Teacher Faces Vicious Lawsuits After Blocking Parent's Messages

[Anchor]

We continue our series on the reality of our education system, where teachers' authority is collapsing and they are left to suffer alone under a barrage of complaints and lawsuits. This time, we look at the story of a teacher who was branded a child abuser for reasons including asking a student to pick up trash.

Reporter Jeong Banseok has the story.

[Reporter]

An elementary school in South Chungcheong Province.

In May last year, the parents of a fourth-grade student sent messages to the teacher, claiming that their child was bullied because the teacher failed to take proper action after they requested that their child be separated from a classmate who was bothering them.

The School Violence Committee had already concluded that the incident did not constitute school violence. However, the messages included remarks such as, "Are you trying to lecture a parent without even apologizing?" and "You claim to be raising children, but you have no sensitivity, no empathy, and what makes you think you can raise your voice?"

[Elementary School Teacher: I was afraid to receive these messages and my heart would race, so I blocked them. Then they called the school office and said, 'Are you crazy?' and 'I'm going to turn this school upside down.']

The Office of Education's Teacher Rights Protection Committee determined the parent's behavior to be an "infringement on educational activities," but what the teacher received in return was a criminal complaint for child abuse.

The parents added a claim that the teacher had committed emotional abuse by making only their child pick up trash.

[Elementary School Teacher: I have always taught students in their daily lives to pick up the trash they have dropped themselves. It is truly unfair to be accused of giving that child a disadvantage.]

The parents also cited as evidence of child abuse the fact that the teacher asked the child to find a spot for a group photo, and then ignored the child after they sent the photo. However, a police investigation revealed that the message the teacher sent back to the student was, "Thank you."

It took two months for the investigative agency to clear the teacher of child abuse charges.

The parent then filed an additional complaint for defamation, claiming the teacher gave false testimony to the Teacher Rights Protection Committee, which took another four months to be dismissed as groundless.

A civil lawsuit filed on the grounds that the teacher caused the child mental distress is still ongoing.

[Elementary School Teacher: In fact, child abuse has long been called the 'crime of hurting someone's feelings.' I think it is a very harsh punishment to have to suffer through these lawsuits for over a year. It is truly difficult to provide 'true education.' ]

The parent in question maintains that the investigative agency's decision of no suspicion does not mean the teacher is innocent.

[Parent: I do not think it is 'no suspicion.' In any case, the school did fail to protect (my child). That is why I filed an application for court review. I don't understand why you are making an issue out of me simply following legal procedures.]

According to the Ministry of Education, 95% of teachers reported for child abuse were not indicted or were not even booked for investigation.

(Reported by Kim Se-kyung | Video by Yoon Tae-ho | Graphics by Park Tae-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.