The Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (COCOPEA) called for more localized and science-based decisions on class suspensions, warning that broad shutdowns could compound learning losses in areas where schools remain safe to operate.

COCOPEA said the government should suspend classes where weather conditions, disasters or other hazards pose a danger to students and school personnel, but allow schools in unaffected areas to continue or resume face-to-face learning.

“Repeated and unnecessarily broad class suspensions carry consequences that extend far beyond a single missed school day. They disrupt lessons, strain families, undermine learning recovery, and deepen the educational losses that the country is still struggling to reverse,” the group said in a statement.

“Safety and learning are not competing priorities. Classes must be suspended where conditions are unsafe, while learning should be allowed to continue— or promptly resume—where conditions safely permit,” the group added.

A recent policy note by the Second Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) found that a typical public elementary school lost about 20 teaching days to hazard-related suspensions in School Year 2025-2026, or roughly one in every 10 days in the official school calendar.

From 1 August to 15 September, classes were cancelled on 12 of 28 class days in the National Capital Region and several provinces, according to EDCOM 2. 

The group is seeking a review of Executive Order No. 66, which sets the rules for suspending classes and government work during typhoons, floods, other weather disturbances and calamities, as well as its implementation alongside current DepEd and local government policies.

Under DepEd's 2012 implementing guidelines for EO 66, classes may be automatically suspended in areas covered by specified typhoon signals. In the absence of a typhoon signal, localized suspension may be ordered by local chief executives, while school heads may suspend classes when urgent action is needed to prevent loss of life or bodily harm. 

DepEd also updated its suspension guidelines in 2024 to cover hazards including heavy rainfall and flooding, earthquakes, power outages, extreme heat, low air quality and other emergencies, while requiring schools to prepare Learning and Service Continuity Plans to minimize disruptions. 

For COCOPEA, decisions should be based on timely information from scientific and disaster-response agencies, including PAGASA, PHIVOLCS and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

“Hazard advisories should inform structured risk assessments, while suspension policies should protect both physical safety and learning continuity,” it said.