THE Department of Education (DepEd) has enforced streamlined guidelines to address security violations within schools, classifying bomb threats and carrying and concealing deadly weapons as critical offenses that carry severe disciplinary penalties.
As part of the comprehensive School Safety Campaign spearheaded by Education Secretary Sonny Angara, the measure aims to protect the welfare of learners amid emerging security challenges.
“In line with President Bongbong Marcos' goal of ensuring the welfare and protection of schools, we will not allow any threat to the safety of our students. It is our responsibility to ensure that every school is safe, peaceful, and free from fear or violence,” Angara said.
DepEd Order No. 006, s. 2026, issued on March 24, 2026, institutionalizes the Guidelines on Ensuring a Safe and Motivating Learning Environment (ESMLE) to harmonize learner protection policies across all public schools.
The consolidated framework categorizes making bomb threats or jokes, and bringing deadly weapons to school or school-sanctioned activities as a third-level offense, which stands as the most severe disciplinary classification.
Erring learners found guilty of third-level offenses face immediate administrative sanctions, including non-readmission on the first offense and exclusion from the institution on the second offense.
Furthermore, schools are mandated to immediately refer these grave cases to law enforcement authorities and social welfare agencies for appropriate handling and interventions.
The ESMLE guidelines introduce a structured, graduated approach to learner discipline based on severity.
First-level offenses involve minor infractions such as uttering profanities or swear words inside school premises, simple vandalism, disruptive behavior, and sharing false information that can create confusion or commotion in the school, which subject violators to a written reprimand, summon of parents, and suspension.
Second-level offenses cover severe or repeated behaviors that go beyond minor infractions, including stalking, inflicting slight physical injuries, theft, intimidation and harassment.
Penalties for these secondary violations scale up to mandatory suspensions on the first offense, non-readmission on the second offense and exclusion on the third offense.
Third-level offenses are reserved for the most egregious violations, such as hazing, homicide, murder and sexual assault, carrying the maximum administrative penalties non-readmission or exclusion alongside automatic referral to law enforcement and other appropriate agencies and provision of interventions.
These offenses also include joining street gangs; cheating during exams; making bomb threats or jokes; inflicting serious physical injuries whether inside or outside the school; bringing illegal drugs and liquor; acts of lasciviousness; bringing deadly weapons such as firearms, ammunitions, explosives and bladed weapons; sharing demeaning and sexual videos of one’s self or other learners and school personnel.
Under the penalty of non-readmission, a learner is no longer allowed to be admitted for the following school year but is allowed to complete the current school year.
Meanwhile, under the penalty of exclusion, a learner is immediately dropped from the class list of the school. In such cases, the learner may continue his education through appropriate educational interventions.
The guidelines also outline mandatory risk assessments, standardized procedures for confidential incident reporting, and the immediate provision of mental health and psychosocial support for affected victims.
Through this comprehensive framework, DepEd seeks to cultivate an inclusive, protective, and accountable institutional culture across the country's basic education system.