Criticized as Ineffective, the 'Teacher with Illness Review Committee'
To Be Institutionalized as the 'Teacher Duty Performance Suitability Review Committee'
Support for Counseling and Psychological Treatment for All Teachers
Face-to-Face Handover and Accompanied Return Home Principle for First and Second Graders at Neulbom School
Expansion of CCTV in Blind Spots, Increase in School Police Officers
The government and the People Power Party decided on the 17th to accelerate the promotion of the 'Haneul-i Act' in relation to the death of an elementary school student in Daejeon. The main points are to urgently separate high-risk teachers, assess their ability to perform duties, support their normal return to work, and strengthen the review process upon reinstatement.
On the afternoon of the same day, the ruling party and the government held a 'Party-Government Council for Strengthening School Safety' at the National Assembly to discuss these matters.
On February 17, 2025, Kwon Seong-dong, floor leader of the People Power Party, and Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, observed a moment of silence in memory of the late Kim Ha-neul before the party-government meeting on strengthening school safety held at the National Assembly. Photo by Kim Hyun-min
First, to accurately ascertain the facts related to the Daejeon elementary school incident, a thorough investigation of the Daejeon Metropolitan Office of Education will be conducted, and an emergency safety inspection will be carried out nationwide in schools to prevent similar accidents.
To establish fundamental measures, a swift revision of the 'Education Public Officials Act' will be pursued. The so-called 'Haneul-i Act' is expected to include provisions for the urgent separation of high-risk teachers who pose a danger to those around them due to mental illness, and the dispatch of emergency response teams. These measures aim to enhance student safety and build a tailored support system for high-risk teachers.
The 'Teacher with Illness Review Committee,' which has been criticized as ineffective, will be replaced by a legally established, tentatively named 'Teacher Duty Performance Suitability Review Committee' to function practically. This committee will handle various measures including compulsory leave and reinstatement reviews. The leave and reinstatement procedures will be strengthened to allow repeated confirmation of the recovery status of high-risk teachers.
The ruling party and government will support treatment for teachers who have been subject to measures due to mental illness to facilitate their normal return, and will also conduct regular mental health self-assessments for all teachers. Accordingly, within the first half of this year, a 'Teacher-tailored Psychological Testing Tool' will be developed and released on the Education Activity Protection Center website to promote mental health self-assessment. Cooperation will be established with 32 Education Activity Protection Centers nationwide and affiliated institutions (1,192 counseling centers, 218 psychological treatment centers) to provide counseling and psychological treatment support for all teachers. Additionally, the 'Education Status Act' will be amended to include the implementation of mental health promotion projects by education superintendents and the establishment of cooperative systems with medical institutions.
Above all, considering the heightened anxiety among parents and students due to this incident occurring just before the start of the school term, the ruling party and government will establish the principle of 'face-to-face handover and accompanying return home' for first and second graders participating in Neulbom School to partially alleviate concerns. To this end, the installation of closed-circuit televisions (CCTV) will be expanded in blind spots within schools. The necessity has been raised since there are no CCTVs installed in classrooms such as the audiovisual room where Kim Haneul was murdered. CCTVs will be installed mainly in hallways and staircases with heavy student movement during late hours, and around after-school care classrooms. The possibility of amending laws to allow additional installation in important school locations will also be reviewed if necessary.
Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, is speaking at the party-government meeting held at the National Assembly on the 17th to strengthen school safety. 2025.2.17 Photo by Kim Hyun-min
Furthermore, school police officers (SPOs) will be increased to strengthen patrols around schools. The number of SPOs increased from 1,022 in 2023 to 1,127 last year, an increase of 105, but still, one SPO is responsible for 10 schools.
Neulbom School dismissal procedures will also be strengthened. Students will be escorted to handover points within the school such as the main entrance or school gate, and the principle is to hand them directly to guardians. Voluntary return home will be exceptionally allowed only if the guardian strongly wishes so and a voluntary return consent form is obtained. Moreover, from around 4 p.m., when staff leave work, until the last student, including those attending evening Neulbom, goes home, at least two personnel will be assigned to support students' return home. Each education office will systematize return home notifications either through their own systems or by using private apps.
Based on the discussions held that day, the ruling party and government plan to promptly strengthen laws and systems such as the 'Haneul-i Act' and push forward with implementation.
Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, said in his opening remarks, "'The Haneul-i Act' aims to urgently separate teachers who have difficulty performing normal teaching duties due to violence, aggression, or other risks to others from the educational field, and to allow necessary measures such as compulsory leave through certain procedures," adding, "We will strengthen school safety and establish thorough measures to prevent recurrence so that such a tragedy never happens again and that there will be no 'second Haneul-i.'"
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