What Should Schools Do Within 48 Hours

The Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education has proposed a system to centralize the reception of warning signs through the Seoul Student Integrated Call Center and connect urgent matters to on-site support within one hour. The number of specialized counseling personnel in schools will be gradually increased, and the establishment of psychological healing infrastructure will also be pursued with a target date of September 2026.

An overseas example is the guidelines from the Department of Education in Victoria, Australia. These guidelines consider the period from 24 to 48 hours after an incident as the most critical response window. They recommend completing fact-checking, contacting guardians, activating the school crisis management team, identifying vulnerable students, connecting with external professional organizations, and providing internal guidance within this timeframe.

Afterward, follow-up contact should be made at 72 hours, 1 week, and 2 weeks to check on the status, and flexible measures for staff counseling, classes, and attendance should be designed together. The principles of the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education align with this flow.

What needs to be examined first on-site is the gap in time. The integrated call center, crisis support team from the education office, and emergency medical services must operate seamlessly within one line and one procedure, even during nights and weekends, to ensure that reports do not stop. It is necessary to check and disclose at which stage delays occur in real situations and whether the principle of on-site response within one hour is being upheld.

The next task is to create a structure that people can endure. Separate from the expansion of counseling teachers, it is essential to determine how to share the burden that falls on homeroom and health teachers in the days immediately following an incident. Substitute classes and teacher counseling times should be automatically scheduled from the early stages of the incident to ensure sustainability.

Finally, it is crucial to reduce the discontinuity of treatment and aftercare. After visiting the emergency room, there should be a natural transition to case management at local mental health welfare centers or suicide prevention centers to lower the risk of re-attempt. It is important to guide treatment cost support and case management procedures through a single channel and clarify points of guardian consent and information sharing.

The timetable that schools should follow is as follows. Within the first two hours, confirm the facts and assess the level of risk. Notify the guardians and request cooperation from the police and fire department if necessary.

Within half a day, convene the school crisis management team. Connect with medical institutions together with the guardians and prepare internal guidance materials. Within one day, identify vulnerable students and operate temporary resting spaces. Check for imitation risks and rumors online.

Within two days, complete the official connection with local mental health welfare centers or suicide prevention centers. Flexibly adjust classes and attendance, and conduct teacher counseling and incident sharing times. After that, follow up at 72 hours, 1 week, and 2 weeks to check on progress. Proceed with treatment cost applications and administrative guidance together.

It is preferable for parents and students to clearly communicate what they need to inform the school. Provide factual information such as direct statements, specific plans and means of access, recent significant changes, and related posts. Records are for safety and treatment purposes and will be handled according to information protection regulations.

The scope of treatment cost support varies by region and system. The city of Seoul operates a treatment cost support system for high-risk groups for suicide, and plans to increase treatment costs for students who self-harm or attempt suicide were introduced in a press briefing. It is essential to verify the actual application targets and requirements.

If help is needed, you can contact 109. For youth, call 1388, and the Lifeline is available at 1588-9191, 24 hours a day. In emergencies, use 112 or 119.