From now on, parents are prohibited from filing complaints through teachers' personal contact information or social media (SNS) such as Instagram. Instead, complaints must be filed only through the school's main phone number or the online parent communication system "E-eodream."
The Ministry of Education on the 22nd announced a plan to strengthen responses to school complaints and protect educational activities. The core is revising the manual so that agency heads, such as the superintendent of education and principals, take direct responsibility and respond to malicious complaints and violence that teachers had handled individually.
If an incident occurs that seriously infringes on teachers' authority, such as assault, sexual harassment, or distribution of obscene materials, the Committee for the Protection of Teachers' Rights (CPTR) is advised to file a complaint directly with the superintendent with jurisdiction. By codifying the superintendent's previously nominal authority to file complaints into the manual, legal action is now possible.
If a malicious complainant visits a school and disrupts educational activities, the principal may immediately issue emergency measures such as ordering a halt to the infringement, giving a warning, requesting the person to leave, and restricting entry. If the matter is serious, such as injury or assault, the principal will be able to impose separation measures—such as suspension of attendance or class transfer for the offending student—even before the CPTR's final decision.
Penalties for offending parents will also become stricter. If a parent who has been ordered by the CPTR to complete special education or psychological counseling for infringing on a teacher's educational activities fails to comply, a flat 3 million won in fines will be imposed regardless of the number of absences. Previously, fines were imposed on a sliding scale depending on the number of absences.
Victimized teachers will receive up to five additional days of leave on top of the existing five days of special leave.
However, the plan to record "teacher authority infringement" in the School Life Record (student record), which had been a point of contention, was not included in this package. This reflects concerns that recording it in the student record could lead to a proliferation of lawsuits and, in turn, discourage teachers' educational activities.