DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026 • Learning Continuity • School Preparedness
DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026: A School Guide to Learning Continuity in Emergencies
Emergencies can interrupt regular school operations at any time. Typhoons, floods, earthquakes, extreme heat, power interruptions, health crises, volcanic activity, and human-induced incidents can affect the safety, well-being, and learning of students, teachers, non-teaching personnel, and the entire school community.
To guide schools in responding to these situations, the Department of Education issued DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026, titled “Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies.” This policy provides direction on how schools should continue, adjust, reduce, or temporarily stop learning activities depending on the actual condition of learners, teachers, families, and the community.
In This Guide
Why DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026 Matters
The policy recognizes that learning cannot be separated from safety and well-being. Learners and teachers cannot be expected to function normally when there is danger, distress, displacement, lack of access, or serious disruption in the community.
Under this Order, schools are guided to make informed decisions before, during, and after emergencies. These decisions must consider the actual condition of learners and teachers, the availability of learning resources, the capacity of families to support home learning, and the readiness of the school to resume regular instruction.
This is an important shift in school operations. Not all class suspensions or disruptions should result in the same response. A short power interruption, a strong typhoon, a flood, a classroom fire, an extreme heat condition, and a community crisis require different levels of learning support.
The Four Learning Continuity Levels
The Learning Continuity Framework uses four levels: Hayo, Hinay, Hinga, and Hinto. These levels help schools determine whether regular learning may continue, learning should be adjusted, academic demand should be reduced, or learning should be temporarily stopped to prioritize safety and basic needs.
HAYO / Continue
Normal learning condition
Learners and teachers are physically safe, emotionally regulated, and ready to engage in sustained learning. Regular in-person classes continue, full lesson guides are used, and remediation may be provided.
HINAY / Ease-in
Adjusted learning condition
There are minor to moderate disruptions. Learning continues, but pacing is slowed down. Teachers may use online classes, digital modules, broadcast materials, print modules, or learning packets. Assessments are limited to essential competencies.
HINGA / Check-in
Well-being first
Learners experience heightened stress due to an emergency, crisis, or disaster. Academic demands are heavily reduced. Teachers focus on learner safety, well-being checks, recovery, and psychosocial support.
HINTO / Stop
Safety and basic needs first
Learners’ safety and basic needs are at risk. Academic learning is halted completely. The school activates crisis management protocols and coordinates with the LGU, SDO, and other partners for emergency response.
Learning and Service Continuity Plan
A major requirement of the policy is the Learning and Service Continuity Plan or LSCP. This is the school’s documented action plan for preparing and operationalizing learning before, during, and after emergencies.
The LSCP must identify how the school will respond at each learning continuity level. It must include learning experiences, learning resources, teacher supports, communication systems, learner and teacher safety monitoring, and external partners such as the LGU, SDO, NGOs, and other stakeholders.
The LSCP must not be prepared only when an emergency is already happening. It should be developed before the school year begins and updated every term. This makes emergency response more organized, realistic, and evidence-based.
Capability Mapping
Capability mapping helps the school understand what learners and teachers can realistically do during disruptions. It may include information on internet access, availability of gadgets, access to printed materials, home support, communication channels, and teacher readiness.
This is important because a school cannot simply announce online classes if many learners have no reliable internet connection. It cannot rely only on printed materials if printing capacity is limited. It cannot expect parents to support home learning without orientation, guidance, and realistic instructions.
Learning Resources During Emergencies
Learning resources must match the learning continuity level. The policy identifies several learning experiences and resources that may be used depending on the situation.
| Learning Resource or Experience | Simple Description | Best Use |
|---|---|---|
| Print Modules | Structured printed lessons with guided activities and assessments. | Useful when learners can study independently without internet access. |
| Digital Modules | Structured learning materials accessed through digital platforms. | Useful when learners have access to devices and connectivity. |
| Online Synchronous Classes | Real-time classes through video or audio conferencing platforms. | Useful only when learners and teachers have stable access and are ready for structured instruction. |
| Broadcast Materials | Instruction through radio, television, or similar mass media platforms. | Useful when internet access is limited but learners can access broadcast platforms. |
| Learning Packets | Short, low-demand, self-contained activities. | Useful during disruptions when full curriculum progression is not appropriate. |
| Check-in Guides | Tools for teachers to monitor learner safety, well-being, and access to learning. | Useful during Hinga and other situations requiring learner monitoring and psychosocial connection. |
| Family Kits | Guides and resources for parents and guardians to support learning and well-being at home. | Useful when learning support must happen at home without turning parents into substitute teachers. |
Schools should prepare and maintain emergency learning kits and learning resources before emergencies happen. These resources must be proportional to the number of enrolled learners and aligned with the school’s LSCP.
