Yearbook image removal raises rights concerns

Two photographs show schoolgirls standing on a playground, smiling and making playful gestures. In one image, five girls appear. In the other, only four remain. One student has been erased entirely, including her shadow. The fence behind her, along with trees and the sandy ground, was digitally reconstructed to fill the space where she once stood.

The student was a sixth-grader in Busan who died in October 2023 after reporting school bullying. When graduation albums were distributed to about 60 classmates four months later, her image had been removed. Her family received a separate version that included her photo, which the school described as a “special consideration.” Officials said the decision was made to prevent post-traumatic stress disorder among other students. The family filed a complaint with the National Human Rights Commission of Korea, arguing that removing the student’s image amounted to secondary harm. The commission dismissed the complaint in May, saying it could not determine that the school had violated her rights.

However, the commission attached a review longer than its dismissal. The 2,772-character opinion, which exceeded the 2,348-character ruling, said the school’s handling of the matter had shortcomings. A graduation album, it noted, is both an official record and a record of student memories. It said the decision to produce a separate album was made without sufficient discussion and that the family was not properly informed. The commission recommended that the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education establish guidelines for similar cases, saying students should be given a chance to reflect on and mourn a deceased classmate as part of emotional and community recovery.

An investigator at the Busan Human Rights Office said the case raised multiple questions, including whether the school’s response was appropriate and whether any relevant guidelines existed. “We felt it should not end with a single word, ‘dismissed,’” the investigator said. “The state should ensure students are able to complete their education safely. When cases arise in which students cannot graduate for reasons including death, schools need clear standards to follow.”

According to "After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools," published by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, excluding a deceased student from a yearbook is discouraged. The guidance says avoidance-based responses can increase trauma among surviving students. Instead, it recommends adding the year of death under the student’s photo and, when appropriate, including a message such as: “In memory of you, we will work to eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and suicide.”

Last year, 243 elementary, middle and high school students in South Korea died by suicide. The number has risen every year since 2021, when 197 student deaths were recorded. The Ministry of Education’s crisis response guidelines focus mainly on short-term psychological support after incidents. Without clear standards, schools have removed students from photos in the name of protecting classmates, often without documenting the decision-making process. A grieving mother stood alone at a graduation ceremony holding a framed photo of her daughter. The case has renewed calls for clearer guidance on how schools should handle student deaths in graduation materials.