GUIDELINES

ON THE DepEd ORDER

PROGRESSIVE
EXPANSION OF
FACE TO FACE No. 17 s. 2O22
CLASSES
1. Pursuant to the approval by the President, the
progressive expansion of face to face (F2F) classes on
January 7,2022, as well as the updated alert level
classifications by the Interagency Task Force for Emerging
and Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), the Department of
Education (DepEd) issues the enclosed Guidelines on the
Progressive Expansion of Face to Face Classes.
2. These guidelines seek to provide guidance to
schools on the mechanisms and standards of the F2F
classes and ensure their effective, efficient, and safe
implementation. This is anchored on the same shared
responsibility principle which was introduced and
adopted during the pilot implementation as reflected in
the
DepEd-DOH Joint Memorandum Circular (JMC) No. 7,
s. 2021 titled, Operational Guidelines on the
Implementation of Face to Face Learning Modality.
3. Consistent with the Revised Operational Guidelines on
the Progressive Expansion of F2F Classes (DepEd-DOH
JMC 1, s. 2021, this DepEd Order (DO) shall focus on
mechanisms in establishing a safe school learning
environment to better support the teaching and learning
process as well as ensuring safe operations of
schools.
4. This issuance shall complement DepEd-DOH
JMC 1, s. 2022 in governing the progressive
expansion of F2F classes. The progressive
expansion includes geographic expansion, the
inclusion of all grade levels, and increasing time
in school subject to applicable guidelines, as part
of the transition towards the new normal.
5. All DOs and other related issuances, rules and
regulations, and provisions which are inconsistent with
these guidelines are repealed, rescinded, or modified
accordingly.

6. Questions and clarifications will be directed to the

office of Undersecretary for Governance and Operations
through email usec.regop@deped. gov. ph.
7. This Order shall take effect immediately upon
publication in the Official Gazette or in any national
newspaper of general circulation. Certified copies of this
DO shall be registered at the University of the Philippines
Law Center-Office of the National Administrative Register
(UP LC-ONAR), UP Diliman, Quezon City.

8. Immediate dissemination of and strict compliance with

this Order is directed.
Standards and Procedures
A. Managing Safe School Operations
Consistent with the standards on the revised JMC, this shall
guide schools on safely managing school reopening and
operations.
1. Preparations for School Reopening for In-person Classes.
a) As part of the preparations, the school shall involve the
community in the school reopening process to shape the
perceptions of risks and effectively respond to the health crises
through localized efforts.
b) The school shall adjust class programs according to
their Alternative Work Arrangements (AWA) and conduct
and orientation of teaching personnel on possible
changes in their AWA. The school shall develop a plan to
ensure that there are available teachers for the conduct
of face to face classes. In the same way, the plan should
also consider teacher assignments for learners who will
remain in distance learning.
 c) The school shall monitor and update the COVID-
l9 vaccination status of the learners through DepEd
Learners’ Information System (LIS).
d) Prior to the opening, the school shall conduct
simulation activities among school personnel regarding
protocols and routines to replicate and discuss
possible scenarios during the actual conduct of face to
face classes. In addition to the simulation and
orientation, information materials on the health and
safety protocols may be developed.
e) As part of the preparations, the school shall involve the
various levels of community governance – customary community
leaders in the case of IP and Muslim communities; the barangay,
municipal, and provincial leaders in the school reopening
process to shape the perceptions of risks and effectively respond
to the health crises through localized efforts. Continuing dialogue
with the immediate community where the school is located is
crucial since managing day-to-day risks and concerns will
primarily be with the immediate community. The various
perspectives of the governance levels require appropriate
harmonization to ensure appropriate and relevant responses at
the local level should there be concerns and emergencies.
2. School Traffic Management.
The school shall set up clear and easy-to-understand signages,
preferably in local languages. Schools may also consider putting up these
signages in Braille, especially for schools with visually-impaired learners or
personnel. This is to strengthen the observance of health protocols and
protective measures.
a) The school shall establish safe entrance, exit, crowd management
measures, and contact tracing procedures for those entering school
premises (Iearners, teachers, parents/guardians, school personnel, etc.)
Likewise, drop-off and pick-up points shall be clearly identified and marked.
There shall be Separate Entry and Exit points in high traffic areas by
installation of signages and markers for cueing and unidirectional
movement.
b) Schools shall put signages/visual cues in the following:
1. School map at the front gate indicating the location of the
classrooms (this may also be used as a guide for points of
exit/ evacuation during emergencies)
2. Instructions for entrance and exit (for the school gate and
classrooms)
3. Designated waiting area for
parents/guardians/chaperones with strict observation of
physical distancing at all times. Limit to one person allowed
to fetch per learner
4. Hallway ground markings for walking direction guide.
5. Areas where physical capacity may be limited (e.g.,
restroom, library, school administrative office, among
others)
c. Authorized visitors shall schedule an appointment with the
school head to limit the number of people on the school premises.
AII visitors shall be required to follow health protocols and
screening, provide a copy of identification to school administrators,
and filI out a form (physical or online) indicating their name,
contact details, address, date and time of visit, and purpose.

