Teacher Suffers Two-Week Injury After Being Assaulted for 20 Minutes While Stopping Elementary Student

Teachers' Union Urges Authorities to Establish Teacher Protection Policies

An incident occurred at an elementary school in Jeju where a student assaulted a teacher, causing injuries that require two weeks of recovery.

On May 15, the Jeju Teachers' Labor Union announced that in mid-April, Teacher A, who works at an unnamed elementary school in Jeju City, was assaulted for about 20 minutes by an upper-grade student, Student B, in the school's Wee Class. The Wee Class is a space where students experiencing emotional or behavioral issues receive counseling and support.

Photo of the scene on the day of the incident. Jeju Teachers' Labor Union

It was found that Student B, while being separated due to a conflict with another student, suddenly started throwing objects and attempted to escape through a third-floor window. Teacher A intervened to stop Student B, who then repeatedly punched and kicked Teacher A and threw a chair and other items at the teacher.

The assault continued for 20 minutes and only ended after five staff members, including the principal and vice principal, arrived at the scene.

As a result of the incident, Teacher A sustained injuries requiring two weeks of treatment. Additionally, the teacher is undergoing psychiatric treatment for acute stress response, including symptoms of insomnia, anxiety, and depression.

The case has been reported to the Jeju City Office of Education's Regional Teachers' Rights Protection Committee at Teacher A's request for review.

The Jeju Teachers' Labor Union stated, "This incident highlights the structural limitation where an individual teacher is left to handle students in the Wee Class who have been separated due to behavioral issues. We strongly condemn the reality that, even on Teachers' Day, many teachers are undergoing psychiatric treatment, and we urge the educational authorities to establish proactive policies to protect educational activities."

The Jeju Teachers' Labor Union also criticized the school's inadequate follow-up measures. They pointed out, "While the injured teacher was on sick leave, the school administrators did not arrange a meeting with the student's parents as requested. This situation clearly reveals a policy gap, as the obligations of school administrators in cases of educational activity infringement are not clearly defined."

Through the Jeju Teachers' Labor Union, Teacher A stated, "I hope that incidents like mine do not happen again. Appropriate educational measures must be taken so that students can reflect on their actions, and a safe educational environment must be created where the mission and responsibility of teachers are not neglected."

Meanwhile, according to the results of a "Survey on Teachers' Rights and Malicious Complaints at School Sites" conducted by the Jeju Teachers' Labor Union from May 8 to May 12 among teachers in the province, 54.4% (93 out of 171 respondents) said they had directly experienced infringements on their educational activities over the past year. However, only 3 teachers (2.2%) reported the incidents to the Teachers' Rights Protection Committee, while the remaining 96.8% (90 teachers) said they endured the situations without filing a report.

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