Teacher Unions: "Parent of Smoking Student Threatened, 'I Gave Permission... Will Turn School Upside Down,' Filed Malicious Complaints"

"I will turn the school upside down," parent threatens
Teacher diagnosed with acute stress disorder
Teachers' union: "Obstructing student guidance... infringement of teachers' rights"

At a high school in North Jeolla Province, a teacher who caught students smoking was subjected to repeated complaints and threats from a parent, eventually being diagnosed with acute stress disorder. Teacher organizations have called this a "clear case of infringement on teachers' rights" and urged the education office to take action.

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On October 20, the North Jeolla branch of the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union and the North Jeolla Teachers' Union issued a statement, saying, "There is a parent who continues to file malicious complaints against the school for initiating disciplinary procedures after catching a student smoking."

According to these unions, earlier this month, a teacher at a high school in the province caught two students smoking outside the school. After notifying the parents, the school began disciplinary procedures.

In response, one parent threatened, saying, "I gave permission for my child to smoke, so why is this a problem? I will turn the school upside down." The parent also visited the principal's office and said, "I will sue the teacher who filmed the smoking scene for violation of portrait rights and child abuse." It is reported that this parent continued to visit the school multiple times, filing various complaints.

The unions stated, "The teacher suffered from insomnia, anxiety, and depression due to feelings of guilt for burdening colleagues and the entire school. The teacher received psychiatric treatment and was diagnosed with acute stress disorder, anxiety disorder, and a depressive episode. Currently, the teacher is under such severe psychological pressure that normal educational activities are difficult. This is not a simple matter of emotional distress, but a serious infringement on teachers' rights."

They added, "This is a clear case of interfering with student guidance and repeatedly using threatening language toward a teacher, constituting an obvious violation of teachers' rights. The education office must officially recognize this as an infringement of teachers' rights and take appropriate action against the parent involved." The unions also demanded the dismissal of the parent from the school management committee, stating, "It is unacceptable for proper student guidance to be undermined by unjust complaints and pressure from parents."

However, the parent in question countered, saying, "I only pointed out violations of procedures and regulations. It is completely untrue that I have filed malicious complaints."

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