Student rights and education organizations have strongly criticized a bill that allows teachers to 'restrain' and 'separate' students.

Nine organizations, including the Student Rights Act, the Youth-Citizen National Action for Youth Rights, the Education Workers' Field Practice, and the National Association of Parents of Disabled Young Children, issued a statement on the 14th, arguing, "The amendment to the 'Elementary and Secondary Education Act' led by the Democratic Party is essentially enshrining the Yoon Seok-yeol government's life guidance ordinance into law, infringing on student rights and exacerbating conflicts in the education field."

They said, "The life guidance ordinance has been criticized for encouraging arbitrary violations of student rights even before its implementation, and after its implementation, there have been reports of excessive physical intervention by teachers." They pointed out, "If this amendment passes, there is a high risk that schools will become a structure that easily excludes students who struggle in class."

They also stated, "Giving teachers the authority to control and exclude students is not a fundamental solution. What teachers need is an improvement in the actual education environment and support from professionals, not a law to control students by force."

They also criticized, "The image of a school where 'restraint' and 'separation' are possible reminds us of President Yoon Seok-yeol's state of emergency. Just as Yoon Seok-yeol's martial law, which deployed the military to oust lawmakers for obstructing national affairs, is clearly anti-democratic, we cannot help but question whether the aim of this bill is truly a democratic school." Some even pointed out that this bill reminds them of the term "roundup" mentioned in the context of a rebellion plot.

They urged the Democratic Party to "completely review the bill to legalize 'restraint' and 'separation' of students and the life guidance ordinance."