Revised guidelines for investigating serious cases of bullying at school

The Ministry of Education on Wednesday presented a draft to amend its investigation guidelines for serious bullying cases in which there is a suspicion that children have suffered significant physical or psychological harm.

The ministry plans to invite public comment on the draft and complete the changes in August before informing schools of the revised guidelines.

Schools and education authorities investigate serious bullying cases on the basis of the law promoting measures for the prevention of bullying.

The ministry compiled the current investigation guidelines in 2017. It decided to revise them after the number of serious bullying cases reached a record high of 923 in the 2022 fiscal year.

The draft states that, in principle, investigation teams can be assisted by third parties. It would be desirable to actively consider the involvement of experts or individual third parties when investigating cases where confirmation of detailed facts is required.

The third parties should be people recommended by lawyers, doctors or other professional associations. They should not include lawyers or counselors who work at schools where serious cases of bullying have been reported, it adds.

The draft stresses the need to ensure neutrality, particularly when bullied children have committed suicide, when there are inconsistencies in the statements of those involved and when there is mistrust between schools and other parties.

The revised guidelines state that perpetrators, victims and their guardians will be given explanations before investigations begin, and stress the need to report the incident to the police immediately and seek help if bullying may cause physical harm or damage to property.