3. Communication Strategy
a) The school shall set up a proactive COVID-l9 local
hotline/helpdesk that connects to and coordinates with
hospitals/LGUs.
b) Advisers shall maintain a database of contact
information for parents/guardians of children in their
class advisory, including phone numbers and
addresses, subject to compliance with RA No. 10173 or
the Data Privacy Act. This is to ensure that
parents/guardians are notified if their children exhibit
flu-like symptoms while on school premises or become
close contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case.
.
c) The school shall establish feedback mechanisms for
parents, guardians, and communit5r members on issues
relative to the implementation of face to face classes.
d) For communication collaterals (e.g., posters,
signboards, brochures), schools can use PAS-developed
Face to Face Classes graphics and templates by
accessing https: / /bit.lyl Limited F2FComms Resources
4. Contingency Plan
a) The school shall follow a decision model and prepare a
contingency plan for closing and reopening the school in
case of COVID-19 resurgence. Separate guidelines will be issued as
support for the preparation of the Schools Contingency Plan.
b) The contingency plan shall include the following:
1. Decision points for school suspension;
2. Distance learning modalities during suspension: and
3. Strategies for the reopening of schools after the suspension.
c) The contingency plan shall also include the strategies
for the continuity of learning while face to face classes
are suspended until the local authorities have determined
the safe resumption of face to face classes.
d) The protocols contained in the contingency plan shall
be aligned to the existing guidelines issued by concerned
government agencies.
5. School-Community- Coordination
To effectively manage the coordination between
school and the community, the following shall be taken
into account:
a) The school shall establish coordination mechanisms
with the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team
(BHERT) of the local Government Unit (LGU) in ensuring
health protocols are observed properly.
b) The school shall operationalize the Preventive Alert
System in Schools (PASS) (Enclosure No. 4 to DepEd
Memorandum No. O15, s. 2O2O). The teacher shall
ensure that health inspection is routinely conducted
during the conduct of the face to face classes.

c) The school shall ensure that a health personnel or

designated "clinic teacher'' is physically present at the
school clinic during school days.
d) The school shall orient parents/guardians about health
and safety protocols in school and at home (e.g., pick-up
and drop-off, minimum health and safety requirements,
reinforcing health and safety protocols at home)

e) The school shall establish home-school coordination

on reporting the health status of learners.
B. Ensuring Teaching and Learning
Face to face classes will be implemented in a blended
learning approach. As such, participating schools shall determine
the most appropriate learning delivery modalities to be adopted in
combination with the face to face learning modality and the
schedule of classes.
1. Guidance for Class Scheduling.
To guide the schools in implementing a blended learning
approach, the following protocols shall be observed:
a) The school shall design class programs that cater to both
learners of the face to face classes arrangement and distance
learning while observing the maximum 6-hour classroom
teaching hours of teachers.
b) Class schedules shall be arranged equitably so that all
learners will have the opportunity to attend face to face
classes. The school shall ensure that arrival, breaks, and
dismissal time are staggered to avoid crowding of
learners on the school premises.
c) Schools are given flexibility in contact time/teaching
time for teaching and learning:
Grade Level Minimum Contact/Teaching Time

