The Department of Education (DepEd) Schools Division Office in Muntinlupa has instructed all public and private schools under its jurisdiction to delete social media posts featuring simulated violence, active shooters, and casualties recorded during campus emergency drills.
The directive aligns with broader DepEd regulations mandating that disaster and security exercises remain age-appropriate, trauma-informed, and strictly compliant with the agency’s “Do No Harm” policy.
The move follows a nationwide memorandum issued on September 4 by Education Undersecretary Malcolm Garma, which ordered the immediate takedown of non-compliant media.
“The Department of Education has noted the circulation on social media and other online platforms of videos depicting school safety drills involving human-induced threats that are inconsistent with the Department’s trauma-informed, age-appropriate, and ‘Do No Harm’ protocols,” Garma stated in the memorandum.
Under the order, educational institutions must cease publishing media that highlights exaggerated or graphic scenarios.
Garma directed regional offices, SDOs, and schools “to immediately discontinue the posting, sharing, or republication of drill content that depicts or promotes non-compliant practices, including fear-inducing or hyper-realistic simulation, simulated attackers, imitation firearms, simulated casualties, simulated gunfire, and similar activities.”
The agency also cautioned educators and staff against trivializing security protocols or converting realistic threat drills into viral internet content.
“Teaching and non-teaching personnel are likewise reminded that human-induced threats are serious safety and protection concerns and shall not be presented as memes, jokes, social media trends, skits, or other forms of entertainment. Content that trivializes violence or turns emergency procedures into entertainment undermines the purpose of school safety activities and may cause unnecessary fear, distress, or harm to learners and school communities,” he added.
DepEd emphasized that personnel or schools failing to adhere to the mandate will face disciplinary measures. Non-compliance “shall be dealt with in accordance with applicable DepEd, Civil Service, child protection, data privacy, and administrative rules, subject to due process,” according to Garma.
The policy shift comes after various police-led active-threat simulations conducted in campuses sparked public concern over student psychological safety amid rising global security awareness.