Teacher in Korea sued for emotional abuse after asking student to solve problem on chalkboard

Teacher in Korea sued for asking student to solve problem on chalkboard

A middle school teacher in Korea was sued by a parent for emotional abuse after the teacher had asked the latter’s child to come up to the chalkboard to solve a problem in front of the class.

According to SBS, the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union (KTU) said the teacher was accused in March this year.

Teacher accused of emotional abuse

In the accusation, the student’s parent said that the teacher had emotionally abused the child by asking them to solve a problem in front of the class.

As the child did not know the answer to the problem, the parent asserted that the teacher had humiliated the child in front of the class.

This complaint came following a separate complaint by the same parents involving the same teacher.

Late last year, the same child had gotten into a fight with another student. When the parent asked the same teacher to place the two students in separate classes, the teacher declined, saying that the current school regulations do not allow separating students without filing a school violence report – which the parent refused to do.

After the teacher declined the request, the parent demanded that the teacher be transferred from the school.

The parent claimed that the teacher “aided and abetted the bullying of the student”.

Teacher cleared of any wrongdoing

Earlier this week, the local police department, which received the complaints, dismissed the case and cleared the teacher of any wrongdoing.

Police said the teacher had acted within their discretion to educate the students as well as provide life guidance.

Furthermore, police found no evidence to support the parent’s claims that the teacher had impeded the child’s emotional development.

As a result of the ruling, the KTU also warned parents against reckless reports of child abuse against teachers.

Accused teachers often face months or years of criticism, the statement said. And even when cleared of wrongdoing, the impact of the accusation leaves scars.

“Superintendents must protect teachers with tough legal action against parents who use criminal child abuse reports to harass them,” the KTU president said.

The accused teacher is still struggling to recover, according to local media.

Also read: Teacher in Thailand punishes students for breaking hair rules by giving them bald spots

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Featured image adapted from SBS News. Image is for illustration purposes only.