Manila: The Department of Education (DepEd) Dagupan City Schools Division Office has directed secondary schools to intensify and strengthen security measures amid the school shooting incident in Tacloban City.
According to Philippines News Agency, Dr. Edwin Ferrer, the Public School District Supervisor for Districts 9 and 10, stated that schools have been instructed to conduct inspections of learners' bags before they enter the school premises. These inspections are to be conducted in a respectful, orderly, and gender-sensitive manner. Security staff at the school gates are utilizing metal detectors and inspection sticks during these inspections.
Ferrer mentioned that the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management and School Care Center task forces are assigned to conduct classroom inspections. "At random, they will go to classrooms before classes start, check the learners' bags, and confiscate, just in case, if deadly weapons were sneaked in and missed during the inspections at the gates," he explained.
He has also directed all teachers and advisers to exercise heightened vigilance in monitoring learners' behavior and belongings, while strictly implementing the Child Protection Policy, school safety protocols, and classroom supervision procedures. Furthermore, Technical, Vocational and Livelihood (TVL) focal persons have been instructed not to ask students to bring tools from home, ensuring that TVL classes will use only the tools available at the practicum workshops.
Ferrer added that schools are coordinating fully with the Dagupan City Police Office and the barangay council. Among the items confiscated from learners at the Dagupan City National High School Junior High School on Tuesday were a metal knuckle, hidden inside a learner's pants at the zipper area, and a small pocket knife. At the Senior High School, a short screwdriver was taken from a student, who claimed it was for their TVL practicum class.
All confiscated items will be turned over to the Learners Center, and the parents or guardians of the students caught with these items will be called in for a meeting.
