Report Intake and Investigation by the School's Dedicated Team

Which step are you at?

Select your current step and the content for that step will appear below.

1. 1Report received
2. 2Report to the principal and office of education
3. 3Immediate separation
4. 4Formation of the dedicated team
5. 5Student statements and interviews
6. 6Notice to and interview with guardians
7. 7Emergency measures
8. 8Investigation report

• Basic step
• Additional action / option
• Rejection / objection
• End of procedure

Time required

The investigation period varies by case; check the expected schedule with the school

Cost

No cost (if you get legal advice from a lawyer, that fee is separate)

Procedure guide

Read from start to finish in order. Red text marks deadlines set by law.

1. 1

   Anyone who learns of school violence, whether the victim student, a guardian or a witness, can report it. You can report to the 117 School Violence Report Center, the homeroom teacher or the teacher in charge of school violence, or the police (School Violence Prevention Act §20). School staff have a duty to report what they learn.

2. 2

   The school that receives the report informs the principal. The principal notifies the guardians of both the victim and the offending student that a report was received, then reports to the local office of education. This notice is the first contact guardians receive. At this point, confirm the outline of the case (when, where and what the problem is) and the schedule ahead. Knowing the schedule lets you prepare for the written statement and interviews. The deadline for reporting to the office of education is set not by law but by the Ministry of Education's case-handling standards, so check the specific schedule with the school.

3. 3

   To protect the victim student, the principal separates the suspected student from the victim right away (immediate separation, School Violence Prevention Act §16). This means separating their classroom, school meals and routes to and from school. The period and method of separation follow the standards set by the Minister of Education (Enforcement Decree §17-2(2)), and the school decides them and lets you know. Separation may not be carried out in cases such as when the victim student objects (Enforcement Decree §17-2(1)).

4. 4

   A dedicated team (the investigation team inside the school) made up of the vice principal, the teacher in charge of school violence, the professional counseling teacher, the school nurse and parent members carries out the investigation (School Violence Prevention Act §14). It is not the homeroom teacher alone; this team is the body that investigates.

5. 5

   The victim student, the offending student and witness students each write a statement of facts (a document in which they write when, where and what happened) and are interviewed by the dedicated team. Once written, a statement is hard to change. So write only facts you clearly remember, and write that you do not know where you are unsure. Evidence such as chats, photos and videos is also submitted at this time.

6. 6

   The dedicated team tells the guardians of both sides how the investigation is going, and meets with them to hear their views. This is the chance for guardians to share what they know and what measures they want. Contacting the other student or their guardians directly may be mistaken for threats or retaliation. So communicate only through the school.

   Current step
7. 7

   If the victim student asks for urgent protection, the principal can take protective measures (psychological counseling, temporary protection, treatment, etc.) before the deliberation committee decides (School Violence Prevention Act §16(1)). If protecting the victim and guiding the offending student is urgent, the principal can also take priority measures against the offending student (written apology, school service, special education, suspension from attendance, class transfer) first (§17(5)). In either case, the principal must report to the deliberation committee immediately, and measures against the offending student must be ratified by the deliberation committee.

8. 8

   The dedicated team compiles the investigation results into a report and reports to the principal. The dedicated team deliberates on whether the case meets the requirements for the principal's own resolution (the conditions for a minor case that can be settled within the school), and the principal decides based on the result (School Violence Prevention Act §14(4), §13-2(2)). If the requirements are met and the victim's side agrees, the case goes to the principal's own resolution; if not, it goes to the deliberation committee at the local office of education. The deadlines for deciding on the principal's own resolution and for requesting deliberation are set not by law but by the Ministry of Education's case-handling standards, so ask the school about the schedule.

Frequently asked questions

Practical questions that come up right away in this procedure.

QWhere and how do I report school violence?

You can report to the 117 School Violence Report Center, the homeroom teacher or the teacher in charge of school violence, or a nearby police station. 117 is an emergency hotline for reporting school violence, run by the Commissioner General of the Korean National Police Agency and the heads of the provincial police agencies. The law does not set a reporting form.Writing down when, where, who and what happened helps you convey the facts accurately. The body that receives the report must notify the guardians of both students and the principal of their school.

QThe school says it will question my child. Can I, as a guardian, go in with them?

You can ask. Check with the school in advance whether a guardian may sit in and how. Ask the teacher in charge to let you sit in before the interview.Even if you sit in, do not answer for your child or correct what your child says. Your child must answer from their own memory.

QIf my child (the student suspected of the violence) is immediately separated, can they not go to school?

No. Immediate separation is not a suspension from attendance.It separates the students' classroom, school meals and routes to and from school, so your child still goes to school. The school decides the period and method of separation according to the standards set by the Minister of Education and lets you know.

QHow long does the investigation take, and when will I know whether it goes to the deliberation committee?

The principal decides after deliberation by the dedicated team (the investigation team inside the school). The decision is whether to close the case through the principal's own resolution or to refer it to the deliberation committee.The deadline for this decision is set not by law but by the Ministry of Education's case-handling standards. So it is a good idea to ask the school about the expected schedule.The school informs the guardians of both sides of the result in writing or by phone. If the case goes to the deliberation committee, a separate notice to appear comes from the local office of education.

QCan my child refuse to write a statement or decline to take part in the investigation?

Neither the School Violence Prevention Act nor its Enforcement Decree makes writing a statement a student's duty. However, if your child does not write one, your side of the story will not be included in the investigation materials.If your child is not in good condition that day, you can ask to postpone the date. If your child does write one, have them write only the facts they remember.

QCan a guardian handle this stage without a lawyer?

No rule requires you to hire a lawyer at this stage, so guardians can handle it themselves. However, some cases, such as sexual violence, extortion of money or goods, or group assault, may lead to a police complaint or a juvenile protection trial.Some children also find it hard to write a statement. In these cases, it is safer to consult a lawyer at least once before the statement is written.