"Parents Reported Additional Victims,
but School Responded Too Late"
School Admits "Shortcomings" and Apologizes
Amid an investigation into a contract teacher accused of sexually assaulting a student at an elementary school in the Gangwon region, the school’s inadequate response is drawing criticism. The parents of the victim claim that additional victims were identified after the incident, but the school failed to take appropriate action.
On July 8, Yonhap News reported, "From October 24 last year to January 9 this year, A, who worked as a substitute contract teacher for a staff member on parental leave at an elementary school in the province, was handed over to the prosecution last month on charges of committing inappropriate physical contact with student B on ten occasions (forcible molestation of a minor under the age of 13 under the Act on the Punishment of Sexual Crimes).
B's parents claim that after A's contract ended in February or March, A sent personal messages to B, such as 'Let me know if you want to see me,' 'Do you want to meet for a bit?', and 'Message me on KakaoTalk if you're bored.' The parents said they became aware of these facts in March when A attempted to meet B in person.
The next day, B's parents informed the school of the incident, and the school reported A to the police that same day. After the police investigation, B told her parents that another student had also been sexually assaulted by A. At the end of May, B's parents visited the school again and, based on messages exchanged with other parents, informed the school that there were additional victims.
However, the school told B's parents that there was no basis to request a police investigation, as no additional victims were identified in a survey conducted among students from March 5 to 10. Nevertheless, after B's parents contacted the school again on July 4 and the issue spread on local online communities, leading to a flood of calls from parents, the school belatedly conducted a second anonymous survey among students the previous day.
The survey revealed 13 additional reports, including students who said they had been sexually assaulted by A during A's two months at the school and students who witnessed such incidents.
B's mother expressed her anger, saying, "It was already rumored among the children that he was a perverted teacher, so I question how the school could claim they didn't know. Moreover, even though the parents of the victim explained several times that other students might have been harmed as well, the school took no action, which is unacceptable."
B's mother recently reported these facts to the Gangwon Provincial Office of Education, but the office explained, "Since contract teachers are hired by the school principal, the education office can only terminate the contract and cannot take any other measures."
The principal of the elementary school sent a text message to parents the previous day, saying, "We never tried to avoid or conceal the report," but admitted, "We should have looked into it more carefully and conducted a more thorough investigation, and I apologize for the shortcomings." The principal added, "The police explained that further investigation is possible only when the victims are identified, so we will conduct another named survey on July 8," and continued, "We will implement sexual harassment prevention education and counseling, and if any students require psychological treatment, we will provide support."
The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency plans to soon receive the survey and related materials from the school and conduct an additional investigation into A.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
