Principal to parent of disabled student: "Why did a child like this come?"... Human Rights Commission says "Discrimination against disabled people"

NHRCK: "Discriminatory Remarks Against Persons with Disabilities"
Principal Recommended to Take Human Rights Education

The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (NHRCK) has determined that a school principal's remarks to the parent of a student with a disability, such as "I don't know why a child like this was assigned to our school," constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities.

National Human Rights Commission. Yonhap News Agency

On the 19th, the NHRCK announced that it recommended Principal A of a high school in Gyeonggi Province to take human rights education on the prohibition of discrimination against persons with disabilities.

According to the NHRCK, parent B, who has a child suffering from severe asthma, met with the principal last March ahead of the child's participation in a school retreat. When B said they would arrange separate accommodation near the retreat site and take care of the child's meals and sleeping arrangements, the principal reportedly said, "I don't know why a child like this was assigned to our school. It is embarrassing and difficult."

After the retreat, the principal also reportedly said, "Why didn't you go to a school with special education teachers and special classes instead of coming to our school and causing this?" and "You, the mother, are selfish."

Feeling deeply insulted and humiliated, B filed a complaint with the NHRCK.

The principal's side stated, "The remarks were an explanation of the school's situation, where the support system for B's child, who is a special education student, was not sufficiently established." They explained that the remarks opposing the child's participation in the retreat were made "out of concern for the student's health as the top priority." They also said, "The remarks were made with the intention of protecting fairness among students, the welfare of all students, teachers' authority, and the learning rights of other students."

However, the NHRCK emphasized, "The student should be guaranteed the right to participate in school activities both inside and outside the school and receive education just like students without disabilities," and "The principal has the duty to provide necessary support for education so that the student with a disability does not face difficulties in school life."

Regarding the principal's remarks, the NHRCK also judged that "the remarks are inappropriate as they cause significant intimidation to B in activities to support their child with a disability, and thus constitute discrimination against persons with disabilities."

Nonetheless, considering the principal's efforts to ensure safety and health, such as preparing for retreat activities for students with disabilities and conducting emergency first aid training for staff, the NHRCK recommended that the principal take human rights education.

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