Prohibited Acts

Pursuant to Regional Memorandum No. 217 dated April 15, 2021, titled “Guidelines on Express System of Reporting and Intervention of Child Abuse, Discrimination Against Children, Child Exploitation, Violence Against Children in School, Corporal Punishment and Any Analogous or Similar Incidents and Bullying Incidents in DepEd CALABARZON,” the duly constituted School Committee on Student Discipline shall investigate and determine the seriousness or gravity of the offense and whether the bully or learner-offender has violated the rules and regulations of the school or committed any of the offenses identified in DECS Service Manual 2000, DepEd Orders, and other laws but not limited to the following offenses: 

Light Offenses

Less serious or less grave offenses

• Simple stalking inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• Simple vandalism in class or inside the school premises (equivalent amount does not exceed Php1,000.00);

• Assaulting or inflicting less serious physical injuries to another learner or teacher or school personnel inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school. Less serious physical injuries are those that require medical intervention for more than 10 days but not more than 15 days;

• Theft or stealing others’ belongings inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• Cheating/dishonesty during class assessment/exams;

• Allowing another student to copy one’s answer in exams or assigned homework or similar assessment whether for personal reason, profit or gain (sagot for sale);

• Intimidating or threatening a teacher or learner/pupil/student inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• Possession of gambling materials inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• Carrying and concealing liquor, toxic substances, cigarettes/e-cigarettes/vapes, and pornographic materialsinside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school; and

• Offensive physical or body gestures at someone, and exposing private parts for the sexual gratification of the offender with the effect of demeaning, harassing, threatening or intimidating the offended party including flashing of private parts, public masturbation, groping, and similar lewd sexual actions committed inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school.

Serious or grave offenses

Bullying which refers to any severe, or repeated use by one or more students of a written, verbal or electronic expression, or a physical act or gesture, or any combination thereof, directed at another student that has the effect of actually causing or placing the latter in reasonable fear of physical or emotional harm or damage to his property; creating a hostile environment at school for the other student; infringing on the rights of another student at school; or materially and substantially disrupting the education process or the orderly operation of a school or activity; such as, but not limited to, the following:

1. Any unwanted physical contact between the bully and the victim like punching, pushing, shoving, kicking, slapping, tickling, headlocks, inflicting school pranks, teasing, fighting and the use of available objects as weapons inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

2. Any act that causes damage to a victim’s psyche and/or emotional well-being inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities inside or outside the school;

3. Any slanderous statement or accusation that causes the victim undue emotional distress like directing foul language or profanity at the target, name-calling, tormenting and commenting negatively on victim’s look, clothes and body committed inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

4. “Cyber-bullying” or any bullying done through the use of technology or any electronic means committed inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school.  The term shall also include any conduct resulting to harassment, intimidation, or humiliation, through the use of other forms of technology, such as, but not limited to texting, email, instant messaging, chatting, internet, social media, online games, or other platforms for formats as defined in DepEd Order No. 40, s. 2012; and

5. Any other form of bullying as may be provided in the school’s child protection or anti-bullying policy.

The term “bullying” shall also include:

1. “Social bullying” – refers to any deliberate, repetitive and aggressive social behavior intended to hurt others or tobelittle another individual or group based on origin or ethnicity.

2. “Gender-based bullying” – refers  to any act that humiliates or excludes a person on the basis of perceived or actual sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI).

• libel, oral defamation or commission of which in the cyberspace committed inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• alteration or use of falsified school records or credentials during enrolment or for similar purpose;

• inflicting serious physical injuries to another learner inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school. Serious physical injuries are those that require medical intervention for more than 15 days;

• use, possession or sale of prohibited drugs or substances inside the school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• smoking cigarettes/e-cigarettes/vapes, marijuana inside the school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• serious vandalism inside the classroom or school premises (equivalent amount exceeds Php 1,000.00);

• gambling inside the school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• seriously threatening students or faculty members or school personnel inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• seriously assaulting or inflicting serious physical injuries to a teacher or school personnel inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• drinking liquor inside the school or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school or coming to the school intoxicated;

• acts of lasciviousness, sexual exploitation, sexual assault or rape committed inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• carrying and concealing deadly weapons inside the school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• homicide or murder committed by learner/pupil/student in the school or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• hazing in any form inside or outside the school premises;

• qualified stalking accompanied by touching, pinching or brushing against the body of the offended person; or any touching, pinching, or brushing against the genitalia, face, arms, anus, groin, breasts, inner thighs, face, buttocks or any part of the victim’s body committed inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• gender-based online sexual abuse/harassment includes acts that use information and communications technology in terrorizing and intimidating victims through physical, psychological, and emotional threats, unwanted sexual misogynistic, transphobic, homophobic and sexist remarks and comments online whether publicly or through direct and private messages, invasion of victim’s privacy through cyberstalking and incessant messaging, uploading and sharing without the consent of the victim, any form of media that contains photos, voice, or video with sexual content, any unauthorized recording and sharing of any of the victim’s photos, videos, or any information online, impersonating identities of victims online or posting lies about victims to harm their reputation, or filing, false abuse reports to online platforms to silence victims committed inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school;

• uploading and sharing one’s or another student’s recorded/live video, photo, or voice with sexual content in the social media or to any person willing to pay for purposes of gain or profit committed inside the classroom, school premises or during school sanctioned activities whether inside or outside the school (online sex for sale)