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DepEd: Police seen inside a pilot face-to-face school part of local exec's security
DepEd: Police seen inside a pilot face-to-face school part of local exec's security
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Monday, Nov. 15, clarified that the uniformed personnel --- equipped with their issued firearm --- inside one of the pilot schools of limited face-to-face classes WAS part of the security brought by a local executive.
In a statement, DepEd said that it has been “made aware” of the incident and immediately sought clarification from the concerned DepEd local officials.
“Based on the field report, the police officers were part of the security detail of an LGU official who visited the school,” DepEd said.
The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines, in a separate statement, slammed the presence of armed policemen in classrooms as some schools reopen.
ACT questioned and condemned the presence of a police officer carrying long arms inside a classroom in Longos Elementary School in Pangasinan as the school participates in the pilot run of face-to-face classes.
For ACT, the incident could be traumatic to learners and teachers, and is a direct violation of DepEd’s ‘Schools as Zones of Peace’ Orders 44 series of 2005 and 32 series of 2019.
“It is absurd for DepEd to be citing that COVID-19 testing can be traumatic to students, then allow young children now to be subjected to the trauma of being at arms-length with police forces carrying long arms,” said ACT Secretary General Raymond Basilio.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/09/very-traumatic-deped-rejects-covid-19-testing-for-students-in-pilot-face-to-face-classes/
Basilio pointed out that section VI.C.2.c of DepEd Order 32 series of 2019 explicitly states that schools should be free from the presence of armed forces, and that if armed force protection units are needed, they should be situated proximate to the schools and not inside schools.
Meanwhile, DepEd also reminded its field officials and school heads to “strictly enforce” the National Policy Framework on Learners and Schools as Zones of Peace as stated in DO No. 32, s. 2019 in order “to prevent similar incidents in the future.”
DepEd said that the policy clearly states that “Schools, as a general rule, should be free from the presence of armed combatants, whether they be from government forces or armed groups. Armed force protection units from government forces, if needed, shall be situated proximate to the school and not inside the school.”
While DepEd thanked the support of various stakeholders and partners in its efforts to reintroduce face-to-face classes, it reminded that “we must always adhere to existing policies in schools.”
Likewise, DepEd assured that it will work together with stakeholders to ensure that guidelines on Schools as Zones of Peace --- where learners feel safe, secured, and nurtured --- are observed at all times.
READ:
https://mb.com.ph/2021/11/15/pilot-face-to-face-classes-begins-in-ph-after-nearly-2-years-of-school-closure-due-to-pandemic/