Tacloban school reopens with focus on healing after mass shooting

TACLOBAN CITY — San Jose National High School (SJNHS) reopened on Monday for the first time since a mass shooting killed three students and injured 20 others, with school officials focusing on students’ emotional healing instead of regular classroom lessons.

The reopening featured psychosocial activities to help students recover from the trauma of the June 22 attack, one of the deadliest school shootings in the country in recent years.

“We do not want our students to remain away from school because we have to gradually return to normal,” said Nilo Eder, information officer of the Tacloban City Schools Division.

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READ: CCTV, detectors greet students at Tacloban school as classes resume

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No regular lessons for now

He said regular lessons would not resume immediately, stressing that the emotional well-being of students and teachers remains the division’s priority.

The two classrooms where the victims were fatally shot will no longer be used for classes and will instead be converted into storage rooms or office space.

Students were welcomed by a band and performers hired by the city government to create a more positive atmosphere.

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Security was significantly tightened, with walk-through metal detectors, bag inspections, police deployment, and at least 16 newly installed CCTV cameras. Parents and members of the media were not allowed inside the campus.

Flag ceremonies to be held in classrooms

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Beginning next week, flag ceremonies will be held in classrooms rather than the school grounds to avoid large gatherings. Similar security measures have also been implemented in all 60 public schools under the Tacloban City Schools Division.

The June 22 attack was allegedly carried out by two students, aged 14 and 15, who are now under the custody of a rehabilitation center run by the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

Despite lingering fears, some parents said they sent their children back because of the enhanced security measures.

READ: Cries for justice won’t stop in Tacloban

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Meanwhile, Eder said all 15 students hospitalized after the shooting, including three who had been admitted to intensive care units, have already been discharged and are continuing their recovery./coa