Bill 470.

Summary.

The bill would add Chapter VII to Title IV of Law 47 of 1946, the Organic Law on Education, comprising Articles 159 to 170. Its purpose is to protect the safety, physical integrity, and continuity of education of students living in hard-to-reach areas or areas of high geographical risk. It would cover students at public and private schools in rural or comarca areas or places exposed to natural hazards, as identified by the Ministry of Education (Ministerio de Educación) and the National Civil Protection System (Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil). It defines hard-to-reach areas, high geographical risk, students at risk, alternative education, temporary student residences, and the monitoring and early warning network.

The Ministry of Education would conduct an annual National Census of Students at Geographical Risk with the Census Directorate (Dirección de Censos) of the National Institute of Statistics and Census (Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo) within the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic (Contraloría General de la República), local governments, comarca authorities, and school communities. The digital register, organized by school zone, would identify exposed schools and students, assess routes, connectivity, and hazards, document journeys, and recommend measures. It would also record available community communication channels. Where early information channels are unavailable, the State would establish alternative means of receiving official alerts. The Ministry would update the data at the start of each school period and publish an annual report for public consultation and regional planning.

A monitoring and early warning network led by the National Civil Protection System would bring together the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Public Works (Ministerio de Obras Públicas), local authorities, and community participants to address natural hazards affecting school access. During critical periods, the Ministry of Education could use distance or module-based classes, blended learning, flexible regional calendars, temporary residences, and itinerant or community teachers. During the academic break, it would train teaching and administrative staff in the identified areas in alert protocols, alternative education, student protection, and teaching under adverse weather conditions.

The State would guarantee safe school transportation adapted to each region’s geography and culture, using means such as boats, mules, horses, community bicycles, or all-terrain vehicles. In urgent situations, weather emergencies, or disruptions to land routes, the Ministry of Education could arrange exceptional, temporary transport of students, teachers, or school supplies with the National Aeronaval Service (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval SENAN), the National Border Service (Servicio Nacional de Fronteras - SENAFRONT), the National Police (Policía Nacional), and other institutions. These operations would be recorded, justified, and evaluated with the National Civil Protection System and local authorities. Implementation would be shared with the Ministry of Government (Ministerio de Gobierno), governorates, community boards, and comarca authorities. Families, school communities, and social and student organizations would also participate.

The Executive Branch (Órgano Ejecutivo) would allocate a dedicated annual appropriation in the General State Budget, charged to the Ministry of Education and other responsible bodies, which could not be used for other purposes. Detailed semiannual reports on physical and financial implementation would be submitted to the Office of the Comptroller General and the Education Committee (Comisión de Educación) of the National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional), and posted on the Ministry’s website. The Comptroller’s Office, the Ombudsman’s Office (Defensoría del Pueblo), and a committee of social and community representatives would oversee compliance. The Ministry would provide Schools for Parents and an accessible reporting channel; the National Directorate of Educational Supervision (Dirección Nacional de Supervisión Educativa) would handle investigation, prompt response, and follow-up while protecting complainants.

The Executive Branch would issue implementing regulations within six (6) months after promulgation. During the first year, School Prevention and Response Committees would be organized and trained, and regional plans prepared; funding for implementation would be included for fiscal year 2027. The provisions concern the named education, civil protection, public works, security, and oversight bodies, as well as students, families, teachers, rural and comarca communities, and school transportation providers.