During typhoons or bad weather, students and parents often wonder if classes will push through.
To help you understand how DepEd and local government units respond to typhoons and Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals (TCWS), we’ve put together this quick guide.
According to DepEd Order 022, s. 2024 (Revised Guidelines on Class and Work Suspension in Schools During Disasters and Emergencies), the suspension of classes due to typhoons and tropical cyclones is based on the issuance of Tropical Cyclone Wind Signals (TCWS) by PAGASA, in accordance with the provisions of Executive Order No. 66, s. 2012 (Prescribing Rules on the Cancellation or Suspension of Classes and Work in Government Offices due to Typhoons, Flooding, Other Weather Disturbances, and Calamities), specifically:
- TCWS (Signal) Number 1: Classes for Kindergarten in the affected area shall be automatically suspended.
- TCWS (Signal) Number 2: Face-to-face classes for Kindergarten and Elementary to Junior High School (JHS) or Grade 10 in the affected area shall be automatically suspended; provided that Elementary and JHS will shift to modular distance learning, performance tasks, projects, or make-up classes based on their Learning and Service Continuity Plan (LSCP) to ensure that learning competencies are met.
- TCWS (Signal) Number 3: Classes and work at all levels in the affected area shall be automatically suspended.
If PAGASA issues a TCWS during classes, the school shall immediately suspend classes, including work, and send everyone home when it is deemed safe to do so.
However, if it is unsafe, the schools are obliged to keep the students and personnel safe inside the school premises.
Meanwhile, in the absence of a typhoon signal, classes may also be suspended based on PAGASA’s Rainfall Warning, as follows:
- Yellow Warning (Rainfall) / Alarm (Flooding) / Water Level: For areas in the province/city/municipality with torrential rains/flooding, and based on the assessment of the school, if the learners and personnel are still exposed to various risks, the SDS shall coordinate with the local government unit (LGU) for localized school suspensions. The LCE shall decide on the suspension of face-to-face classes and on-site work in schools, provided that schools shift to modular distance learning, performance tasks, projects, or make-up classes, based on their LSCP, to ensure that learning competencies are met.
- Orange or Red Warning (Rainfall) and Critical Water Level (Flooding) at a time when classes have already begun for the day: The school head shall immediately suspend classes and work from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and ALS and send everyone home if it is safe to do so. However, schools are obligated to keep the learners and personnel safe in school if traveling has become unsafe.
- Orange or Red Warning and Critical Water Level (Flooding) at a time when classes have not yet started for the day: Classes and work from Kindergarten to Grade 12 and ALS are automatically suspended in schools.
On the other hand, under Section 2 of Executive Order No. 66, s. 2012, even without a typhoon warning signal, mayors—acting as chairpersons of the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council—may implement localized cancellations of classes and work in government offices. This is done in coordination with PAGASA and the NDRRMC, particularly for areas considered high-risk or flood-prone.
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(sources: DepEd ORDER No. 022, s. 2024, Executive Order No. 66, s. 2012)
