• CHERYL G. CRUZ
Public and private schools in Bacolod City have been urged by the Sangguniang Panlungsod to conduct a security audit of fences, gates, CCTV coverage, lighting, and access control points, as well as implement a strict single entry point policy during class hours, with ID and logbook systems for visitors.
The SP, in approving the resolution of Councilor Em Ang July 8, stressed the need to immediately strengthen security measures, threat response protocols, and multi-sectoral coordination to address all forms of security threats in public and private schools.
It noted “increasing reports of security threats in schools, and risks from inadequate perimeter security and emergency preparedness”.
Security threats cause trauma, disrupt classes, erode public confidence in schools, and place undue burden on teachers, parents, and emergency responders, the SP said, adding that effective school security requires coordinated action among the city government, DepEd Bacolod, the Bacolod City Police Office, school administrators, parents, and barangays.
The ВСРО should assign school resource officers, increase roving patrols during the arrival of students and dismissal, and conduct quarterly active threat response and lockdown drills with schools, the SP said.
The DepEd Bacolod is urged to activate school crisis management committees and threat assessment teams in every school, and to enforce zero tolerance for threats, pranks, or jokes involving violence, it added.
There is also a need for schools to have updated evacuation maps, functional alarm systems, and direct communication lines with BCPO and emergency services; deployment of guidance counselors and mental health professionals to identify and support students showing signs of distress, aggression, or exposure to violent content; and to conduct parent education on monitoring children’s online behavior, and safe storage of firearms at home, the resolution said.
Concerned barangays should include school zones in their tanod patrol routes, report suspicious persons near schools to BCPO, and include school safety in their Barangay Peace and Order Council agenda, it added.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government has directed all local government units to establish safer school zones (SSZs) nationwide and mobilize 277,744 barangay tanods to help safeguard learners from crime, violence, traffic hazards, and other threats around schools.
“Schools must remain places of learning, not places of fear,” the DILG stressed July 8 as it directed LGUs to identify and address safety hazards and security risks within school zones, including unsafe roads and pedestrian facilities, speeding vehicles, fire and disaster risks, and other threats to learners.
LGUs are also encouraged to enact or strengthen local ordinances on traffic management, pedestrian safety, crime prevention, violence prevention, and public order around schools.
Barangay tanods will serve as force multipliers by maintaining a visible presence, conducting roving patrols, assisting in traffic management, providing immediate assistance, and promptly reporting or referring incidents to proper authorities, the DILG said.
The SSZ initiative reinforces the government’s commitment to keeping schools safe through coordinated public safety measures, ensuring that every learner can study in a secure and orderly environment, it added. | CGC
