The Ministry of Education grants school principals the authority to suspend classes due to weather
In a move aimed at enhancing the safety of the school community and improving emergency response, the Ministry of Education has issued new directives granting school principals expanded authority to address weather fluctuations and natural phenomena. This decision falls under the "Guide for Transitioning from In-Person to Distance Learning," which outlines the precise mechanisms to ensure the continuity of the educational process without interruption while safeguarding the lives of students, administrative staff, and teachers.
Mechanism for dealing with early and sudden warnings
The ministry clarified that the powers granted to school principals are divided into two main tracks based on the timing of warnings received from the National Center of Meteorology. If the warnings arrive well before the start of the school day, the school principal is responsible for immediately informing parents of the need to come to the school to pick up their children, thus preventing them from being in the streets or school buildings during the peak of the weather event.
In cases where severe weather strikes schools unexpectedly after the start of the school day, instructions emphasize the necessity of implementing the "safe shelter" plan. Students are prohibited from leaving their classrooms and are to remain in designated safe assembly points within the school building. Teachers are tasked with calming the students and providing them with psychological support until the danger has passed or their parents arrive. Leaving the school premises is only permitted in cases of extreme necessity.
Health and environmental safety protocols
As a preventative measure, the ministry has mandated that school administrations implement strict protocols in the event of dust storms or air pollution. These measures include ensuring windows and doors are tightly closed, operating ventilation and air conditioning systems to purify the air, and instructing students to use wet wipes to cover their nose and mouth.
The ministry also paid special attention to students suffering from chronic respiratory diseases such as asthma, directing that continuous communication be maintained with their parents to ensure that emergency medications (such as inhalers) are always available within the school, and that any critical health case be quickly transferred to the nearest health center in coordination with the Red Crescent.
Standards for transitioning to distance learning
The ministry has established precise digital criteria that necessitate the suspension of in-person classes and a complete shift to the "My School" platform, in coordination with relevant authorities such as Civil Defense and Meteorology. These criteria include:
- Heavy rainfall ranging from 10 to 50 mm per hour or more.
- Horizontal visibility reduced to 1 km or less due to dust storms or fog.
- Strong winds exceeding 60 km/h.
- Heat waves exceeding 50 degrees Celsius, or cold waves dropping below 5 degrees below zero.
The context of digital transformation and the importance of decentralization
This decision reflects the significant development in the digital infrastructure of education in Saudi Arabia, where suspending in-person classes no longer means halting education, thanks to the success of e-learning platforms that have proven their efficiency over the past years. The decision also embodies a move towards administrative decentralization, as the Ministry recognizes the Kingdom's diverse geography, making school principals in different regions best positioned to assess the situation on the ground and make the most appropriate decisions for the safety of their students, rather than waiting for centralized decisions that may not be suitable for the specific circumstances of each region.
