The parent of a fifth grader who was filmed punching and kicking her homeroom teacher has filed a child abuse complaint against three school staff members, including the teacher and vice principal, according to reports on Friday.
According to police and education authorities Thursday, the parent filed the complaint Sept. 3 against the homeroom teacher, the vice principal and another teacher at an elementary school in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province.
The parent reportedly claimed that the school had responded inadequately to the incident in which the student assaulted the teachers. Details of the alleged child abuse have not been disclosed.
“We recently received notification from the police and administrative authorities that a child abuse report had been filed in connection with the case,” an official from the North Chungcheong Provincial Office of Education said. “We are looking into the details of the complaint.”
The student allegedly punched the homeroom teacher in the face and head and kicked the teacher inside a classroom at around 8:40 a.m. Sept. 2.
Video footage showing the student grabbing the teacher by the hair and striking the teacher was subsequently aired by local media, drawing widespread attention.
The student had reportedly sworn at the teacher after complaining that a test paper she had received was dirty and was sent home. When the teacher told her the following day that she would have to retake the test, she allegedly attacked the teacher.
She also reportedly swore at and struck the vice principal and three or four other teachers who attempted to intervene.
Education authorities said the student had previously displayed verbally and physically aggressive behavior toward teachers and other students while experiencing emotional instability.
She had been taking medication related to bipolar disorder, but a parent had stopped administering it at the time of the incident, according to authorities.
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