The return to school in Ceuta will be marked this year by an extraordinary security device. Just over a week before students return to the classrooms, the Autonomous City has requested the Ministry of Education to specify the planned measures and provide clear information to families who have doubts about how the start of the school year will unfold in the current context of exceptionalism.
The Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Pilar Orozco, has asked the Secretary of State for Education, Abelardo de la Rosa, to explain in detail how many personnel will participate in the operation, what increase in resources will occur, and when each of the measures will begin to operate.
The Ministry has already assured the City that the surveillance of the centers will be guaranteed 24 hours a day, but Orozco considers it insufficient to only know the general commitment and demands that the complete device be communicated before the start of classes.
Families want to know what will happen on the first day of class
Concern is especially focused on September 8, the date set for the incorporation of preschool, primary, and secondary students. Teachers will start the school year a week earlier, on September 1.
According to Orozco, many families are still wondering whether they will take their children to class from the first day due to the existing uncertainty. Therefore, the minister considers it essential for the Government to publicly explain the scope of the measures before the reopening of the centers occurs.
"We are convinced that if families and the educational community, ultimately all of Ceuta, see that the environments of the centers are safe and controlled, and that their streets are controlled, they will be satisfied and will be the first to be happy that the children of Ceuta begin to resume their lives," Orozco has argued.
The City insists that the goal must be to prevent any student from missing class due to fear or lack of information.
Police, Civil Guard, military, and Civil Protection
The Ministry of Education announced this week the preparation of an extraordinary security plan for schools and institutes, coordinated with the various administrations and bodies deployed in Ceuta.
According to the information conveyed to the families, the device will include participation from National Police, Local Police, military personnel, and Civil Protection, in addition to coordination with the rest of the services responsible for ensuring safety.
The presence of uniformed personnel at the entrances of the centers is planned, as well as surveillance in the vicinity during the arrivals and departures of the students. The operation will also extend to recesses, bus stops, school routes, and adapted transport services.
The Secretary of State for Education has conveyed that the coverage will not be limited to school hours, but there will also be surveillance during the night.
All charter schools will have surveillance
Another of the uncertainties of recent days affected the charter schools. This doubt has been partially cleared up this Saturday after the schools themselves received confirmation that they will also be included in the device.
Abelardo de la Rosa has informed these centers that they will have sufficient funding to hire surveillance services in preparation for the start of classes. The measure will apply to all charter schools in Ceuta and not only to public ownership centers.
However, several aspects remain to be known: how many guards there will be, what their schedules will be, how they will be distributed among the schools, and how long this reinforcement will remain active.
Five centers need to reinforce their walls
The City has also focused on five educational centers that have special needs in their perimeter enclosures.
Orozco has requested information from the Ministry about when these actions will take place, which include, among other measures, the raising of certain perimeter walls.
This issue is part of a broader review of the facilities before the return of the students. Family associations have requested that the condition of the centers be checked, possible damages repaired, and necessary cleaning and disinfection tasks completed.
Families also demand psychological support
The FAMPA Cuatro Culturas has requested that the operation not be limited to police presence. The federation proposes a "Plan for Educational Guarantee, Security, and School Well-being" that incorporates measures for coexistence, emotional support, and communication with families.
Among its proposals are the reinforcement of guidance teams, professionals specialized in psychological care, protocols in the event of possible incidents, and video surveillance systems in those centers where necessary.
The Ministry has also announced the implementation of a psychosocial support plan aimed at students and families to face the emotional impact generated by the last weeks of tension in the city.
A new meeting this Monday
Orozco will hold this Monday a new meeting with the provincial director of Education, Cristóbal Guzmán, in which it is expected to continue specifying the conditions for the return to classrooms.
The Ministry maintains that the start of the school year will occur on the scheduled dates and that the centers will be protected. The City shares the objective but now demands to move from general announcements to a detailed plan that schools and families can know in advance.
With the teaching staff joining on September 1 and students returning on the 8th, next week will be decisive to finalize a device that aims to ensure that educational activity can return to normal despite the exceptional situation that Ceuta continues to face.