Safety Accidents During Field Trips: "No Teacher Liability Unless Intent or Gross Negligence"

Ministry of Education Announces "Support Plan for Field Trip Learning" on May 28
Revision of "School Safety Act" to Strengthen Teacher Exemption from Liability
Support Staff Standard Changed from One per 50 Students to One per Class

The government has decided that teachers will not be held civilly or criminally liable for safety accidents that occur during school field trips, such as school excursions, unless there is intent or gross negligence. This decision comes one month after President Lee Jaemyung pointed out the tendency to avoid field trips at a cabinet meeting and called for related countermeasures.

Yonhap News Agency

On May 28, the Ministry of Education announced a "Support Plan for Field Trip Learning" containing these measures. The key point is to strengthen the exemption of teachers from liability in the event of field trip safety accidents. The Ministry of Education plans to revise the current School Safety Accident Prevention and Compensation Act (School Safety Act) and, except in cases of intent or gross negligence—such as significant violations of accident management guidelines—ensure that principals, teaching staff, and support staff are not held civilly or criminally liable for school safety accidents. Under current law, legal liability is waived only when all safety measures have been fulfilled in accordance with safety accident management guidelines. The Ministry intends to work promptly with the National Assembly to begin amending the law in the second half of this year, aiming for the revised bill to take effect in the first half of next year.

The Ministry will also strengthen legal support systems to provide robust protection for teachers if a safety accident occurs during educational activities. Upon the occurrence of an accident, a dedicated team at the local education office will immediately assist with accident management. From the moment an accident occurs, a dedicated attorney will be appointed to provide comprehensive legal support—from legal consultation to litigation—at the education office level. Previously, legal support was only available after litigation had commenced. The Teacher Protection Mutual Aid Project will support teachers’ litigation costs and liability for damages, and the actual amount of compensation support will also be increased.

The standard for assigning "support staff" to assist teachers during field trips will be changed from "one per 50 students" to "one per class." To improve the safety expertise of support staff, the Ministry will collaborate with organizations such as the National Fire Agency to secure personnel with emergency response capabilities. In addition, an online training course will be developed so that these staff can enhance their expertise in accident prevention, emergency response, and guiding students.

In addition, the government will expand pre-safety inspection support for field trip programs, facilities, and vehicles in cooperation with local governments and related organizations. The so-called "Safe School Excursion Service," currently being implemented by local governments such as Jeju and Gyeongju, will be expanded to other regions. During the spring and autumn, when field trips are concentrated, joint on-site traffic safety inspections will also be intensified.

Measures to reduce teachers' workload related to field trips were also announced. Dedicated personnel for field trips will be assigned at all regional education offices nationwide to assist with tasks previously handled by teachers, such as contracts, assigning support staff, and safety inspections. The field trip manual will be simplified to include only the essential content necessary for conducting field trips and preventing accidents, thereby reducing unnecessary administrative burden for schools. Furthermore, the Ministry will expand "field trip package" products, in which private companies take responsibility not only for accommodation, transportation, and program management, but also for integrated safety management, so that teachers can focus on educational activities.

Minister of Education Choi Gyojin stated, "Field trip learning is an important educational activity that connects classroom learning with real life," adding, "We will continue to provide support so that both teachers and students are protected by a robust safety net and so that students can freely dream about their futures through high-quality field trip experiences."

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