THE Department of Education announced on Thursday school heads have the authority to suspend the conduct of in-person classes and shift to alternative delivery modes in cases of extreme heat and other calamities.

The department said suspension can be made if face-to-face classes compromise the health and safety of learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel on that specific period

“(The) Department of Education reiterates the provisions of Department Order 037 issued in 2022, which provides guidelines on the cancellation or suspension of classes and work in schools in the event of natural disasters, power outages/power interruptions, and other calamities,” DepEd said in a statement.

“Specifically, DepEd has given the school heads the authority and discretion to suspend the conduct of in-person classes and shift to alternative delivery modes (ADM) in cases of extreme heat and other calamities that may compromise the health and safety of learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel,” it added.

Earlier, local government units and schools have suspended in-person classes due to extreme heat.

“Given that DepEd supervises more than 47,000 schools nationwide, it is in the best interest of the learning community to have localized assessments for timely response and interventions to ensure the welfare of learners and personnel,” DepEd said.