BACOLOD CITY – This city and local government units in Negros Occidental suspended face-to-face classes on April 1 and 2 due to forecast high heat index reaching up to 42 degrees Celsius.

Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez, in a Facebook post on Easter Sunday, encouraged  pre-school and elementary, secondary, and senior high schools here to adopt alternative delivery modes for instructional methods to benefit their students. 

Private schools with air-conditioned rooms and tertiary-level institutions may exercise their discretion to continue face-to-face classes, Benitez said.

E.B. Magalona Mayor Marvin Malacon also ordered the suspension of classes on all levels in public and private schools and asked the Department of Education (DepEd) to shift to Alternative Delivery Modes of learning such as modular classes and online classes. 

State weather bureau Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration forecast a heat index of 41 degrees Celsius in the province on April 1 and 42 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Both heat indexes are classified under extreme caution level. 

Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego cancelled classes in public and private schools on all levels and ordered the shift to modular or online classes for two days due to high temperature that may cause heat exhaustion, heat stroke, and other heat-related incidents.

Mayor Neil Lizares made the same decision in  pre-school, elementary, and senior high school in  public and private schools in Talisay City. 

For private schools with full air-conditioned classrooms, face-to-face classes are upon the discretion of schools, Lizares said.

In Himamaylan City, classes on all levels in both public and private schools were suspended and modular distance learning (MDL) shall be implemented to cover learners from kindergarten to Grade 12. 

In Kabankalan City, Mayor Benjie Miranda cancelled classes on all levels in public and private schools on April 1 only for the safety of students.