Teacher left with PTSD, injuries after a sixth grader's assault

An elementary school teacher was subjected to indiscriminate attacks by a sixth-grade student in her class. (123rf)

A sixth grade student's assault of a teacher has rekindled controversy over teachers' rights and authority.

According to local media reports, a female elementary school teacher in Seoul has been diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder and injuries requiring three weeks of treatment after being assaulted by a six-grade student.

The victim told the local media that she was punched dozens of times in front of other students. The student also stomped on the teacher when she fell to the ground. The student is reported to have assaulted the victim in the past, and is currently taking counselling for an hour a day due to his anger management issues.

The latest assault took place when the teacher tried to persuade the student to attend the counselling session, which the student refused to attend saying that he wanted to attend physical education class.

The teacher told the local media that the student swore at her, and began throwing books and other items at her. When she issued a warning, the student began punching her.

In response to the incident, the student's parents have accused the teacher of discriminating him for being clinically depressed and that he should be considered being borderline intelligence as he is on depression medication.

The student's parents are reportedly planning to report the teacher to the education authorities.

The teacher made plans to file a criminal complaint against the student and a civil suit against his parents. More than 1,800 teachers have signed petition calling for action, while the school decided to hold a committee on the protection of teachers’ rights on Wednesday.

By Park Ye-eun(park.yeeun@heraldcorp.com)