A special project office has been set up to offer one-on-one consultations to parents whose children attended a private preschool where a teacher has been accused of drugging children, the New Taipei City Government said yesterday.
Eight of the preschool students have tested positive for sedatives.
New Taipei City Mayor Hou You-yi (侯友宜) on Friday evening attended a meeting with the parents at Juguang Elementary School in New Taipei City’s Banciao District (板橋), New Taipei City Education Department Commissioner Chang Ming-wen (張明文) said, adding that Hou plans to meet with parents again tonight to ensure that all of them have a chance to express their opinions.
Photo: Wu Chun-feng, Taipei Times
The parents who attended Friday’s meeting were most concerned about health and medical treatment, education and student placement, legal consultations and other individual needs, Chang said.
An office was yesterday set up at Juguang Elementary School, with a principal, a medical doctor and a legal professional offering support to parents from 5pm to 9pm on weekdays and 10am to 11am over weekends, he said.
New Taipei City Department of Health Director Chen Jun-chiu (陳潤秋) said a “green passage” would also be opened at New Taipei Municipal TuCheng Hospital, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital and New Taipei City Hospital, that would prioritize the children involved and offer free medical or mental consultations, blood and urine tests.
Parents can also contact the care service hotline at (02)2956-0885, Chen said.
Some parents had asked that their child undergo a hair follicle drug test to confirm whether there is still drug residue in their body, New Taipei City Deputy Mayor Liu He-jan (劉和然) said.
The city government would discuss the issue with prosecutors, Liu said.
After speaking to the parents for the first time, Hou yesterday wrote on Facebook: “I am also a parent.”
He said that he fully understands the anxiety and fear that parents are feeling, so the New Taipei City Government should provide more comprehensive support.
The city government must reflect on itself for not ensuring everyone was feeling safe before the facts are clarified, he said, adding: “I am sorry for the areas in which we did not do well enough.”
Some parents have expressed their intention to file a complaint about the city government’s response.
Hou said the city would continue to communicate with the parents and do its best to deal with problems caused by the incident.
Meanwhile, Democratic Progressive Party New Taipei City councilors Huang Shu-chun (黃淑君) and Lee Yu-hsiang (李宇翔) said the surveillance cameras at all preschools should be listed for monitoring.
A surveillance camera monitoring cloud service was established in 2021, ensuring that surveillance cameras are recording at all times and the footage is saved elsewhere, Huang said, adding that only 130 public infant care centers are part of the service.
There are still nearly 100,000 children at 230 private and semi-public infant care centers, 285 public preschools, 33 non-profit preschools, 222 semi-public preschools and 590 private preschools that are not covered by the surveillance camera monitoring cloud service, Huang said.
Last month at the city council, they proposed the idea of including the other schools in the cloud service, but Hou would not promise to do so, she said.
After this regrettable incident, they asked the city government to reconsider their proposal, she said.
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