Education Secretary Sonny Angara has called on schools nationwide to strengthen collaboration with Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) to help curb violence and other threats within campuses.
Under the Omnibus PTA Guidelines, meetings can be used to tackle issues such as mental health, anti-bullying, and responsible internet use.
DepEd has also partnered with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) to protect children from online extremist groomers, following indications of possible links between an extremist network and the recent school shooting in Tacloban City.
Authorities clarified, however, that investigations are ongoing and no direct connection has yet been proven.
Angara further urged parents to closely monitor their children’s screen time and online activities, noting that teachers can no longer supervise them once they leave school premises.
This, he stressed, is vital to ensuring the safety and well-being of students in today’s digital age.
