Teacher jailed for throwing ruler, fracturing 9-year-old student's skull

The Changsha Intermediate People's Court rejected an appeal on Thursday and confirmed the original five-year sentence for Song Yuming, who was convicted of intentional injury, according to CCTV.

Court records show that the incident took place on Sept. 6, 2023, at a primary school in Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province. At the time, Song, 40, was a tenured teacher responsible for extracurricular activities for fourth-grade students.

That day, Song entered the classroom to find more than 30 students being noisy. After reprimanding them, some students continued to misbehave.

One of them, a girl whose toy Song had confiscated earlier, kept demanding its return.

Frustrated by the ongoing noise and disruption, Song left the classroom briefly before returning to overturn the teacher's desk and break a large, hard plastic triangle ruler and throw half of it at the student who had been arguing with him.

However, the ruler struck the forehead of another girl sitting nearer to the teacher, causing her to bleed profusely, according to The Paper.

An injured student is treated at a hospital in Changsha, Hunan Province, after being hit by a ruler thrown by a teacher in her class, September 2023. Photo from Weibo

Song immediately took the injured student to the school infirmary, but due to the severity of her injuries, she was later transferred to a hospital.

A medical examination revealed the girl had sustained multiple serious injuries, including an open skull fracture with a dural tear, intracranial hemorrhage, and traumatic brain injury.

She survived following brain surgery but continues to face long-term effects and requires rehabilitation.

The initial verdict, delivered on Nov. 27, 2024, concluded that Song's actions had intentionally caused serious harm, constituting the crime of intentional injury, according to Sina.

The school was also found legally responsible and has compensated the victim's family.

The victim's father told The Paper that more than a year after the incident, his daughter continues to suffer from severe sleep disorders and relies on daily medication to rest. She returned to school for a period last year but is currently recuperating at home under medical advice.