THE Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center-Task Force (EOC-TF) will continue to monitor the pilot run of limited face-to-face (F2F) classes at Alangilan National High School (ANHS) in Barangay Alangilan to ensure the compliance of health protocols, its official said.
The ANHS successfully opened the limited F2F classes for Grade 12 students on Monday, December 6.
Dr. Chris Sorongon, deputy for medical data and analysis of EOC-TF, said Tuesday, December 7, that the school is much prepared to ensure the safety of students who are participating in the F2F classes.
Aside from monitoring, Sorongon added, the EOC-TF will also provide vitamins and masks for students.
The pilot run of the F2F classes in the city is composed of two groups with 20 students each group.
The Group A started their classes around 7:30 a.m. until 11:45 a.m. Monday and will run until Thursday, December 9, while Group B will start by next week.
In Bacolod City, only ANHS has been allowed by the Department of Education (DepEd) to hold limited F2F classes. There are 177 participating public schools in the country.
Sorongon said they are hopeful that in the coming days, DepEd-Bacolod will expand the F2F classes to two other schools within Barangay Alangilan, as well as other schools that can accommodate the F2F classes.
"If they can maintain their good performance in terms of health protocols, there's a possibility that by next year, DepEd will open more schools for F2F classes," he said.
He added that Barangay Alangilan currently has no active cases of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
DepEd-Bacolod Schools Division Superintendent Gladys Amylaine Sales earlier said that after their evaluation by January next year, the agency will determine if they will allow other Grade 12 students to join the F2F classes until June 2022.
"If we want to add more students for F2F classes, we need to ensure that all of them will be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 and they should have consent from their parents," the official said.
Sales said they are eyeing to open the F2F classes from Grade 12 down to lower grade levels.
"I am thankful for the cooperation of the parents, students and teachers for the resumption of F2F classes. We want our children to develop compassion for others so collaboration and social interaction are very important to them," she said.