Schools still hestitant toward field trips despite law change to protect teachers from liability

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Schools still hestitant toward field trips despite law change to protect teachers from liability

Published: 23 Jun. 2025, 16:14

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Students out on a field trip to Suwon are seen on May 4, 2023. [NEWS1]

Many schools in Korea remain hesitant to take students on field trips due to lingering safety concerns and unclear guidelines, despite a new amendment intended to shield teachers from legal liability during school outings.

In March, an elementary school in North Chungcheong canceled its first-semester field trip, which had been scheduled for the following month. The school informed parents that “the trip would be rescheduled for the second semester, after the amended School Safety Act goes into effect.”

However, the school has yet to decide whether to proceed with the field trip.

“There are still significant safety concerns for the students and burdens on the teachers,” a school official said. “We plan to discuss the details after the summer vacation.”

Although the amended School Safety Act took effect on Saturday, most schools have postponed their field trip plans, according to the education community on Monday. The amended law waives civil and criminal liability for teachers who have fulfilled their safety duties in the event of an accident during a school field trip.

The revision was prompted by a fatal accident during an elementary school field trip in 2022, in which a teacher was held liable. The homeroom teacher was sentenced in February to six months in prison, suspended for two years, for involuntary manslaughter due to professional negligence.

Following the incident, many teachers became reluctant to lead off-campus activities, effectively boycotting field trips. In March, the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education reported that only 34.4 percent, or 209 of 606 elementary schools in the city, planned to conduct one-day field trips this year.

Attendees hold up slogans during a protest rally calling for the acquittal of a teacher who was held responsible for the death of a student during a field trip in 2022, outside the Chuncheon District Court in Gangwon on April 16, 2024. [YONHAP]

That figure was 78.8 percent, or 478 schools, last year. In a similar survey conducted by the Korean Federation of Teachers’ Associations (KFTA) of approximately 6,000 teachers, 81 percent responded that field trips should be canceled or suspended this year.

Parents hope that now the law reduces teachers’ legal burden and that traditional school-led outings such as picnics and retreats — which have largely disappeared — will resume. However, they also say that safety measures are needed.

“My son asked why he’s only planting lettuce in the schoolyard instead of going on a picnic,” said the mother of a first and second grader in elementary school. “I’m planning to suggest a picnic to the school for the second semester so he can make good memories with his friends.”

Others remain concerned, saying no meaningful safety measures have been introduced since the fatal accident.

Children out on a field trip at a part in Daegu are seen enjoying blow bubbles and music on April 17. [NEWS1]

“I don’t know if it’s even possible for one homeroom teacher to be responsible for 25 students,” said another parent of a fifth-grade student. “If safety can’t be guaranteed, I think it’s better not to go on any picnics or retreats at all.”

Teachers remain wary. They argue that the amended law does not clearly define what constitutes the “duty” that would exempt them from liability, meaning the changes offer little real protection.

“The law doesn’t specify what safety obligations entail or what falls within a teacher’s responsibilities,” said an elementary school teacher in Seoul. “So, in practice, it’s no different from before — the school and teachers still bear all the responsibility.”

Teacher organizations, including the KFTA, are calling on the Education Ministry to urgently issue guidelines.

“Teachers currently have to handle everything — from planning and preparation to safety inspections and administrative tasks,” said a KFTA official. “Some safety manuals from regional education offices even require teachers to conduct technical inspections of chartered buses. We need clear and realistic exemption criteria based on what teachers can reasonably carry out.”

Translated from the JoongAng Ilbo using generative AI and edited by Korea JoongAng Daily staff.
BY LEE BO-RAM [[email protected]]