Teacher Capacity Building
Teachers are central to learning continuity. School heads must ensure that teachers know what learning experiences will be used at each continuity level. Teachers should also be prepared to deliver learning in ways that are safe, flexible, and trauma-informed.
Schools should conduct at least one capacity-building activity related to learning continuity, such as trauma-informed teaching, psychological first aid, use of check-in guides, development of learning packets, emergency communication protocols, and LSCP implementation.
Suggested Teacher Capacity-Building Topics
- Learning Continuity Framework: Hayo, Hinay, Hinga, and Hinto
- Trauma-informed teaching during emergencies
- Psychological First Aid and learner check-ins
- Preparation of low-demand learning packets
- Use of emergency call tree and class monitoring forms
- Assessment adjustment during disruptions
Parent and Guardian Orientation
Parents and guardians are important partners in learning continuity. They must be oriented on the school’s LSCP, especially on what will happen when classes are suspended or when the school shifts to Hinay, Hinga, or Hinto.
The parent orientation should be conducted during the Opening Block and may be followed up throughout the school year. The discussion should be simple, practical, and focused on what families need to know during emergencies.
Suggested Parent Orientation Topics
- Meaning of Hayo, Hinay, Hinga, and Hinto
- How the school will communicate during emergencies
- What parents should do when classes are suspended
- How learning materials will be distributed
- How parents can report learner safety and access concerns
- How families can support children without creating unnecessary pressure
Reporting During Emergencies
During emergencies, reporting must be timely and organized. The school head reports the school’s learning continuity level through the prescribed reporting mechanism. If normal internet or data connection is unavailable, the school may use other communication methods such as SMS, phone calls, radio communication, or other available channels.
The school must also use its emergency call tree. Teachers report their safety status to the school head. Homeroom advisers contact parents or guardians to check the condition of learners. If a teacher is unable to conduct the check due to safety reasons, the school head assigns another teacher to assist.
Shifting Between Levels
Movement from one level to another must be based on clear evidence. A school may escalate to Hinay, Hinga, or Hinto when disruptions compromise regular learning. It may de-escalate back to Hayo only when learners, teachers, and non-teaching personnel are safe and ready, appropriate resources are available, and psychosocial readiness has been considered.
When multiple hazards happen at the same time, the school should consider applying the response appropriate to the higher level of learning continuity. Safety and learner well-being must remain the basis of every decision.
Returning to Normalcy
The goal of learning continuity is to safely return to Hayo or normal learning conditions. However, the return must be gradual. After a serious disruption, learners and teachers may need time to adjust before regular pacing, assessments, and academic expectations resume.
Schools should provide remediation and foundational skill recovery after prolonged disruptions. Academic acceleration should not compromise learner well-being or foundational understanding.
Assessment, Makeup Classes, and Work Immersion
Periodical examinations should be conducted only during in-person classes or Hayo level days. If an examination is affected by suspension, the school must reschedule it and give learners enough time to adjust before the test.
Makeup classes may be required if actual class days fall below the required number of contact days in the school calendar. The scheduling of makeup classes is left to the discretion of the school head, following existing DepEd guidelines.
For Senior High School, work immersion is also affected by the learning continuity levels. Work immersion activities should not proceed under conditions where learner safety, access, or readiness is compromised.
Reporting After Emergencies
After an emergency, the school must document what happened, what actions were taken, what challenges were encountered, and what practices should be sustained, improved, or discontinued.
This reflection is important because it strengthens future preparedness. A school that documents lessons from one emergency becomes better prepared for the next one.
Post-Emergency Reflection Questions
- What emergency, crisis, or hazard happened?
- What learning continuity level was applied?
- What actions were taken to protect learners and teachers?
- What learning resources were used?
- What communication challenges were experienced?
- What worked well?
- What should be improved next time?
What Schools Should Prepare Now
To implement DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026 effectively, schools should prepare the following:
- Updated Learning and Service Continuity Plan
- Capability mapping of learners and teachers
- Emergency call tree
- Learning experiences per continuity level
- Inventory of print modules, learning packets, and digital resources
- Emergency learning kits
- Communication channels for teachers, learners, and parents
- Parent and guardian orientation during Opening Block
- Teacher capacity-building session on learning continuity
- Procedures for learner and teacher safety monitoring
- Post-emergency incident management report template
- List of external partners for emergency support
Final Reminder
DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026 reminds schools that learning continuity during emergencies must be planned, humane, realistic, and evidence-based. The goal is not only to prevent learning loss, but also to protect the safety, dignity, and well-being of learners and teachers.
The four levels of learning continuity help schools decide when to continue regular classes, when to slow down, when to prioritize check-ins, and when to stop academic learning temporarily. In every case, the school’s response must be guided by safety, learner readiness, teacher capacity, available resources, and the actual condition of the community.
Source: DepEd Order No. 014, s. 2026, “Guidelines on Learning Continuity in Emergencies.”
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