Control Yuan censures Taichung Education Bureau and elementary school over baseball coach sex abuse case

(CNA, Taipei, 22nd) A baseball coach at an elementary school in Taichung committed 90 counts of forced indecency against dozens of students, receiving sentences ranging from 3.5 to 8.5 years in the first and second trials. Control Yuan members Chi Hui-jung and Wang Li-chen announced today that after an investigation, they found the school failed to check the perpetrator's criminal record for indecency, and the Taichung Education Bureau showed significant negligence in supervising schools' reporting and verification of unfit personnel. The Control Yuan has officially censured both the school and the Education Bureau. The investigators noted that the school failed to follow the Gender Equity Education Act and related regulations when hiring the coach, remaining unaware of his criminal record and expired coaching license. Furthermore, the school failed to manage the baseball team's training and living spaces, allowing the coach to use private areas like rest rooms and dorms to commit abuse. The Control Yuan urged the Education Bureau to learn from this case, strengthen risk identification and prevention mechanisms, and provide psychological and judicial support to the victims.