"If My Mom Did This, I'd Drop Out" - Parent Pressures and Threatens Teacher Over SNS Profile Photo

Parent Demands Teacher Remove SNS Profile Photo

"No Response Means Complaint"... Controversy Over Violation of Teachers' Rights and Privacy

Three years have passed since the Seocho Elementary School teacher, who suffered from malicious civil complaints, died at the school in 2023, but anxiety about violations of teachers' rights continues to persist in the educational field. This time, a parent who pressured a teacher to remove their profile photo from a social networking service (SNS) account has sparked public outrage. In particular, it was reported that when the teacher did not respond, the parent left additional pressuring messages, mentioning filing a complaint through the National Petition Portal.

This image is for illustrative purposes only and is unrelated to the content. Getty Images Bank

On March 6, a post titled "If my parents acted like this to a teacher, I would drop out" has been spreading on SNS. The post includes a screenshot of a KakaoTalk message, presumed to have been sent by a parent to a teacher.

"At a time when children should be studying, this kind of photo?..." Parent demands removal of profile photo

According to the released messages, after 6 p.m., the parent sent the teacher a message saying, "Your KakaoTalk profile photo looks like it was taken with your boyfriend," and, "This is a crucial time for students to focus on their studies, so I don't think it's appropriate. Please take down the photo."

After the teacher did not respond, the parent sent an additional message saying, "It seems like you're deliberately avoiding me," and, "If I don't get a reply by the end of today, I will file a complaint through the National Petition Portal and request a disclosure of information to verify the facts."

After seeing this post, many online users criticized the parent's actions as a clear violation of teachers' rights and an invasion of privacy. Comments included, "Trying to control even a teacher's private life crosses the line," "I can't understand how a profile photo affects students' right to learn," and "Why are they even looking at the teacher's profile photo so intently?" Some also expressed concern, saying, "If my parents did something like that, I would be too embarrassed to go to school," worrying about the awkward situation the child might face.

"Malicious complaints from parents should be counter-sued"… 98% of teachers agree

Although calls for stronger protection of teachers' rights intensified after the death of the Seocho Elementary School teacher in July 2023, many point out that violations of teachers' rights remain prevalent in schools. According to the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations (KFTA) in December last year, teachers are demanding stronger measures to protect their rights.

In particular, 97.7% of respondents supported the introduction of a "counter-lawsuit system for malicious complaints," in which superintendents would be required to file criminal complaints against parents in cases of false child abuse reports or malicious complaints, and a "state responsibility system," whereby the education office would take responsibility for civil and criminal lawsuits related to educational activities.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.