Kindergarten and Grade 1 4 hours

Grade 2 to 12 5 hours
d) The school shall ensure that learning
remediation/intervention shall be part of the regular class
schedule and daily teaching time.
Remediation/intervention shall be a minimum of one hour
depending on the needs of the learners. Leaning
remediation/intervention may be done with learners
individually or by small group.
e) It shall be ensured that the time allotment for other
health and safety-related activities, such as
handwashing, temperature checking, and other related
preliminary activities, shall not affect the actual
contact/teaching time.
f) The schools, with the guidance from the
Schools Division Office, shall determine the most
appropriate class scheduling based on the
demand for and their capacity to implement face-
to-face classes, availability of classrooms, class
size, and human resource capacity of the school.
Further, the school shall ensure that class
schedules shall complement with the
implementation of the blended learning
approach.
g) Consistent with the Revised JMC on the Operational
Guidelines on the Implementation of F2F Classes, the
class size shall be in accordance with the following
standards:
1. Maximum of 12 learners for Kindergarten;
2. For Grades I to 12, the number of learners in a
classroom shall take into consideration the varying
classroom sizes and required one-meter physical
distancing;
3. Maximum of 12 learners at a time for those activities
requiring the use of workshops and laboratories.
2. Ensuring Teaching and Learning delivery.

To safely implement the opening of face to face

classes, the school personnel and teachers shall observe
the following:
a. Teacher Workload
1. The school shall ensure that teacher loads are
distributed following the maximum 6-hour classroom
teaching per day.
2. Teachers shall prepare the Weekly Learning Plan
(sample WLPs are provided in Annex A) to provide
direction and guidance for both classroom-based and
home-based activities. They shall determine strategies to
address immediate gaps to ensure the transition from
distance learning to classroom-based instruction.
Teachers handling face-to-face classes shall prepare
only the WLP as an instructional guide. Each learner
shall be provided with a copy of WLP to serve as their
guide for learning tasks that should be done at home
when they are on distance learning.
3. The class advisers and subject teachers shall ensure
that the attendance of learners is closely monitored as
well as the accomplishment of home-learning tasks for
those on distance learning. In case a learner can no
longer participate in face to face classes due to a valid
reason, he/she will be reverted to distance learning.
4. During face to face classes, the teacher shall devote
the allotted instructional time to:
a. administer diagnostic assessments to determine
learners' strengths and needs and identify learning
priorities;
b. conduct targeted instruction (remediation,
reinforcement or enrichment) to address specific
learning needs;
c. administer frequent checks of understanding,
formative tests, and reasonable homework;
d. conduct summative assessments to establish whether
learners achieved the learning targets specified in the
curriculum (e.g., Most Essential Learning Competencies);
e. monitor learning progress using appropriate tools,
such as learning progress checklist, rubrics, and
portfolios as per DepEd Order No. 031, s. 2O2O
(Interim Guidelines for Assessment and Grading in
Light of the Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan);
and
f. provide ongoing feedback on learners' outputs and
performance.
5. Illustrative examples of more specific daily teaching
procedures are provided in Annex B.

