"Obey Your Superiors"... Controversy Over Abusive Language at Hwasun Manyeoncho Without Democracy

Strong Opinions on Who Should Handle Meal Cleanup for Children in Care During School Breaks

School Officials: "Breaks Are Work Periods, Cooks Should Help with Dishwashing"

Vice Principal Tells Nutrition Teacher, Who Wants to Consult Staff, "

Evaluating individual values, respecting human rights, treating people equally, and making decisions through the participation of the majority are called 'democratic.' When conflicts arise, it is taught to resolve them through discussion, deliberation, and proper dialogue. However, at a school where these principles are taught to children, a controversy has erupted due to a staff member using the harsh phrase "Obey" among the faculty.

According to Manyeon Elementary School in Hwasun, Jeonnam, on the 23rd, the day before, Vice Principal A showed a difference of opinion during the meal service process for children in care during the vacation period. When Nutrition Teacher B said, "I will consult with the staff," Vice Principal A said, "How can everything be resolved democratically in an organization? Public officials have a 'duty to obey.'"

Manyeon Elementary has been operating an all-day care program during summer and winter vacations to address care gaps, providing students with various experiential activities along with lunch boxes and snacks.

However, recently, many complaints from parents were received expressing concerns that "most side dishes in the lunch boxes are fried foods, which may not be good for the children's health." In response, an internal meeting was held the day before, and it was decided that from the upcoming winter vacation, side dishes would be delivered and served.

During this process, a heated debate arose over "who would do the dishwashing."

Previously, lunch boxes were separated and collected by cooking staff only for the items the children ate, but with the "side dish serving" method, someone would have to do the dishwashing, increasing the workload.

The school argued that care teachers do not have any "dishwashing support" clause in their employment contracts, and since cooks work 365 days and cooking assistants work 340 days a year, they must do dishwashing even during vacation periods as it is considered part of their work period.

On the other hand, the cooks and cooking assistants stated that according to relevant laws, the kitchen should only operate during students' "regular class hours." They said they only came to the kitchen during vacation to clean and helped with lunch box separation to assist care teachers, but dishwashing is not their responsibility.

Vice Principal A told Nutrition Teacher B, who is responsible for the cooks' work schedule, "From winter vacation, since serving will replace lunch boxes, the cooks should help with dishwashing," and Nutrition Teacher B replied, "I will consult with them," which led to the use of the word "obey."

Nutrition Teacher B appealed, "I said that because I judged that consultation with the staff was necessary after being notified by the school, but when 'obey' was mentioned, I was so scared that I burst into tears on the spot."

In response, Vice Principal A explained, "What I meant was how can everything be resolved by democratically gathering opinions in an organizational society when setting direction and moving forward."

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