High School Student Sent Obscene Messages to Female Teacher: Decision Overturned After Controversy Over Teachers' Rights Infringement

Jeonbuk Office of Education: "Occurred During Educational Activities, Constitutes Infringement of Teachers' Rights"
Iksan Office of Education's Previous Ruling Overturned

The decision that a high school student sending obscene messages to a female teacher does not constitute an infringement of teachers' rights has been overturned.

On August 18, the Jeonbuk Special Self-Governing Provincial Office of Education held an administrative appeals committee and concluded, "This act should be regarded as having occurred during educational activities," and determined that "it constitutes an infringement of teachers' rights."

This overturns the previous decision by the Iksan Office of Education’s Teachers’ Rights Protection Committee, which had ruled that the incident was unrelated to educational activities and therefore did not constitute an infringement of teachers' rights. Accordingly, the Iksan Office of Education will reconvene the Teachers’ Rights Protection Committee to review the case again, and, after formally recognizing it as an infringement, will proceed with follow-up measures.

If the Teachers’ Rights Protection Committee decides that teachers' rights have been infringed, measures such as separating the teacher and student, disciplinary action against the perpetrator, and enhanced protection for the victimized teacher may be implemented. If the student responsible objects to these measures, they may file an administrative lawsuit.

Previously, a student at School A sent obscene messages to a female teacher via social networking service (SNS) after school hours. In June, the Iksan Office of Education’s Teachers’ Rights Protection Committee decided that this did not constitute an infringement of teachers' rights, sparking controversy. As the controversy grew, the Jeonbuk Office of Education’s Center for Educational Human Rights filed an administrative appeal, reflecting the victim teacher’s view that "the scope of teachers’ rights infringement was interpreted too narrowly."