Pingtung teacher probed over knife, misconduct

An elementary school resource teacher in Pingtung County is under investigation over allegations that they repeatedly brought a fruit knife onto campus, climbed through classroom windows and took special education students out of class without permission, according to the Pingtung County Department of Education.

The department said yesterday the school had reported the teacher’s actions through the campus safety system and convened a meeting to determine whether the teacher is fit to continue teaching.

In a press release earlier yesterday, the National Federation of Education Unions (NEU), citing accounts from classroom teachers and parents, said the resource teacher at elementary school in Changjhih Township (長治) had behaved erratically since the start of the school year.

The Pingtung County Government is pictured in an undated photograph.

Photo: Taipei Times

According to the NEU, the teacher refused to teach resource classes -- which provide extra help to students with special needs -- and failed to draw up legally required individualized education programs (IEPs), severely impacting students’ education.

The union also alleged that the teacher spent extended periods alone in special education classrooms, praying in the corner of the room.

When locked out, the teacher allegedly climbed through windows.

The teacher also allegedly brought a fruit knife onto campus twice, causing panic and distress among special education students.

In another incident, the teacher allegedly led special education students toward a parking lot without authorization before class had ended, ignoring colleagues’ attempts to intervene.

The union criticized the school’s handling of the incidents, alleging that the principal failed to keep the teacher away from students and instead instructed staff to document the teacher’s behavior.

It also claimed that when teachers sought help during another incident in which the teacher climbed through a window, the principal said police should be called only if a student was actually injured.

The NEU urged the county government to investigate possible administrative negligence, bar the teacher from contact with students pending the investigation and ensure that teachers and staff can report campus safety concerns without administrative interference.

The Department of Education said the school had tried to communicate with the teacher, who refused to talk or say what support they needed.

To ensure students could continue attending classes, the school has reassigned the teacher to other duties and arranged a substitute for the resource class.

The department added that the county health department assessed the teacher but determined that the teacher did not meet the criteria for involuntary hospitalization.