School was once called a second home.

Today, that sense of safety is becoming harder to hold onto.

In the span of three months, violence has repeatedly breached the walls of Philippine schools. 

On June 22, two students aged 14 and 15 were implicated in the Tacloban school shooting that killed three students and injured others. On June 29, a 12-year-old student was involved in a stabbing incident in Bacolod, while another school stabbing was reported in Zamboanga. Then, on August 18, another school shooting in Zamboanga left two students dead, including the suspected attacker, as reported by the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Each tragedy brings the same questions: Who was responsible? Who failed to notice the warning signs? Who should have stopped it?

Too often, the answer is pointed toward the person leading the room — the teacher.

This misdirection of blame was further exemplified when, on the same day of the Zamboanga shooting, Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Undersecretary Claire Castro criticized some teachers for allegedly influencing students’ behavior.

“Minsan na po nating nakita mismo ang mga guro ay lumalabag sa mga ganitong klaseng moralidad… Sila minsan ay ang nagtuturo sa kanilang mga estudyante kung papaano maging walang modo,” said Castro.

Yet a teacher cannot be held responsible for every factor that shapes a child’s behavior.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), family relationships, bullying, poverty, social isolation, emotional neglect, community violence, exposure to aggression, online environments, and other circumstances can influence how a child understands the world around them. These factors do not excuse violence, but they show why its causes cannot be reduced to what happens inside a classroom.

Teachers have a responsibility to educate, guide, and protect their students within the limits of their profession. But their influence has limits. They cannot control what happens at home, what a child encounters online, or the circumstances that shape them outside school.

If we want safer schools, we must look beyond the teacher standing at the front of the room.

Children now grow up surrounded by social media, online communities, livestreams, gaming platforms, and other digital spaces that can foster creativity, connection, and learning. However, these same spaces can also expose them to harmful material and interactions without proper supervision.

Teachers cannot be expected to address the consequences of all these factors alone. Preventing school violence requires shared responsibility from families, schools, communities, government institutions, and digital platforms.

And in the pursuit of safer schools, their group is often overlooked. Educators, too, deserve to feel safe in the classrooms they are expected to protect.

Statements like these raise another question: When did educating a child become the same as being responsible for everything that happens to that child?

Future educators understand the weight of this question.

Patrick Mendoza, a third-year student taking Bachelor of Secondary Education (BSEd) major in Science, shared his concern.

“As a future educator, we all know that the classroom is supposed to be a safe haven for all learners. This made me question whether the classroom can always be considered a safe haven or whether it can also become a place where trauma is created.”

For Aliah Pintero, a junior Bachelor of Elementary Education (BEEd) student, the concern extends beyond students.

“I worry about my students, but I also worry about myself and the other teachers. We also deserve to feel safe while doing our job,” Pintero said.

Joshua Sabandal, a senior Bachelor of Physical Education (BPEd) student at Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST), emphasized that safety must also include emotional well-being.

“We all deserve a safe place where everyone can express their emotions and feelings in the right way.”

Meanwhile, Lorreanne T. Molina, a junior Bachelor of Special Needs Education (BSNEd) student at the City College of Angeles (CCA), also described the fear that comes with seeing schools become associated with violence.

“I felt afraid because we all consider school our second home. I also read online that a teacher may have been one of the targets, which made the situation even more alarming.”

Their concerns point to a question that extends beyond the immediate aftermath of a violent incident: Are future teachers being prepared not only to teach, but also to respond when the classroom itself becomes a place of danger?

In the 2026 National Budget, the Education sector received P1.345 trillion – the highest allocation among sectors, according to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM). The priority continues in the proposed 2027 National Budget, with P976 billion allocated to basic education, the largest share of the education budget.

But as billions continue to be allocated to education, a pressing question remains: how much of that investment reaches the protection and preparedness of those inside the classroom?

Because for future educators, safety cannot be treated as an afterthought.

Reynel Gonzales, a junior BSEd in English and Mandarin student, emphasized the need for practical preparation.

“Future teachers should be given opportunities to practice what they have learned through simulations of different emergency situations, including school violence, natural disasters, medical emergencies, and other threats.”

Likewise, Aivy Esguerra, a junior BSEd in Social Studies at Pampanga State University (PSU), stated, “I would like to see more discussions, practical guidance, and training on how future teachers can respond calmly and appropriately during emergencies.”

Their words reveal something that statistics, police reports, and government statements cannot fully capture.

Fear.

Fear among students. Fear among teachers. And fear among those who are only beginning to dream or imagine themselves standing in front of a classroom.

Violence should have no place in a place meant for learning. Teachers should never fear for their safety, and students should never associate learning with violence.

If school violence is a systemic problem, then the response must be systemic too.

A teacher can be held accountable for what falls within their professional responsibility. But when society expects teachers to prevent violence they did not create, recognize warning signs they were never given the resources to identify, and repair problems that began far beyond the classroom, accountability becomes scapegoating.

If we truly want safer schools, we must stop searching for a single person to blame after every tragedy. Parents must be involved, schools must be equipped, teachers must be protected, and government institutions must invest in prevention and preparedness.

Educators are part of the solution — but they should not serve as the entirety of it.

Because when we blame one teacher for a broken system, we only allow that system to remain broken.

A classroom should be where children learn to build their future — not where they learn to fear it.

Protect the child. Protect the teacher. Protect the classroom.

Sam Roie Quilates is the Circulations Manager of The Angelite for the Publication Year 2026-2027, and writes opinions under the column “CTRL + Q”

The views and opinion of the editor does not necessarily reflect those of the publication.