6. Teachers shall ensure that teaching hours are

maximized for the actual teaching and learning process.
7. After rendering at most six hours of actual teaching
in face to face classes, teachers may spend the
remaining two hours of work on teaching-related
activities, which include but are not limited to:
checking/preparation of learning assessments; preparation of
Weekly Learning Plan, Individual Monitoring Plan, and Learning
Progress Checklist; and consultation with parents/guardians.
The eight-hour workday is in accordance with DepEd
Memorandum No. 291, s. 2OO8 (Guidelines for the
Implementation of CSC Resolution No. O80096 on Working
Hours for Public School Teachers).
B. Teacher Training and Support
1. Appropriate technical assistance in a form of
coaching and mentoring for teachers shall be provided to
ensure their ability to deliver relevant teaching and
learning strategies and ensure continuity of learning
through a combination of distance learning and face to
face classes. School-Based learning Action Cells (SLAC)
must be regularly conducted based on the assessed
needs of the teachers in providing instructional support to
learners.
2) Instructional supervision shall be provided by the
appropriate supervisor (i.e. Public School District
Supervisors, School Heads, Master Teachers,
Education Program Supervisors where their expertise is
needed).
C. Learning Resources
1. The Department has produced a plethora of
learning resources to support teachers and learners in
ensuring the attainment of learning standards
through the Most Essential Learning Competencies
(MELCs). Maximum utilization of these resources is
highly encouraged as they have been designed to
conform with the demands of distance learning and
face to face classes and to meet the needs and
contexts of learners with different learning
conditions.
(2) Textbooks, self-learning modules, primer lessons,
learning activity sheets, TV/video lessons,
radio/audio lessons, learner's materials, and other
learning resources in different content and accessible
formats, whichever is applicable, shall be utilized for blended
learning. Other teacher-made learning materials may also be
used to help deepen learners' understanding of the lesson.
(3) It shall be ensured that all teachers have the
Teacher's Guide/Teacher's Manual on specific grade
levels and learning areas that they are handling.
Likewise, teachers shall develop activity-based materials for
mastery of learning delivered during face to face classes
D. School Activities
(1) Group work activities shall not be allowed if they
necessitate physical contact with one another and
when physical separation is not practicable.
(2) The conduct of school-related activities and gatherings must
meet the minimum requirements for activities allowed in areas
under alert levels 1 and 2 in accordance with the country's
COVID-19 alert
level system or any similar categorization in accordance with the
guidelines of concerned
government agencies. Performance-based tasks and activities,
summative tests, classroom-based
assessments like the Philippine Informal Reading Inventory (Phil-
IRD and Early Childhood
Development (ECD) Checklist, preparation for and conduct of
large-scale assessments, physical
activities, and other similar school-based activities may also be
permitted as long as schools follow the required minimum health
and safet5r protocols when conducting such
3. Curriculum
The Department of Education (DepEd) prescribes the
K to 12 Curriculum as a minimum requirement for all
public and private schools that will participate in the
implementation of face to face classes. However, the
focus of instruction shall be on the Most Essential
Learning Competencies (MELCs). Teachers
shall unpack these competencies to ensure that learners
are equipped with prerequisite knowledge and skills
before being taught with the targeted competencies.
C. Including the Most Marginalized
For marginalized children, the framework recognizes
that school reopening shall mean going beyond opening
the school gates for teachers and learners. With this, the
school shall ensure that learners who are most vulnerable
and disadvantaged
in terms of access to learning are prioritized.
1. The school shall establish a mechanism in
identifying learners who are most vulnerable and
disadvantaged in terms of access to Iearning, such as but
not limited to:
a) indigent children
b) out-of-school youth
c) physically and mentally handicapped
d) distressed individuals and families, including internally
displaced persons (IDPs)
e) low resourced students
f) abandoned and neglected children
g) street children
h) children of former rebels
i) children living in conflict-alfected areas and vulnerable
communities (CVAS)
j) children with disabilities, SPED students
k) children from Geographically Isolated and
Disadvantaged
Areas
l) children belonging to indigenous communities
2. The school shall ensure the development and provision of
additional resources and support to address the needs of
vulnerable and disadvantaged learners. The schools are
encouraged to adjust strategies as needed:
a) Physical distancing and wearing masks can be difficult for
young children and persons with particular disabilities (for
example, visual or hearing impairments) or for those with
sensory or cognitive issues. For people who can only wear
masks for a limited time, prioritize having them wear
masks during times when it is diffcult to separate learners
and/or teachers and personnel (e.g., while standing in line
or during drop off and pick up).
b) Teachers may consider wearing masks with a clear
panel when interacting with learners who are learning to
read or when interacting with learners who rely on lip
reading.
c) Use behavioral techniques, such as modeling and
reinforcing desired behaviors and using picture
schedules, timers, visual cues, and positive
reinforcement, to help all
learners adjust to transitions or changes in routines.
3. For disadvantaged and marginalized learners who cannot
participate in face to face classes, the school shall ensure
continuous support by maximizing the current distance learning
modality.
4. In the event that a parent/guardian pursues the participation of
his/her child in face to face classes, the school shall ensure that
the minimum health and safety protocols shall be strictly
followed. The parent/guardian shall ensure that his/her child has
their own assistive device during face to face classes. The school
may also coordinate with partner agencies in the provision of
assistive devices such as wheelchairs, cane, walkers, and
others.
5. The school shall maintain close coordination with the
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)
Case Managers of those learners who are marginalized
and other partner agencies and organizations such as
National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA).
6. For non-graded SPED and Alternative Learning
System-Community Learning Centers (ALS-CLCs),
separate policy guidelines will be issued.
VII. Well-Being and Protection
A. Psychosocial Support
l. In addition to the psychosocial support provided in the
revised JMC on the implementation of face to face classes,
the SDO shall set up a hotline/online platform to provide
counseling services to learners, teachers and personnel who
require counseling services. In the absence of a Registered
Guidance Counselor (RGC) and/or guidance designate in
the school, learners, teachers, and school based personnel
shall be referred to this platform for counseling services.
THANK YOU!