What to expect in DepEd’s updated nationwide active shooter drill

Members of the Philippine National Police, educators, students, and local government officials participate in the official rollout of the country’s first active shooter drills, a new school safety initiative following the June 22 Tacloban school shooting, during the National Safe Schools Summit at the Manila Science High School on July 15, 2026. Rappler The rescheduled nationwide drill follows talks with medical groups to ensure that protocols align with ‘child-centered, trauma-informed standards,’ according to the Department of Education Public and private schools in the Philippines will participate in a nationwide active shooter drill on September 3, which was postponed from August 25 due to concerns about psychological harm to students. Schools must prepare by conducting training for teachers, safety audits, and ensuring parental consent, while also providing alternative activities for students needing additional safeguards. The drill will consist of three phases focusing on lockdown, evacuation, and compliance, with strict bans on fear-inducing elements and a focus on psychological support post-drill. This is AI-generated. Read the article for full context. Report any errors. MANILA, Philippines – Public and private schools are expected to participate in the nationwide active shooting drill of the Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday, September 3. It’s the new schedule for the National Simultaneous School Safety Drill, which will simulate crisis response to active threat scenarios, particularly active shooting. Originally set for August 25, the DepEd postponed the nationwide exercise after medical groups raised concerns about the activity and provided a list of recommendations to prevent causing psychological harm to students. In a statement on Tuesday, September, 1, DepEd said it has talked with the experts regarding the drill to “ensure safety protocols align with child-centered, trauma-informed standards under the ‘Do No Harm’ directive.” Based on the August 28 memorandum from Education Undersecretary Malcolm Garma, here’s what schools and students may expect for the nationwide active shooter drill. School preparations Before Thursday’s activity, the DepEd said schools will have to conduct capacity-building training for teachers and age-appropriate orientations for teachers. Schools must conduct safety or security audits, craft localized contingency plans, identify safe lockdown and evacuation areas, and establish contact with authorities. Assessments should consider recent traumatic incidents or other local circumstances. This means the San Jose National High School in Tacloban City and Ateneo de Zamboanga University in Zamboanga City, where fatal school shootings have occurred, will not conduct drills on Thursday. Advance notices will be given to students, parents, and school staff. Institutions must secure informed written parental consent and student assent before participation in the drill. Safe alternative activities are available for students who may need additional safeguards or whose parents have requested specific accommodations for their children. Experts have cautioned against conducting “surprise” or unannounced active shooter drills as part of “trauma-informed approaches.” Other emergency drills such as for fire and earthquake incidents are sometimes unannounced to test readiness. Step-by-step Prior to Thursday’s drill, teachers are expected to hold classroom discussions with their students about crisis response during active shooting and other threats. Step-by-step walkthroughs include teaching about the location they could run to during a threat, the safe area in their classroom where they can hide, and ways to secure their room. Students should also be knowledgeable about the alarm used for the safety drill, which is expected to be distinct from the alarms used for fire and earthquake drills. They must also learn about the process of evacuation and reunification, or the protocol of how to bring students and their families together after a crisis or threat. Banned elements The DepEd also strictly banned all “hyperrealistic or fear-inducing elements” in conducting the drill. These include threat simulations, active aggressor role-players, bladed or blunt weapons, and graphic elements like imitation firearms, loud pyrotechnics, simulated gunfire or artificial casualties. Medical groups also previously told the DepEd that children must not be instructed or expected to stop an attacker as part of a drill. During the actual drill The DepEd said Thursday’s drill features three phases: Phase 1 – Drill initiation and alarm Phase 2 – Classroom lockdown and concealment Phase 3 – Orderly evacuation and responder compliance posture The responder compliance posture refers to students and school personnel raising their empty hands to authorities, moving calmly, and following verbal commands during evacuation. The DepEd said police coordination is only for external perimeter security, emergency notification systems, testing dispatch response times, and post-incident learner tracking. “Police officers are strictly prohibited from exposing learners to tactical disarming drills or aggressive uniform displays,” the agency said. Post-drills Schools are told that designated guidance personnel and school health officers will provide psychological first aid and post-drill debriefing sessions. There should also be clear referral arrangements for students needing specialized mental health care. School authorities must also conduct an immediate review or debriefing session with an external evaluator. Education Secretary Sonny Angara said the goal of the drill is to “build calm operational confidence and muscle memory through proper orientation, not fear.” Angara also said that school safety policies must treat physical security and mental health as inseparable priorities. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading