Schlosser said that the policy of the schools does not contravene any existing rules in a radio interview on July 29, 2022, because private institutions are permitted to apply their own measures against the spread of Covid-19 within their own premises.
“There are private schools actually doing that and it’s lawful because any establishment can implement their health protocols as deemed necessary,” she said during a program of the Davao City Disaster Radio.
The private institutions were not named but Schlosser admits that the policy can spark discrimination between groups of students.
Still, private schools can still opt to do so on their own discretion in line with the Davao City Executive Order No. 11 Series of 2022.
Jimmie-Loe Dela Vega, the director of the Davao Association of Catholic Schools (DACS), likewise stated that there is no official statement on the subject but that "each school applies its own policy."
Schlosser advised that interested parties debate the issue if there is a chance that the policy will be applied broadly.
“There should be no discrimination but if you are going to separate the students, it’s still a form of discrimination. The decision will be coming from the Department of Health (DOH), policy makers, and the Department of Education,” she said.
The Davao Local Task Force is only required to enforce the policy in accordance with instructions from the city administration, DepEd, and DOH if it is ever put into effect.
Dela Vega claimed that DACS, the Catholic Educational Association of the Philippines, and the Coordinating Council for Private Educational Associations made a proposal to the vice president's office on July 27 to permit capable schools to continue with blended or flexible learning in accordance with this.
“The curriculum shall be flexible enough to enable and allow schools to localize, indigenize and enhance the same based on their respective educational and social contexts,” DACS said in their position paper.
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