Biggest high school in Quezon limits in-person classes due to heat

Quezon province map. INQUIRER FILES

LUCENA CITY — The biggest public high school in Quezon province located in this city will limit its days for in-person classes starting Monday, April 8, to protect teachers and students from the extreme heat.

“The Office of the School Principal announces the transition to limited face-to-face classes starting April 8, 2024 (Monday) until such time that the temperature becomes tolerable again,” the Quezon National High School posted this advisory on its Facebook page on Thursday, April 4.

The advisory announced that “Junior High School (JHS) students will attend school twice a week during the morning hours only, while students belonging to the Special Programs will adhere to their usual schedule but will only report to school twice a week as well.”

“Senior High School (SHS) students will attend classes only in the morning. Grade 11 students are scheduled to report on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, whereas Grade 12 students will report to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” the advisory stated.

READ: Intense heat causes more class disruptions

The morning session and Special Programs will have their face-to-face classes on Mondays and Wednesdays, while the afternoon sessions will hold their classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

“Fridays will continue to be designated as catch-up Fridays. Teachers are required to send reading activity sheets to students for completion at home,” the announcement said.

It said that teachers handling the morning session are not required to report to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays, while the afternoon session teachers are not required to report on Mondays and Wednesdays “to give them time to prepare activity sheets to be used for the limited F2F or conduct online classes (if needed) at the comfort of their homes.”

The new schedule, according to the advisory, complied with Regional Memorandum No. 233 s. 2024 or the Adoption of Modular Distance Learning and Preventive Measures during Extremely High Temperatures issued by lawyer Alberto Escobarte, director of Department of Education in Region 4A on April 1.

Based on the state weather bureau’s latest forecast, several areas across the country are expected to experience “danger category” heat indexes exceeding 42 degrees Celsius.