ACT Teachers Partylist Rep. France Castro urged the Philippine National Police to scrap its plan to deploy police officers in the vicinity of colleges and universities to secure the safety of students.

Castro stressed that schools and colleges are capable of reopening without the presence of the police.

“Our schools need nurses, not cops,” she said.

The lawmaker added that teachers and non-teaching personnel can be health marshals inside the schools.

“The schools can even seek help from the community or the parents if they need additional personnel or volunteers for ensuring health protocols are followed,” Castro said.

She pointed out that policemen do not help stop the spread of the Covid19 virus and they may even be carriers.

“Gusto yata pumasok ng mga pulis natin sa paaralan at mag-aral ng mga lesson dahil lagi’t laging pinipilit nila ang mga sarili nila sa mga paaralan,”Castro said.

“The Department of Education already reiterated its policy against the presence of armed persons in schools after the incident in Pangasinan when armed policemen were photographed distributing modules inside the classroom,” she added.

“Schools should be safe spaces for learning and free thinking. The presence of armed police and military personnel inside schools and in the vicinity cause trauma to the students, teachers and the personnel especially with the bloody record of our state forces and their many accounts of human rights violations,” Castro said.