Letter to the Editor

Cynthia G. Dimavivas
DIVISION SCHOOLS SUPERINTENDENT
San Carlos City, Negros Occidental

Ma'am, GREETINGS!
I just wanted to raise some questions regarding on the new "school policy" that Julio Ledesma National High School is imposing. Why are all students not allowed to go home during lunchtime? As a concerned parent I'm worried that my daughter and my son couldn't be with us during lunchtime. Although they are kept inside the campus during that time still there is no assurance of safety to the students. Frequent riots of the students who are involved in gangs and certain groups are rampant within the school. Some students are caught using drugs inside their school campus which happened few weeks ago. Even teachers are hit by violent students, Mr. Valiente can attest [to] that. And what about the calamities that are occurring recently? Like the sudden earthquakes which we cannot predict when [they] occur. [Can] the faculty and staff of the school [ensure the safety of the more or less one thousand students]? That they themselves will go home to have their lunch with family and only few of the staff will remain in the school. What about the parents who can hardly provide food for the whole day? Where in they secure breakfast and still try to work to find money for the next meal, where in they need their children to go home for lunch because of insufficient budget?
The defense of the school was that they were able to let the parents [sign] an agreement. But according to those who attended the PTA meeting, [they] thought that they [signed] an attendance because there was no heading on it.
I learned that Wellyns Catering is giving 20,000 per month to the school canteen. Is this the reason why they would keep students from going home during lunchtime? What a personal interest without first focusing on the need of the students! What assurance can we get as parents that our children [are] safe when obviously they could not be inside the classroom during these hours? How can we be confident when even some teachers are even victims of some violent students and riots within the school?
This school has a massive population of students and I don't believe the faculty and staff can handle and ensure [the] safety to all of them when it is not class hours.
Hopefully you would respond to my concerns. And on behalf of the parents who are worried about their children who are in that school.
God Bless and more power!

Respectfully yours,

Leopoldo M. Garcia
CC: San Carlos News Record
Mail Stamp Date: September 20, 2012