BAGUIO CITY (PIA) — The Baguio City Association of Private Schools (BCAPS) and the Department of Education-Baguio are strengthening coordination and measures that can help protect learners and school personnel amid recent incidents of violence in schools.
During the Multi-Sectoral Meeting on School Safety and Security on August 20, Donna Digna Rosario, owner-administrator of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Montessori, underscored the importance of strengthening school safety through prevention, preparedness, values formation, and cooperation among families, schools, and communities.
Rosario said recent incidents of violence involving young people should prompt stakeholders to look beyond physical security measures and examine how to reach learners before problems escalate into crises.
“Recent incidents of shooting and stabbing involving young people remind us that violence can affect even the places where children are expected to feel safest,” Rosario said.
“This should challenge us not only to strengthen our security measures, but also to look deeper at how we can reach our learners before a problem becomes a crisis?”
She said school safety should not be limited to gates, guards, cameras, drills, and emergency protocols.
“Safety is not only about gates, guards, cameras, drills, and emergency protocols. Safety is all about relationships. It is about prevention, preparedness, formation, and partnership,” Rosario said.
Rosario noted that learners face various challenges including peer pressure, social media influences, and online content that they may not yet have the maturity to process. She called on families, schools, and communities to work together to build a supportive environment for children.
She said families provide an important foundation for a child’s values and emotional development while schools help reinforce formation and learning. The wider community, meanwhile, plays a role in promoting shared responsibility and strengthening support systems for learners.
“Alone, I can do little. Together, we can do so much,” Rosario said, quoting a line commonly attributed to Helen Keller. She urged stakeholders to help make public and private schools safe places where every child can learn, grow, and thrive.
The meeting brought together representatives from BCAPS, DepEd-Baguio, and other stakeholders to strengthen coordination and identify measures that can help protect learners and school personnel. **JDP/MAWC-PIA-CAR
