AS PART of security measures, parents and guardians will no longer be allowed to enter the premises of City Central School starting on Thursday.
Shirley A. Merida, City Central School principal, said this move is due to the reported occurrence of petty crimes inside the school premises.
“We have been receiving reports of petty crimes inside the campus which victimized the students,” Merida said.
She said based on reports, unidentified suspects pretending to be a family friend of the students, offer snacks to their supposed victims. After that, they allegedly get the cellphones of the victims.
“This is usually their modus operandi. There were already three students who were victimized by this – Grade 3, a preschool, and Grade 2 pupils,” Merida said.
She also said there are alleged kidnapping and robbery inside the campus.
Merida said, starting on Thursday, parents are only allowed to be at a certain area of the school, where they can wait for their children.
Only one gate would be opened so the guard can monitor those who will go inside the campus, while another guard will around and check the school buildings and classrooms.
“With this new policy, we hope it will help prevent crimes inside the campus. We do not want to jeopardize the safety of our students,” Merida said.
The principal said they have tried “every precautionary measure” for the past years to assure the safety to the students inside the campus. One of these is the imposition of identification card system for the parents or
guardians, for them to gain access inside the campus.
“But this has not been effective because of the big population of City Central
School, with 9,000 enrolled students,” Merida said.
She added they have already requested the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office to field police personnel outside the school. (Nicole J. Managbanag)