‍MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education will conduct its National Simultaneous School Safety Drill on Thursday, September 3, with stricter safeguards aimed at protecting students from unnecessary fear, distress and psychological harm.

The exercise will focus on preparing schools for active threat incidents while following child-centered and trauma-informed protocols.

Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the drill was designed to strengthen emergency preparedness without compromising learners’ mental and emotional well-being.

“Safety is not just about physical security; it is equally about protecting our children's peace of mind,” Angara said.

The drill was earlier postponed following consultations with the Philippine Psychiatric Association, Philippine Society for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Philippine Pediatric Society and other medical experts.

Ahead of the exercise, participating schools are required to orient teachers and students, assess readiness and notify parents and school personnel in advance.

Schools must also secure written parental consent and learner assent before participation.

Students who need special accommodations or whose parents choose to exempt them must be given alternative safe activities without penalty or stigmatization.

The drill will include basic protective procedures such as securing entry points, practicing silent concealment away from windows and reviewing evacuation routes.

DepEd, however, prohibited hyper-realistic or fear-inducing simulations.

Schools will not be allowed to use active aggressor role-players, firearms, bladed or blunt weapons, pyrotechnics, simulated gunfire or artificial casualties during the exercise.

A separate signal, distinct from fire and earthquake alarms, will also be used to indicate the start of the drill.

“Bawat bata ay may kanya-kanyang antas ng katatagan at pang-unawa, kaya hindi pwedeng one-size-fits-all ang ating approach sa kaligtasan,” Angara said.

Psychological first aid and post-drill debriefings will be provided after the exercise, while learners who need further mental health support may be referred to appropriate health services.

The Philippine National Police will have a limited role during the drill, including external perimeter security, testing emergency response times and post-incident learner tracking.

Police personnel will not be allowed to conduct tactical disarming exercises involving students or use aggressive displays during the activity.

DepEd said the goal is to build preparedness and “calm operational confidence” among students and school personnel without exposing learners to unnecessarily traumatic scenarios.

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