Neulbom School Implements 'Face-to-Face Handover and Accompanied Return Home' Policy
Parents: "We Applied for Care Classrooms Because We're a Dual-Income Family"
Teachers: "Attendance and Dismissal Will Take 20 to 30 Minutes"
On the first day of school reopening on the 4th, following the death of an elementary school student in Daejeon, the school scene is somewhat confused over the government's principle of 'face-to-face handover and accompanying return home.'
On the same day, the Ministry of Education held a 'New Semester Preparation Inspection Meeting' with superintendents of education from 17 cities and provinces to discuss the legislative status of the tentative 'Haneul Law' and plans to create a safe school environment. They plan to hold weekly inspection meetings until the fourth week of this month to check major preparations for the new semester and identify tasks. The Ministry of Education decided to strengthen support for teachers' mental health while applying the principle of face-to-face handover and accompanying return home to first and second graders participating in the 'Neulbom School,' which integrates after-school programs and care classrooms, starting from this semester. The intention is to ensure that children are not left alone from outside the classroom until they return home. Accordingly, whereas previously students moved individually to handover points such as the entrance or school gate and were then handed over to guardians (or proxies) for their return home, from now on, teachers such as Neulbom teachers must directly hand over the students face-to-face to the guardians within the school. This measure was prepared because the fatal accident involving the Daejeon elementary student occurred while moving from the second-floor Neulbom classroom to the first-floor school gate. However, autonomous return home is exceptionally allowed only if the guardian wishes for it and submits a consent form for autonomous return home.
However, parents, Neulbom teachers, and academy escort teachers involved in students' return home have expressed various concerns about this. In parent communities, complaints mainly come from dual-income parents. One parent said, "I applied for the care classroom because both my spouse and I work, but it is difficult that children who normally leave school are allowed to return home autonomously, while those who applied for care are not," adding, "I think I need to find an academy that can pick up my child." Regarding the guideline that "autonomous return home is exceptionally allowed if parents strongly wish for it," some responded, "If something happens after school, is it the parents' fault?"
Teachers in charge of guiding Neulbom School students' return home expressed concerns about the decline in the quality of education. One teacher, who was concurrently appointed as the Neulbom head for three schools, said, "Due to the safety issues raised by the teacher murder incident within the school, it is expected to take about 20 to 30 minutes daily for attendance checks and guiding students home," adding, "Ultimately, this situation is further lowering the quality of public education for the sake of care." Furthermore, the teacher said, "In large schools with over 51 classes, more than 10 customized Neulbom programs have been opened, but there is only one administrative staff member responsible for hiring instructors, paying allowances, safety management, and operation," and added, "Some schools operate only with a Neulbom head without any administrative staff." The Ministry of Education has announced plans to assign a 'Neulbom Support Head' as a manager of Neulbom School in each school starting this year and to have 2,500 such personnel by next year. Academies, which have been tasked with face-to-face handover on behalf of parents at schools, also show awkward expressions. A vehicle escort teacher at an English academy in Seoul said, "Previously, children were all boarded at the main gate, but if we have to enter the school to receive handover, who will take care of the children remaining in the vehicle?"
Meanwhile, according to the Ministry of Education's investigation into the operation status of accompanying return home for elementary school students in major overseas countries, although there are differences by region and school, in the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, and others, lower-grade elementary students are without exception accompanied by guardians when returning home, and accompanying return home is applied to after-school activities up to higher grades. There are also cases where local ordinances have been established that consider leaving children below a certain age alone as 'child neglect' and punish it. A Ministry of Education official said, "A characteristic of these countries is that conditions such as shortened working hours for parents are well established," adding, "This is an area that should be developed not only by the education authorities but also through discussions with related ministries and social consensus."
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