DepEd issues guidelines on class suspension

Published May 31, 2012 7:34am

With the rains now here and the new school year to start in one week, the Department of Education reminded elementary and high schools of guidelines on when to suspend classes. The DepEd issued Department Order No. 43 dated May 28, prescribing rules on the cancellation or suspension of classes in case of cyclones and flooding. DepEd Secretary Armin Luistro, who issued the order, said the directive is based on Executive Order 66, which prescribed rules on cancellation or suspension of classes and work in government offices due to cyclones, floods, weather disturbances and calamities. He said the guidelines include:

Automatic cancellation or suspension of classes

- When the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration raises Signal No. 1, public and private preschool and kindergarten classes in affected areas shall be automatically canceled or suspended. - When PAGASA raises Signal No. 2, public and private preschool and kindergarten, elementary and high school classes in affected areas shall be automatically canceled or suspended. - When PAGASA raises Signal No. 3, work in all DepEd offices in the affected areas are automatically canceled or suspended.

"Depending on signal numbers declared at 10:00 p.m. and 4:30 a.m. the following day, classes in appropriate levels for the whole day are deemed automatically canceled/suspended," Luistro added. Afternoon classes in the appropriate levels in areas with signal numbers declared at 11 a.m. that day are automatically canceled/suspended. Teaching personnel handling canceled or suspended classes are allowed to leave their stations in consideration of the work they will need to undertake during makeup classes. Heads of private schools shall exercise discretion on their teaching personnel handling canceled or suspended classes.

Localized cancellation or suspension

Localized cancellation or suspension of classes may be implemented by local chief executives as chairpersons of the local disaster risk reduction and management. Concerned local DepEd and private school officials are to establish effective lines of communication with their respective local government units.

"Any decision to cancel or suspend classes must come from the local government. A school head may only cancel or suspend classes in cases where urgent action is needed to prevent loss of life or bodily harm," Luistro said.

Cancellation or suspension during other calamities

Decisions on cancellation or suspension of classes in areas affected by disasters like quakes, floods and tsunami and conflagration shall be made by the local government executive as chairperson of the local disaster risk reduction and management council.

Maintenance of work force

Regional and division offices shall activate their Regional or Division Disaster Risk Reduction Offices (DRRMOs) to monitor the situation and keep communication lines open.

Absence of cyclone warnings

In cases where PAGASA has not raised any storm signal warning or declared the presence of a cyclone, DRRMOs are to communicate with their counterpart disaster risk reduction and management councils for decisions to suspend classes.

Parents

On the other hand, the DepEd said parents have the ultimate responsibility to determine if their children should go to school if they feel going to school will place their children at risk. — LBG, GMA News

Tags: deped, classcancellation, classsuspension