Many parents sense that their child is struggling at school, yet counseling, learning support and tuition aid sit at different windows and it is unclear where to start. The Student-Tailored Integrated Support Act, in force since March 1, 2026, is meant to have the school and the education office look at these needs together. Article 10(2) of the Act states that a student, a guardian or a staff member may ask the school principal to designate the student as a support recipient. Based on the text of the Act and its Enforcement Decree at the National Law Information Center, this article sets out how to make the request and what happens afterwards.

The difficulties the Act covers are not only academic

Article 2 defines integrated support as help that resolves, as a whole, the "various problems that make it hard for a student to take part in learning, such as falling short of basic academic skills, economic, psychological or emotional difficulties, school violence, borderline intelligence and child abuse." The list is illustrative, and the idea is that a student with overlapping difficulties should be looked at by several departments together. "Guardian" includes not only parents with parental authority and legal guardians but anyone legally obliged to support the student.

You ask the school principal, and the Act sets no formal requirements

Article 10(2) does not say the request must be in writing or backed by evidence. It says only that a student, guardian or staff member who "judges that support is needed" may ask the principal. The addressee in the text is the principal. A request does not mean automatic designation, though. Paragraph 3 requires the principal to designate students according to the selection criteria and procedure, so the request works more like a signal that starts a review.

At school, the vice principal and homeroom teacher decide in a meeting

Article 10(2) of the Enforcement Decree says that a principal who receives a request designates the student after a meeting made up of the vice principal and the student's homeroom teacher and other relevant staff. Under paragraph 1 of the same article, the criteria follow the laws and city/provincial ordinances linked to each type of support: the Basic Academic Skills Guarantee Act for learning support, the Special Education Act for special education, and so on. Article 10(6) of the Act requires the review to draw on basic-skills diagnostic results, the opinions of the homeroom and subject teachers, and the results of counseling with the guardian, so writing down your child's situation before you ask makes the conversation easier. Checking diagnostic results is covered in our article on mandatory notification of basic-skills diagnostic results.

If the school cannot manage alone, the case goes up to the office of education center

Paragraphs 4 and 5 of Article 10 let the principal ask the superintendent or the district education officer to designate the student and provide support. Under Article 10(3) of the Decree, the superintendent or officer designates the student after review by the city/provincial support center or the regional support center, and must tell the principal whether the student was designated and why. The Ministry of Education said it would set up centers at 17 city and provincial offices and 176 district offices. It is a two-step structure in which complex cases the school cannot solve alone go to a center.

Once designated, support can come in ten forms

Article 11(1) lists the support that may be provided according to the student's needs: educational welfare such as tuition aid, counseling for psychological and emotional difficulties, education for students struggling with learning, support for students with a migrant background, support linked to special education, basic-skills learning support, links to emergency welfare, career counseling, school health and safety management, and links to welfare services and medical help. Article 11 of the Decree adds support linked to protective measures for school-violence victims. Note that the wording is that the authorities "may provide and manage" support according to need, not that every item is guaranteed. Counseling-fee links are covered in our Mind-Eum voucher article, and livelihood support in our crisis-youth special support article.

Support does not start without guardian consent

Article 11(3) says that the superintendent, district officer or principal must obtain the consent of the designated student and the guardian before providing support. Even if the school finds a student first and runs the designation procedure, actual support goes out only with consent. Ask which agencies will share which information before you sign. Article 17 allows the education information system, the social security information system, the child information system and others to be linked, so that support history, school records, attendance and family-relationship data can be collected, and Article 15 of the Decree entrusts operation of the system to the Korea Education and Research Information Service.

Records are kept until graduation, and only approved staff may handle them

Article 17(7) of the Act lets only staff approved by the head of the institution handle personal data in the system, and Article 15(6) of the Decree requires security training for them at least once a year. Retention is set by Article 10(5) of the Decree. Data are managed until the designated student finishes the high-school curriculum, and if the student drops out beforehand, until the day the student turns 19. The Minister of Education may set a different period where no further support is needed.

What the Act does not say, and what to prepare before asking

Neither the Act nor the Decree sets a deadline for telling you the result after a request is received. We also found no provision setting a separate appeal procedure if designation is refused. So ask the school first when and how you will be told the result, and note the date and the person in charge. Before you ask, take three steps. First, write down the difficulty your child faces and when it began. Second, tell the homeroom or counseling teacher you want to request integrated support. Third, check the meeting result, the support plan and the consent form. If the school has recommended counseling for emotional or behavioral reasons, read it together with our article on the school counseling referral procedure. This article explains the system and does not replace legal advice or counseling. Check the current text at the National Law Information Center, and the contact details and intake method of your regional center with your district education office and school.