DepEd: School heads have authority to suspend classes due to extreme heat

School heads can decide on their own if face-to-face classes need to be suspended in their respective schools due to the extreme heat brought on by the El Niño phenomenon, the Department of Education (DepEd) said Wednesday. 

DepEd Assistant Secretary Francis Bringas said that the agency will be reiterating the policy on class suspension to public schools nationwide since El Niño is likely to persist until May 2024.

“Since they are the school managers, meron silang ganoong authority na naibigay sa kanila at ine-expect natin that they will exercise very wise discretion when it comes to suspension of classes, including ‘yung pagbibigay ng mga intervention activities for lost hours,” Bringas said in an Unang Balita interview. 

(Since they are the school managers, they are given that authority to suspend classes and we expect that they will exercise very wise discretion when it comes to the suspension of classes, including the coming up of intervention activities for lost hours.) 

Classes at all levels in Negros Occidental have been suspended since Monday in anticipation of a 41°C heat index in the area.

Classes from elementary to senior high school levels were also suspended in Bacolod City to protect the students, teachers and other staff from unrelenting heat that may cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

In preparation for the hot weather, a school in Metro Manila also prepared cold water dispensers and working electric fan units, and suspended outdoor activities.

Bringas said that students and teachers could wear more comfortable clothing aside from their regular uniforms to reduce the heat they feel while inside the schools. 

State weather bureau PAGASA said El Niño is anticipated to persist until March-April-May 2024, with a 74% chance of a transition to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) neutral conditions in April-May-June 2024. —KBK, GMA Integrated News