▲ Gyeonggi Superintendent of Education Ahn Min-suk
Gyeonggi Superintendent of Education Ahn Min-suk filed a criminal complaint against a parent today (August 10) in connection with malicious complaints at Bucheon Ojeong Elementary School, which was handled as the "No. 1 case" by the Teacher Rights Protection Task Force.
This marks the first instance of a superintendent filing a criminal complaint against a parent over rights infringement since Superintendent Ahn took office.
During a press conference held today in the conference room on the second floor of the Gyeonggi Provincial Office of Education in Suwon, Superintendent Ahn stated, "Regarding the serious infringement on educational activities that occurred at Ojeong Elementary School, I will visit the Bucheon Ojeong Police Station in person today to submit a criminal complaint under the name of the superintendent."
According to the provincial office of education, a teacher at the school reportedly received complaints from a parent after intervening in a dispute between children.
The parent in question also reportedly staged a picket protest in front of the school.
Although the Teacher Rights Protection Committee recognized the parent's actions as an infringement on educational activities, it was found that the teacher faced criminal complaints and civil lawsuits filed by the parent on charges of child abuse.
After forming the Teacher Rights Protection Task Force and taking charge as its head, Superintendent Ahn designated this case as "Case No. 1" and met with school officials and the affected teacher to review countermeasures.
Superintendent Ahn stated today, "The parent offered to apologize to the teacher and withdraw the lawsuit filed against them, but after much deliberation and taking into consideration the positions of the teacher and the school, I decided to proceed with the complaint," adding, "This complaint demonstrates the superintendent's determination that actions shaking schools and threatening teachers will not be tolerated."
He went on to emphasize, "We can no longer leave unattended the reality where legitimate educational activities collapse in the face of malicious complaints and threats, and a teacher's dedication is met with reports and lawsuits. We will respond strictly in accordance with law and principle to acts that seriously infringe upon the safety and dignity of teachers."
Meanwhile, the provincial office of education finalized the selection of 300 dedicated officers for teacher rights protection today.
The selected officers consist of 160 experts including lawyers, doctors, and police officers, alongside 110 teachers and 30 Gyeonggi residents.
The expert group also includes conflict resolution specialists, counselors, former National Human Rights Commission investigators, and international behavior analysis specialists.
They will provide one-on-one dedicated support from the initial occurrence to the resolution of cases for teachers experiencing difficulties due to child abuse allegations, serious infringements on educational activities, and malicious complaints.
The provincial office of education plans to conduct capacity-building training for the teacher rights protection officers on August 13 and 18, and launch full-scale activities following an inauguration ceremony on August 22.
In addition, the office plans to appoint about 1,400 applicants who expressed interest among the open recruitment applicants as "Citizen Teacher Rights Protectors."
(Photo provided by Gyeonggi Union of Teachers, Yonhap News)
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