One more educator suspended in Taichung school bullying case

Taipei, Oct. 16 (CNA) The Taichung Education Bureau confirmed on Wednesday that another staff member implicated in the bullying of a high school student who later killed himself has been dismissed and banned from employment as an educator for two years.

The educator -- the former head military instructor at Taichung Municipal Feng Yuan Senior High School -- was involved in the bullying case of a male student, who committed suicide in February 2023 after allegedly being bullied by staff at the school for four months.

Following the student's death, the Taichung Education Bureau initially reassigned seven school staff members to other positions for further investigation in March 2023. The school also submitted an investigation report to the bureau in June that year.

The bureau, however, rejected the school's report. The school then reopened the investigation and determined that the staff members' actions did not constitute bullying but were "inappropriate discipline."

Unsatisfied with the result, the bureau later held a review meeting in September 2023 and reached a decision to suspend the school's director of student affairs for one year.

In response, the student's parents filed complaints with the assistance of the Humanistic Education Foundation, prompting the school to re-investigate the case.

As a result, the investigation confirmed that the director of student affairs and the chief military instructor had bullied the student, the bureau said.

The chief military instructor has been dismissed since Oct. 9 and banned from employment as an educator for two years, it added.