INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS. Schools division officials of the Department of Education in Cagayan de Oro City and Misamis Oriental share updates on the incoming school year, when most public schools can open with a limited face-to-face setup. Present during the 'Meet the Press' Wednesday (May 8, 2022) are Assistant Division Superintendents Lorebina Carrasco (left), Erlinda Dael (center), and Budget Officer Mark Lorren Tejano. (PNA photo by Nef Luczon)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Schools division officials of the Department of Education (DepEd) here and in Misamis Oriental will be accepting students not immunized against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) in the face-to-face classes next school year.
Lorebina Carrasco, the city’s assistant schools division superintendent, said the decision forms part of DepEd's mandate to be non-discriminatory in accepting students.
“We used to have a Set A and Set B, where A is a class for those who were unvaccinated, but we canceled it because it can be discriminatory,” Carrasco said in a press conference Wednesday.
However, Carrasco said parents need to signify their consent to allow their unvaccinated children to attend classes by signing a waiver.
The waiver is also required for parents whose children received the vaccination.
Carrasco assured that schools will implement health protocols, one of which is the limitation of the number of students in a classroom.
“The number of students in a classroom depends on the area of the classroom, but it should not exceed 20,” she said.
Meanwhile, Erlinda Dael, the assistant schools division superintendent in Misamis Oriental, said modular learning will still be part of the schools’ curriculum since not all will be attending physical classroom setup.
Dael said schools can implement hybrid settings or modalities in learning.
In Misamis Oriental, at least 12 out of 68 private schools were given clearance for in-person classes after meeting the requirements for health protocols. (PNA)
