MORE than 500 schools in Central Luzon have started conducting limited face-to-face classes, the Department of Education regional office said.

DepED Regional Information Officer Michelle Lacson said that 168 schools in Nueva Ecija, 128 in Aurora, 97 in Zambales, 61 in Bulacan, 24 in Tarlac, 22 in Pampanga and 13 in Bataan resumed in-person classes.

Before students returned to the classrooms, the schools’ compliance with the guidelines of the School Safety Assessment Tool were validated. They also secured permits from their respective local government units.

Consent from participating students’ parents were also secured.

Meanwhile, the DepEd said it will provide guidance and technical assistance to schools that are ready to hold face-to-face classes.

DepEd said only teachers who have been vaccinated are allowed to participate and pupils who have had their Covid19 jabs are recommended to attend F2F.

Also, only schools in areas under Alert Levels 1 and 2 are permitted to hold classes in person.