ACT pushes teacher protection bill as school violence puts discipline under scrutiny

The Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) is urging Congress to pass a proposed Teacher Protection Act, saying teachers are increasingly caught between the duty to discipline students and the fear that doing so could expose them to complaints or legal action.

ACT said teachers cannot be expected to prevent conflicts and guide students through increasingly difficult behavioral and social problems if they lack clear rules, training and protection when they intervene.

“Maraming mga guro na ang nakaranas ng hindi makatarungang reklamo, husga at hatol sa paggampan sa inaasahan sa aming pagiging pangalawang magulang,” ACT Chairperson Ruby Bernardo said.

Bernardo said teachers remain committed to helping shape students into responsible and patriotic citizens but are increasingly limited by fear of disciplinary complaints.

“Tungkulin at panata naming mga guro na hubugin ang kabataan bilang makatao at makabayan, ngunit lubos kaming nalilimitahan ng pangamba na malagay sa alanganin sa pagdidisiplina at paggabay sa aming mga mag-aaral,” she said.

The proposed measure, which has been under deliberation in the House of Representatives, seeks to institutionalize support mechanisms and legal protections for public school teachers and personnel involved in student discipline and classroom management.

ACT said it wants both the House and Senate to act on the bill, particularly as schools face growing pressure to address violence while also protecting students' rights.

The group likewise supports amending Republic Act 7610, or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act, to clarify that legitimate disciplinary measures carried out under Department of Education rules and procedures should not automatically be treated as child abuse.

ACT said the amendment would not authorize corporal punishment or abusive treatment. It would instead draw a clearer line between abuse and legitimate, rights-based disciplinary intervention and give teachers due process when they perform their duties in good faith.

The proposed legislation also recognizes that discipline increasingly overlaps with other problems confronting schools. ACT welcomed provisions requiring pre-service and in-service training on child and adolescent behavior and psychology, positive discipline, classroom management, conflict de-escalation and learner support.

A shooting at a school in Tacloban City in June killed three students and injured 20 others. 

In August, a separate shooting in Zamboanga City left a student and the shooter dead and two others injured. The incidents have prompted renewed calls for stronger school security and greater attention to the behavioral and mental health needs of students.

But ACT said violence cannot be addressed by putting more responsibility on teachers alone.

“The growing incidents of violence involving children cannot be reduced to questions of individual behavior or classroom discipline alone,” Bernardo said.###