38 students at ‘high risk’ of mental health problem after Tacloban shooting
The Department of Education (DepEd) on Thursday said 38 ‘high-risk’ students at the San Jose National High School (SJNHS) in Tacloban City will need long-term psychological intervention after the deadly school shooting in June.
During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Basic Education on Thursday, DepEd Undersecretary for Governance and Operations Malcolm S. Garma said that of the 603 students who received psychological support, 38 are at ‘high risk’ of developing mental health problems.
Victims at high risk are those who have been directly exposed to a school shooting, while those at low risk are those who have been indirectly exposed.
“When they are classified as high risk, it requires more than just first aid; they must enter intensive and high-level intervention,” said Mr. Garma. “That will now include intervention for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).”
Some students who have just been discharged from the hospital, and those who refused to seek mental health care a few days after the incident, are now receiving psychiatric first aid (PFA).
“DepEd cannot deal with the provisions of PFAs alone,” said a DepEd official. “This is where we saw the efforts of other participants… [who] they have extended their hands to help us restore our students, teachers and parents.”
The shooting incident that took place on June 22 left three students dead and 20 injured.
In-person classes resumed last Monday at SJNHS to provide a sense of “normalcy”, according to DepEd. “The resumption of classes in some way will show that normality in the school and give that level of confidence to our parents and the community that the school is safe,” said Mr. Cabral.
“At the same time, it is really removing the trauma, mental and emotional trauma, that our teachers and students have experienced because of this incident,” he added.
235 out of 336 students in Grade 7 and 237 out of 369 students in Grade 8 have studied face-to-face since they started studying. Meanwhile, Grades 9 to 10 are under modular and online due to damaged facilities, and Grades 11 and 12 teachers are being trained in school safety.
Students who refused to return to campus because of the trauma of the incident were given study modules and online activities to ensure continued learning.
“We do not force them to attend face-to-face classes, so those who are not able to attend face-to-face classes, we still offer them another way of delivering services,” said Mr. Garma.
The perpetrators of the school shooting, 14 and 15 years old, are currently in the custody of the Ministry of Social Affairs, and the results of their psychological tests are pending. – Almira Louise S. Martinez
