Ulsan Office of Education Implements Safety Measures for Field Trips

Support for Safety Assistants Using Contingency Funds from the New Semester
Proposal to Ensure Effectiveness of Exemption from Civil and Criminal Liability for Teachers

The Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education (Superintendent Cheon Chang-su) is implementing measures to reduce the burden on teachers leading field trips and to enhance student safety.

The Ulsan Office of Education plans to amend the "Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education Field Trip Safety Management Ordinance" to clarify the standards for deploying safety assistants and to introduce provisions exempting leading teachers from civil and criminal liability.

The Office of Education will gather opinions from teacher organizations and propose to the government measures to ensure that the exemption clause for teachers' civil and criminal liability in the enforcement decree of the School Safety Act amendment is effective.

Additionally, starting from the new semester in March, safety assistants for field trips requested by schools will be supported by allocating contingency funds.

Safety assistants may include current students or graduates of elementary and secondary education departments or safety-related departments, parents, and volunteers, who will assist the leading teachers or, if necessary, substitute for safety personnel.

In March and April, the budget will be prioritized using contingency funds from the special education account, and any additional required budget will be included in the supplementary budget and submitted to the council.

The policy of supporting civil and criminal lawsuits through the Teacher Protection Mutual Aid Association when leading teachers are not at fault due to intentional or gross negligence will continue to be implemented.

Pre-safety education and on-site safety inspections before field trips will also be strengthened, and large-scale overnight school trips and overseas field trips with more than 150 participants will be required to conduct pre-education.

The Office of Education and local governments will cooperate to strengthen on-site safety inspections of lodging facilities, restaurants, and experience centers.

An official from the Ulsan Office of Education stated, "Field trips provide valuable educational experiences for students, so safety must be the top priority. We will support reducing the burden on teachers leading field trips and ensure that students can participate more safely."