The Department of Education has announced that 38 students in San Jose National High School in Tacloban City will require long-term psychological interventions following the fatal school shooting in June.
During a Senate Committee on Basic Education hearing, a DepEd official stated that out of 603 students who received psychosocial support, 38 are at high risk of developing a serious mental health condition.
The high-risk victims are those who were directly exposed to the school shooting incident, while low-risk victims were indirectly exposed.
According to the official, students categorized as high risk require more than just first aid and need to undergo deeper and higher-level interventions, including PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) treatments.
Students who were recently discharged from the hospital and those who initially refused to undergo mental health services are now receiving psychological first aid (PFA).
The DepEd official emphasized that the department cannot cover the provisions of PFAs alone and relies on the efforts of other stakeholders to support the recovery of learners, teachers, and parents.
The school shooting on June 22 claimed the lives of three students and injured 20 others.
Classes resumed on Monday to provide a sense of normalcy, according to the DepEd, and to establish confidence among parents and the community that the school is safe.
The resumption of classes aims to remove the trauma, psychosocial, and emotional trauma experienced by teachers and learners due to the incident.
An estimated 235 Grade 7 students and 237 Grade 8 students have attended face-to-face classes since resumption, while Grades 9 to 10 are under modular and online modality due to damaged facilities.
Students who refused to return to campus due to trauma have been provided with learning modules and online activities to ensure learning continuity.
The two perpetrators of the school shooting, aged 14 and 15, are currently in the custody of the Social Welfare department, and their psychological evaluation results remain pending.
