“I’ve been accused of ‘child abuse’ for scolding an elementary school student for talking in class”

A teacher in her 40s who was charged with child abuse after calling her elementary school student to the front of the classroom to scold him for talking in class has been acquitted. The court ruled that there were extenuating circumstances for the teacher’s somewhat excessive discipline of the student whose behavior was damaging to other students안전놀이터.

According to legal circles, Hwang Hyung-joo, deputy chief judge of the Ulsan District Court Criminal Division 2, acquitted A, who was on trial for violating the Special Act on the Punishment of Child Abuse Crimes.

Mr. A, a homeroom teacher at an elementary school in Ulsan, called student B to the front of the class in 2021 when he started talking. He scolded the other students, saying, “Tell me what she did wrong.”

When B asked if he could be dismissed five minutes earlier than normal because he said, “I’m going to be late for my study hall class,” Mr. A instructed him to clean the classroom by himself.

For Student C, who argued with a friend, he said, “When the teacher doesn’t listen to you, I want to hit him with a stick,” and scolded him, saying, “How can you (parents) let a child be spoiled and throw a temper tantrum?”

Mr. A was accused of emotionally abusing five students in this way on a total of 15 occasions.

However, the court found that his behavior did not constitute child abuse.

The court found that Ms. A was a classroom teacher who was reprimanding some students who were not paying attention in class and were behaving in a way that was disruptive to other students, or who were engaging in behavior that was suspected to be bullying.

Some of the students who had been reprimanded had stabbed another student in the arm with a writing instrument, and, having been informed by the parents that bullying was suspected, it was necessary for Ms. A to discipline the students to prevent a recurrence.

“Judging from the content of the conversations and texts between A and the parents, it appears that she communicated with the parents and guided the students enthusiastically,” the court said. “Just because some of the disciplinary actions were educationally undesirable or somewhat excessive, it cannot be said that she ‘intentionally emotionally abused the child’.”