Taichung student loses lawsuit alleging school discipline caused depression

Taichung, July 13 (CNA) A junior high school student in Taichung, who claimed to be suffering from depression as result of disciplinary measures imposed by a homeroom teacher, has lost a lawsuit seeking government compensation.

The Taichung District Court dismissed the claims, saying Sunday that the case did not meet the legal requirements for government compensation, and ordering the plaintiffs to bear the litigation costs.

The student and their parent were seeking NT$1.4 million (US$43,662) in government compensation, along with an additional NT$600,000 in damages for emotional distress, the court said.

They argued that the homeroom teacher required students to arrive at school at an unreasonably early hour, demanded excessively high academic standards, and made the students write lines as punishment for failing to meet those standards, all of which caused the claimant to develop depression, according to the court.

In its ruling, the court said that students are only required to arrive earlier than usual one day per week for the school's flag-raising ceremony.

Furthermore, the court said, it is within the scope of the teacher's job to set academic standards and impose punishment in the form of lines, which in this case were said to have been copied from textbooks.

The ruling, which can be appealed, also said that the plaintiffs failed to establish a link between the student's mental health and the teacher's disciplinary measures.