학교폭력 전담조사관 제도의 법ㆍ제도적 개선방안

School violence gravely infringes students’ bodily integrity, mental health, and right to learn, and current law encompasses a wide spectrum of conduct, including assault, bullying, and cyber-violence. Recent nationwide surveys still report a victimization rate of roughly 2 percent, with verbal abuse and group bullying accounting for a large share. In response, a Dedicated School-Violence Investigator system was introduced in 2024. Yet as school violence has expanded into digital offenses such as cyber-abuse and deepfakes, practitioners have criticized the abstract statutory formulation of investigators’ powers for undermining the system’s credibility and effectiveness. Despite the 2025 statutory revision, the absence of concrete standards for exercising authority continues to produce delays in initiating investigations and duplication in document processing. Operationally, inconsistencies among required data fields across report stages create confusion in practice, and the investigator workforce—skewed toward former teachers and police officers—struggles to secure the multi-disciplinary expertise needed in psychology, law, and digital forensics. In addition, wide disparities among local education offices in allowances and appointment terms correlate with high turnover. Consequently, the system’s core aims—“prompt and fair investigations” and “robust protection for victimized students”—remain only partially realized. Drawing on field experience, this study proposes four lines of reform. First, specify investigators’ powers and duties in the statute to make the scope and standards for exercising authority unequivocal. Second, deploy an integrated case-management portal and AI-based digital-evidence analysis tools to automate and accelerate the end-to-end process from intake through reporting. Third, raise minimum qualification requirements and institute mandatory training and performance evaluation to elevate and equalize professional capacity. Fourth, unify remuneration standards nationwide and establish a performance-based job-security framework to enhance institutional credibility and long-term sustainability.