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ABOUT DEPED'S CANCELLED SCHOOL SAFETY DRILL
DepEd cancelled the nationwide active-attack drill after mental-health specialists raised concerns. The need for safer school planning remains.
The nationwide active-attack drill that schools were supposed to conduct on August 25 will no longer proceed. Education Secretary Sonny Angara told DZMM TeleRadyo that it had been cancelled after mental-health specialists publicly urged DepEd to reconsider the live exercise.
The decision changes Tuesday's exercise while leaving the need for school-security planning in place.
1
DEPED HAD ORDERED A NATIONWIDE EXERCISE
The original directive covered public and private elementary and secondary schools. Each school was expected to use a localized contingency plan and test what students and personnel should do during an attack, including how children would later be reunited with their families.
That nationwide scale was one reason the order drew attention. A drill involving children of different ages, circumstances, and levels of understanding cannot be treated like an ordinary evacuation exercise.
WHAT TO WATCH
DepEd should issue a written cancellation or replacement order before the original August 25 schedule so every school receives the same instruction.
2
PSYCHIATRIC GROUPS OBJECTED TO THE LIVE SIMULATION
The Philippine Psychiatric Association and the Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry called for the live drill to be deferred. They supported stronger school security but warned that a realistic simulation could cause fear or distress, particularly when children had not been properly prepared or supported.
Their position pointed toward less dramatic but useful measures: controlled entry points, working locks, clear communication procedures, trained personnel, advance notice, and the participation of counselors and mental-health professionals.
WHAT TO WATCH
Any revised DepEd guidance should identify which mental-health and child-development specialists were consulted and how their recommendations changed the exercise.
3
OTHER SCHOOL-SAFETY WORK MUST CONTINUE
Schools still need plans for violent threats. They need to know who calls the police, who communicates with parents, where students can shelter, how access to the campus is controlled, and how children are accounted for afterward.
The disagreement was over how to test those plans without creating another risk. A tabletop exercise for adults, staff training, inspection of school facilities, and carefully designed age-appropriate activities can expose weaknesses without forcing every child through a frightening simulation.
WHAT TO WATCH
Schools need a replacement timetable for staff training, facility inspections, parent communication, and age-appropriate preparedness activities.
4
CHILDREN ARE NOT SMALL ADULTS
A procedure that adults can understand as pretend may feel real to a young child. Age, prior trauma, disability, mental-health condition, and the way adults explain the activity can change how a student responds.
This is what “trauma-informed” planning requires. Planners must measure possible gains in response time against the fear, confusion, or harm the exercise may cause.
WHAT TO WATCH
Revised protocols should separate procedures for younger children, older students, learners with disabilities, and students who may need mental-health support.
5
DEPED NOW NEEDS A BETTER SAFETY PLAN
DepEd should clarify what replaces the cancelled exercise. Schools and parents need to know whether the department will issue revised guidance, require staff-only exercises, consult mental-health specialists, inspect physical security, or pilot a safer model before trying another nationwide activity.
Cancelling the live exercise was responsible given the objections. DepEd must now turn the correction into a school-safety program that is practical, properly supported, and safe for children.
WHAT TO WATCH
The department should announce whether it will pilot a revised exercise in selected schools before considering another nationwide activity.
BOTTOM LINE
The cancelled drill exposed a gap between the need for stronger school security and the way preparedness is tested. DepEd can correct that gap by consulting specialists, improving school facilities and communication, and using exercises designed around the age and condition of the children involved.
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