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.
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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.
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