A student at a Taichung high school who committed suicide in February last year was bullied by school officials, the school said on Saturday, reversing its previous findings after the student’s father asked that the case be reinvestigated.
In a statement, Feng Yuan Senior High School said its latest investigation found that four staff members — the director of student affairs, the chief military instructor and two safety instructors — bullied the student, who killed himself on Feb. 18 last year.
That contradicted its previous conclusions that the staff’s actions had not amounted to bullying.
Photo courtesy of a reader
The student’s father said his son was subjected to months-long bullying by the staff members, who singled him out and frequently searched his belongings or falsely accused him of committing misdeeds.
The father said that led to his son’s suicide, but the school’s earlier investigations focused narrowly on the issue of bullying without ever linking the behavior of the staff to the student’s death.
The high school completed its first report in April last year, when it concluded that the staff members had subjected the student to “improper discipline,” which caused him “physical and mental harm.”
A second report, focusing on whether or not the staff members had bullied the student, was submitted to the Taichung Education Bureau in June.
The bureau rejected it and demanded revisions on the grounds that it lacked sufficient detail.
The school’s revised report, submitted in August, concluded that the behavior of staff toward the student did not constitute bullying.
The Education Bureau also rejected that report, calling the school’s findings “completely unacceptable,” and suspended the director of student affairs, Chang Ching-hsiang (張景翔), for one year.
The student’s father then requested another investigation.
The school on Saturday gave Chang a second one-year suspension, after it concluded that he was responsible for bullying.
As for the other staff involved, the safety instructors resigned in September last year, while the chief military instructor was removed, the bureau said.
The Humanistic Education Foundation cited the student’s father Saturday as saying that the most recent report acknowledged that his son had been bullied and treated unfairly at school, and it was unacceptable that the director of student affairs still only received a one-year suspension.
The father said he would discuss the situation with his lawyer after receiving the new report, the foundation quoted him as saying.
Meanwhile, the bureau said it would continue to work on establishing a safe and friendly learning environment for students.
Those in need of counseling or assistance can call the 1925, 1995 or 1980 hotlines for help.
A strong continental cold air mass is to bring pollutants to Taiwan from tomorrow, the Ministry of Environment said today, as it issued an “orange” air quality alert for most of the country. All of Taiwan except for Hualien and Taitung counties is to be under an “orange” air quality alert tomorrow, indicating air quality that is unhealthy for sensitive groups. In China, areas from Shandong to Shanghai have been enveloped in haze since Saturday, the ministry said in a news release. Yesterday, hourly concentrations of PM2.5 in these areas ranged from 65 to 160 micrograms per cubic meter (mg/m³), and pollutants were
Taiwan’s armed forces have established response protocols for a wide range of sudden contingencies, including the “Wan Chun Plan” to protect the head of state, the Ministry of Defense (MND) said today. After US President Donald Trump on Saturday launched a series of airstrikes in Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, concerns have been raised as to whether China would launch a similar “decapitation strike” on Taiwan. The armed forces regularly coordinate with relevant agencies and practice drills to ensure preparedness for a wide range of scenarios, Vice Minister of National Defense Hsu Szu-chien (徐斯儉) told reporters before a
EVA Airways on Saturday said that it had suspended a pilot and opened an investigation after he allegedly lost his temper and punched the first officer several times as their plane was taxiing before takeoff at Los Angeles International Airport. According to a report published on Thursday by The Reporter, the incident occurred after the flight’s Malaysian first officer tried to warn the Taiwanese pilot, surnamed Wen (文), that he was taxiing faster than the speed limit of 30 knots (55.6kph). After alerting the pilot several times without response, the first officer manually applied the brakes in accordance with standard operating
The New Taipei City Social Welfare Department on Thursday celebrated Paralympic competitor Chen Tzu-wei (張孜維), who received last year’s national Golden Eagle award for exemplary achievement by Taiwanese with disabilities. Chen, who suffers from childhood-onset muscular dystrophy, did not attend the first award ceremony held by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in November due to illness. Chen was formally presented with the award at the department, where he gave thanks to government workers for supporting his education and livelihood, the department said in a statement. Chen was raised by the Ai-hsin Home for Persons with Disabilities in the city’s Bali District (八里)
RSS