After the shooting incident involving students at San Jose National High School in Tacloban City, schools have stepped up security protocols by requiring mandatory bag inspections to ensure that firearms, weapons, and other hazardous items are kept out of school premises.
In advisories issued by various schools nationwide, including the School Division Office of Quezon City, authorities strongly condemned all forms of violence, abuse, and threats to the safety of students.
Schools emphasized that educational institutions should serve as zones of peace, free from any threat to the well-being and security of learners.
Several schools have also released similar announcements requiring all students, teachers, parents, and non-teaching personnel to undergo routine entry checks at school entrances before being allowed inside the premises.
Bag inspections must be conducted only by authorized personnel, such as licensed security guards, designated non-teaching staff, or members of the School Parent-Teacher Association (SPTA).
The inspection process should be non-contact whenever possible, utilizing electronic scanners, handheld metal detectors, or search sticks.
Physical inspection of bags should only be conducted when a suspicious item needs further examination.
Also prohibited from being brought into school premises are explosives and hazardous materials, illegal drugs and drug paraphernalia, vapes, cigarettes, lighters, and alcoholic beverages.
Items needed for school activities may be allowed provided they are properly authorized and have received prior approval and supervision.
In addition to bag inspections, schools have also tightened restrictions on visitors entering school premises.
Visitors are required to present a valid ID and register at the guardhouse.
Schools have likewise encouraged parents to inspect their children’s bags before and after attending school.
Meanwhile, aside from the Tacloban shooting incident, two separate cases of school violence were earlier recorded in Cavite.
One involved seven students who were stabbed by a schoolmate on June 16, while a similar incident was reported on June 19.
At present, the Department of Education (DepEd) is coordinating with San Jose NHS in Tacloban, the Philippine National Police (PNP), and the local government unit (LGU) to provide assistance and support to learners, teachers, and other personnel who experienced severe trauma, particularly those who were injured and the families of those who lost their lives.