DepEd: Safety first for all students

Education Secretary Leonor Briones reminded administrators of public and private schools nationwide to prioritize the safety and well-being of learners at all cost as the country braces itself for the onset of the rainy season.

Briones, in a statement through Department of Education (DepEd) Undersecretary and Spokesperson Annalyn Sevilla, issued the reminder after the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) officially declared the start of the rainy season in the Philippines.

The Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Service at the Central Office, DRRM Units at the Regional and the Schools Division Offices, and the school heads and DRRM coordinators, Briones said, “shall lead the preparations and implementation of precautionary measures to mitigate the impacts of the rainy season.”

Policy stays Briones stressed that the DepEd’s policy on the suspension of classes remains.

“Classes in affected areas are automatically suspended based on the PAGASA declared storm signals, while local government units (LGUs) - not DepEd – will decide on and announce class suspensions within their areas of jurisdiction during calamities in the absence of a storm signal.”

Based on existing policies in suspending classes during inclement weather, school heads – as well as local government units (LGUs) – may declare a suspension of classes depending on the situation in their respective areas when there are no storm signals raised by the PAGASA.

It was also reiterated that automatic suspension of classes is applicable for the pre-school level in all public and private schools when public storm warning signal number 1 has been raised.

Meanwhile, classes in pre-school, elementary and high school – in all public and private schools – will be automatically suspended with storm public signal warning number 2 has been raised.

Classes in all levels – from pre-school to college, including graduate school – are automatically suspended when public storm warning signal number 3 or higher has been raised.

Safety first Briones further called on parents to practice their discretion in determining whether or not their children should go to school during typhoons, floods, adverse weather conditions and other calamities, even in the absence of announcements on the cancellation or suspension of classes.