Six Years of Classroom Surveillance, Refusal of Guidance, and Repeated Complaints ... Gyeongnam Teachers' Union Reports Elementary School Parent for Infringement of Teachers' Rights

The Gyeongnam Teachers' Union has called on the education authorities to take strict action, including filing criminal charges, against a parent who allegedly infringed upon teacher rights over a six-year period by monitoring classes and filing complaints against teachers at a general elementary school in the province.

On May 6, the union held a press conference in the briefing room of the Gyeongnam Office of Education, stating, "A parent’s malicious complaints and indiscriminate child abuse reports have completely destroyed a school."

According to the union, Parent A has, since 2021 when her child, B, who is classified as a special education student under the Special Education Act, was in the first grade, and continuing through the present sixth grade, filed malicious complaints and lawsuits against more than ten individuals, including homeroom teachers, special education teachers, and the principal, on charges such as child abuse, threats, and defamation.

From B's first grade year, the parent demanded to be present in the classroom, took B out of school at will or left during class to eat in the cafeteria regardless of the teacher’s wishes, refused to cooperate with teachers’ attempts to prevent B from leaving the classroom, and even barged into the classroom to force teachers to stop instruction.

These incidents were repeated. Last year, as B entered the upper grades, the homeroom teacher was changed three times, and one teacher left the profession after attempting self-harm.

Elementary school teachers in the province are holding a press conference in the briefing room of the Gyeongnam Office of Education, claiming repeated infringements on teachers' rights by a parent.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

Teacher C, who served as B’s homeroom teacher during the first semester of fifth grade and attended the press conference, said, "From the very beginning of the semester, the parent would enter the classroom, stay for extended periods, directly hold and instruct the child, and intervene constantly. When I refused observation due to psychological stress, the parent insisted on sending the lesson content and materials, claiming they were unsuitable for the child, and then monitored classes from outside the classroom."

She added, "The presence of an outsider in the classroom forced the children to attend class in an extremely tense atmosphere. I developed severe anorexia and physical symptoms, to the point where I could not even eat lunch, and had to step down as homeroom teacher after only one semester."

Teacher C continued, "The second semester homeroom teacher, Teacher D, suffered a torn wrist ligament and permanent injury after being pushed while trying to restrain B’s sudden behavior, but the parent demanded understanding. The parent also requested that D be removed as homeroom teacher after D was struck in the face by a paper airplane, claiming D was interpreting the student's actions aggressively. Subsequently, Teacher D was diagnosed with panic disorder, overdosed on medication, was taken to the emergency room, and has experienced aftereffects since resigning."

Afterwards, Parent A received a written apology order from the Teacher Rights Protection Committee as the first disciplinary action, but challenged the decision through an administrative appeal and reportedly filed a police complaint against the principal, who had supported Teacher D, on charges of child abuse.

Special education teacher E said, "Since November 2025, B has left campus without permission 21 times, even crossing roads and bridges over flowing rivers. The parent, however, blamed me for allegedly provoking the child by blocking the door in an attempt to keep B safe."

She continued, "B repeatedly engaged in sexual contact and inappropriate behavior, such as touching parts of my and a volunteer’s body and kissing other students, but the parent insisted it was pure affection or a self-defense mechanism. I have now been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, and I can barely get through a day without medication."

Current sixth grade homeroom teacher F stated, "Even as B repeatedly engaged in inappropriate physical contact with other students, Parent A defined it as innocent affection or a request for help, and blocked my guidance. When I sent home a notice outlining the principles of sexual self-determination and safety for teachers, the parent accused me of defamation and threatened to file a lawsuit, claiming their child was being labeled a sex offender."

She continued, "Even when B ran barefoot on roads outside the school, the parent refused to allow physical restraint, so all I could do was follow the child to ensure safety. When I explained that refusing physical restraint could endanger the child’s safety, I was sued for defamation, and when I locked the back door to protect the child without physical contact, I was reported for child abuse."

Chungsoo Lee, Chairman of the Kyungnam Teachers' Union, is holding a press conference in the briefing room of the Kyungnam Office of Education, claiming repeated violations of teacher authority by parents of sixth-grade students at an elementary school in the province.
[Photo by Seryeong Lee]

The teachers stressed, "This vicious cycle of egregious infringements on teacher rights must end. Such violations threaten teachers’ lives and destroy the educational environment by abusing the law."

They continued, "Please create an environment where teachers can love and educate children again, with at least the minimum guarantee of human dignity. We want to teach children to enjoy meals together with good manners, to respect boundaries, and to grow into healthy members of society."

Chungsoo Lee, Chairman of the Gyeongnam Teachers' Union, stated, "As students grow, they become physically stronger and it becomes increasingly difficult for teachers to restrain them. Measures are needed to protect both teachers and students from unpredictable behavior."

He added, "Malicious complaints that focus solely on certain rights are severely infringing not only on the learning and safety rights of the majority of students, but also on teachers’ rights to sexual self-determination and physical safety. The Superintendent of Education should immediately file criminal charges against the offending parent for obstruction of official duties and false accusations."

He also stated, "Although there is a Teacher Rights Protection Committee, teachers are reluctant to request meetings out of fear of being stigmatized as incompetent or in conflict with parents. Even when the committee issues disciplinary action, there are no means to enforce compliance or impose penalties for non-compliance. The education authorities must completely overhaul the ineffective committee system and establish strong measures to compel compliance with its decisions."

An official from the Gyeongnam Office of Education stated, "We are aware of the issues at the school, but the committee has not yet decided to request that the Superintendent file charges against the parent, so we are currently monitoring the situation. If serious complaints arise, or if illegal acts occur, the Superintendent will respond directly, including by filing charges."

[Right of Reply] Regarding <Six Years of Class Surveillance, Refusal to Follow Guidance, Repeated Complaints... Gyeongnam Teachers' Union Accuses Elementary School Parent of Violating Teacher Rights> (2026.7.9)

In relation to the article published on May 7, which reported that the Gyeongnam Teachers' Union called for strict action, including criminal charges, against a parent of a special education student for allegedly monitoring classes and filing repeated complaints against teachers over six years, the parent in question has responded as follows:

The parent states, "This was the first child abuse report I filed, and I have always tried to maintain a cooperative relationship with the school. The classroom presence mentioned in the article was a temporary measure requested by the school due to the student's initial adjustment difficulties."

The parent also clarified, "I have never attempted to justify inappropriate physical contact by the student with teachers or other students."

This report is published in accordance with a mediation agreement by the Press Arbitration Commission.

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