DepEd pilots ‘active shooter’ drill in Manila campus

THIS IS NOT YOUR USUAL DRILL Aside from holding the usual earthquake drills on campus, public schools nationwide are now expected to prepare students, teachers and other personnel for “active shooter’’ scenarios, like in the simulation held for the first time by the Department of Education on Wednesday at Manila Science High School. —Photo by Niño Jesus Orbeta MANILA, Philippines — The recent spate of campus violence has led to a new kind of activity in public schools. The Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday conducted for the first time a drill simulating an “active shooter” scenario within school premises. The initiative was deemed necessary by DepEd particularly after the June 22 shooting incident at a Tacloban City high school that involved two teenage gunmen and left three students dead and 20 others injured. The first National Safe Schools Summit and Safety Drill was held at Manila Science High School (MSHS), where students, teachers, and local authorities performed lockout, lockdown, and evacuation procedures. READ: School shooting kills 3 students in Tacloban The activity at MSHS included a mock attacker wielding a plastic pistol and breaking into the compound, and a team of real police officers responding. A total of 1,770 students from Grades 7 to 12 participated in the simulation, which was closely patterned after the “Run, Hide, Fight” protocol followed in the United States. Intended to increase one’s chances of survival, the protocol is an internationally recognized approach widely adopted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security in the US. “This fight is not DepEd’s fight alone; it is a challenge we must face together, especially given the complexities we have seen in recent weeks,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said in a statement. READ: New threat shuts Tacloban school hit by mass shooting “We rely on the active support of our parents, families, communities, local governments, and our partners across all levels of government to ensure our schools remain safe havens,” Angara said. Rather than adopting a “one-size-fits-all” approach, public schools across the country are advised to draw up response plans unique to their community or campus setting. During Wednesday’s drills, for example, it was demonstrated that going into lockdown mode was the advisable course of action if a mass evacuation was not immediately possible. The students and teachers secured their classrooms by locking and barricading entry points, switching off the lights, putting their electronic devices on silent mode, and remaining out of sight until the threat was “neutralized.” Each campus is also expected to have a designated “reunification area” where the students and teachers can gather—to have everyone accounted for—once the grounds and buildings have been declared safe. “Our focus is on proactive prevention and readiness, because adhering to safety protocols is a vital step in saving lives,” Angara said. Sessions on contingency planning, psychological first aid, learner rights protection, and cybersafety were also conducted. There were also discussions on applying the Adopt-a-School Program or tapping the Special Education Fund to improve security systems on campus with the purchase of more cameras and other equipment. “It’s important that we (teachers) first know what needs to be done. From there, we can teach the children what they should do because we will serve as the example,” said Mary Jill Marzan, a teacher of MSHS, as quoted in a DepEd social media post. “Before they can calm down, we must first stay calm ourselves. We also need to be the first to be on alert,” Marzan added. The summit gathered stakeholders from government, local government units, civil society, and the private sector to align campus safety strategies, enhance interagency coordination, and test active threat protocols under a “whole-of-community” approach. “We can no longer allow security threats to place the lives of our learners in harm’s way,” Angara said. “It is important that we are prepared to face any threat. No family should ever have to grieve again because of a tragedy in school.” /cb