According to a former teacher who spoke on condition of anonymity, the standard operating procedure (SOP) in handling disciplinary issues is to always refer the case to the school session supervisor and discipline teacher.
“The supervisor and the discipline teacher can then investigate the case but the person involved, such as the teacher whose handphone was missing, must not be involved in the investigation,” he told the Malay Mail.
The ex-teacher explained that the supervisor and discipline teacher may talk to the student involved, but not interrogate her for hours.
He stressed that in Vasanthapiriya’s case, the school’s SOP was not adhered to as she was allegedly questioned by four teachers and then locked in a room for five hours, before she was taken home to her parents.
Refer case to higher school authority
Retired teachers and principals who weighed in on this issue agree that the SOP for such cases was for it to be referred to the school discipline teacher, the principal or school disciplinary board.
Retired discipline teacher Datin Mary John said the discipline teacher would be the one investigating such cases, by calling in witnesses before taking further action.
According to retired principal Azizah Mohamad, the complainant must first submit a written report to the principal on any disciplinary case before the student accused of the crime is called in.
“The complainant need not be present during this session and if the accused admits, we will close investigation, proceed with notifying the parents and decide on punishments,” she said.
She said the teachers or those on the school disciplinary board have no authority to detain students past school hours at any point of the investigation.
Although the Ministry of Education has guidelines and circulars on such cases, Azizah said the ministry usually allows schools to handle such cases on its own.
The student was in a coma for the past week in the Seberang Jaya Hospital and did not regain consciousness before passing away.
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