Parents file criminal complaint against teacher over child injured during bean bag activity two years later

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Noh Jae-hyeon = A parent filed a criminal complaint against the teacher two years later in connection with an accident in which an elementary school student was injured during a 'bean bag throwing' activity in the classroom.

According to the education world on the 22nd, last June, Mr. A, a parent of an elementary school in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul, filed a complaint to the police on charges of occupational negligence causing injury to Mr. B, claiming that Mr. B was negligent in safety management in the classroom, and Mr. B was recently investigated by the police.

In his complaint, Mr. A stated that in June 2024, his child, who was in the 4th grade of an elementary school, slipped and fell while throwing and catching a beanbag in the classroom and received treatment for more than 6 weeks for injuries such as dislocation of the kneecap, but to this day, symptoms such as pain, swelling, and numbness are recurring.

It was then added that Mr. B, who was a teacher, violated his duty of care to protect student safety and caused serious injury to the student by ordering inappropriate activities in a dangerous environment.

Mr. A claimed that the classroom floor at the time had a risk of slipping for students wearing socks, and that the bean bag activity also had a risk of accidents during landing and maintaining balance.

A bean bag is a play tool that puts beans, plastic, etc. in a small cloth bag.

At the time of the accident, under the guidance of Mr. B, the students threw bean bags toward the ceiling, clapped several times, and received the bean bags again.

It is a ‘morning fever’ activity that moves the body lightly before regular class time.

Mr. B, who retired from teaching in 2020, was temporarily in charge of the class that Mr. A's child belonged to as a part-time instructor at the time of the accident.

Mr. B expressed his frustration with Mr. A’s criminal complaint.

He refuted the incident, saying, “It was an unexpected and accidental accident. There is no fact that I neglected my duty of care as a supervisor.”

In addition, he emphasized that the beanbag activity was an activity that students of all grades at the school conducted for 7 to 8 minutes before class began at 9 a.m., and that it was an activity encouraged in relation to children's bodies and exercise during training hosted by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

Mr. B explained that at the time, he cautioned students to only throw beanbags up to a height of 30cm and that the classroom floor was not slippery.

In response to Mr. A's complaint about the aftereffects of his child's injury, Mr. B claimed that the student in question had participated in a marathon last year.

Teachers are very concerned that educational activities in the field will be further diminished due to Mr. A's criminal complaint.

In 2022, a teacher indicted on charges of manslaughter in connection with the death of an elementary school student in a traffic accident during a field trip in Sokcho, Gangwon Province, was sentenced to 6 months in prison (2 years of probation) in the first trial and 6 months in prison (suspended sentence) in the second trial.

However, education industry officials explain that it is very unusual for a parent to file a criminal complaint against a teacher due to a student injury resulting from a school safety accident.

Mr. B also said in a phone call with Yonhap News, "I heard that there are teachers who have not allowed their students to do bean bag activities all year long because they are afraid of safety accidents. I am worried that teachers will be even more reluctant to engage in normal educational activities."

Hyun Kyeong-hee, spokesperson for the Korean Teachers and Education Workers Union, said, "If a safety accident during educational activities without a teacher's intention or negligence leads to criminal charges, it will be difficult for teachers to carry out normal educational activities for fear of punishment," and expressed concern, "Ultimately, the damage will fall on the students."

He then urged, “The system must be improved so that the crime of occupational manslaughter under Article 268 of the Criminal Act does not apply to safety accidents that occur during normal educational activities.”

At school sites, field experiential learning is also decreasing significantly due to complaints about safety accidents and the burden of responsibility on teachers.

According to data released by the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education on the 15th, the implementation rate of non-accommodation-type field experience learning in elementary schools in Seoul fell significantly from 79% in 2024 and 51% in 2025 to 26% this year.

In this regard, the Ministry of Education has announced that it will push for a revision of the law to strengthen teacher protection in relation to school safety accidents.