ANOTHER.

With the shocking news that another school shooting has taken place in Zamboanga, deeper and more uncomfortable questions inevitably arise. Educators are beginning to worry not only about how to teach, but also about whether they themselves are safe. Learners, who are supposed to experience school as a place of learning and refuge, may begin to see it as a place of fear. Parents understandably demand answers, but perhaps we also need to look inward. In our collective search for someone to blame, we may overlook the fact that the roots of the problem can sometimes be found much closer to home.

Having spent 15 years handling a very large school, I have learned that school safety is not created by a single policy, a security guard, or a memorandum. It is built through consistent presence, clear boundaries, relationships, parental responsibility, and the courage of school leaders to lead. These are not prescriptions, but reflections from experience.

1. Truancy.
Truancy is rarely just about a learner refusing to attend school. Sometimes, it is an expression of unmet needs, insecurity, neglect, or difficulties at home. Some learners carry frustrations they do not know how to articulate, and school becomes the place where these emotions are displayed. This does not excuse misconduct, but understanding its roots allows us to respond with both firmness and wisdom.

2. Discipline.
School leaders must establish an atmosphere where expectations are unmistakably clear. During assemblies and other gatherings, learners need to understand the rules, the reasons behind them, and the consequences of violating them. Discipline is not cruelty. In fact, genuine discipline is one of the ways we demonstrate care. We can be firm without being abusive, and compassionate without being permissive.

3. Presence of authority.
There must be a visible and reassuring presence of authority in schools. Guards, school heads, teachers, and designated personnel must be present and attentive, especially in areas where incidents are likely to occur. Children’s rights must always be respected, but rights should never be misunderstood as freedom from accountability. Protection and discipline are not opposing principles. They must work together.

4. The paging system.
Even simple systems can communicate that a school is attentive. When irresponsible or unsafe behavior is observed, appropriate reminders through the paging system can reinforce the message that the school is watching, responding, and taking its responsibility seriously. Safety is strengthened when learners know that adults are present and paying attention.

5. Responsible parenthood seminars.
For years, I conducted responsible parenthood activities with resource persons from the PNP, DSWD, and even PDEA. Parents need to understand not only their rights, but also their responsibilities under the law. The school cannot be expected to carry the entire burden of raising and disciplining children. Parents are the first teachers, the first guardians, and, in many ways, the first line of accountability.

6. Befriend.
There are learners whose truancy, defiance, or disruptive behavior is rooted in insecurity. Sometimes, the most powerful intervention is simply to make them feel that they belong. I have seen how a learner can change when a school head reaches out, listens, and allows that learner to feel welcome. There were times when learners would stay in the principal’s office, not because they were being punished, but because they knew there was an adult who cared enough to listen.

7. Parental conversations.
There were also moments when I had to disagree firmly with parents and insist on school rules. There were occasions when voices were raised, especially when someone attempted to intimidate me into compromising what I believed was right. But leadership sometimes requires the courage to stand your ground without losing respect. When parents recognize that the school leader is not fighting against them but standing for the welfare of their children, difficult conversations can eventually become constructive ones.

8. Concern. Show concern for the job.
The school and its learners are a school leader’s responsibility. Be there. Be visible. Be present. Leadership cannot be reduced to paperwork, compliance, or a position on an organizational chart. There is a growing temptation to treat work merely as something that occupies office hours, while personal pursuits compete with professional responsibilities. There is nothing wrong with rest, recreation, or personal interests. But there is also a proper time for everything. Do the work entrusted to you first, then take the time to unwind.

I know that none of these is a template that can guarantee that violence will never happen inside our schools. No school can completely predict what a troubled individual may do. And we must be careful not to label children with behavioral or psychological difficulties as inherently dangerous. Doing so can create another injustice. What we need is a whole-school approach where safety, mental well-being, discipline, child protection, parental responsibility, and community partnership reinforce one another.

Perhaps the most important reflection is this: school safety is not achieved merely by putting more people at the gates. It begins with adults taking responsibility for the children entrusted to them.

We cannot ask schools to become fortresses. Schools must remain places of learning, hope, and belonging. But neither should we allow compassion to become an excuse for the absence of boundaries, nor should the language of rights be used to silence responsible authority.

This is not about being politically convenient. It is about being responsible.

And perhaps, before we point fingers at one another, we should ask a more difficult question: What have we, as parents, educators, school leaders, communities, and society, done to make our schools places where children are not only taught, but protected, guided, corrected, heard, and cared for?

I am not claiming to have the answers.

I am simply thinking out loud, hoping that the next time we hear the word “another,” it will not be another school shooting.