 KRW per person will be provided to teachers who receive treatment recommendations from the Teacher Health Review Committee.
A Daejeon Office of Education official stated, "These measures are immediate recurrence prevention measures that can be implemented right away," and added, "We plan to supplement and promote them in accordance with future revisions to relevant laws and Ministry of Education guidelines."
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