Elementary Student Assaults Junior During Class... Facial Bone Fractured and Skull Cracked, but Teacher Only Sent Student Home

An incident occurred during after-school classes where a lower-grade student was assaulted by an upper-grade student, resulting in injuries requiring 12 weeks of medical treatment.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Choyoung] An incident occurred in which a lower-grade elementary school student was indiscriminately assaulted by an upper-grade student during after-school classes. The victim suffered serious injuries, including a broken facial bone, but the teacher in charge reportedly sent the student home without taking any action.

According to an elementary school in Seo-gu, Gwangju, on the 24th, 3rd grader A was assaulted by 6th grader B from the same school around 2:30 PM on the 20th while attending badminton class.

Due to shortened and alternating classes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, students from different grades, A and B, participated together in after-school classes. Before the class, while playing dodgeball, a dispute arose over throwing the ball, which escalated into an assault.

However, the teacher in charge did not take basic measures such as taking bleeding A to the infirmary or reporting the incident to school officials. When A’s parents, having heard that their child was "hurt during a fight," asked for their child to be sent home, the teacher sent A home.

Upon receiving the call, A’s parents hurried home and, seeing A’s nosebleed resume and vomiting, took him to the hospital. Examination results showed that A had a broken facial bone and a cracked skull, receiving a diagnosis requiring at least 12 weeks of treatment and emergency surgery.

A’s parents pointed out, "Despite the serious assault during class, it was essentially neglected," adding, "No action was taken, which could have led to an even more serious situation."

The school immediately excluded the teacher involved from duties and is investigating the incident by interviewing witnessing students. To follow up, the school plans to hold a school violence task force meeting on the 27th, following the one on the 21st, to discuss further measures and decide whether to hold a school violence committee meeting hosted by the city education office.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.