DepEd investigates teacher for ‘potential child abuse’ in viral TikTok video

The Department of Education (DepEd) on Friday, Nov. 5 said it is probing a teacher for “insinuating potential child abuse action” in a Tiktok video that has gone viral.

DepEd said Secretary Leonor Briones ordered its regional unit in Central Luzon to sanction the teacher, whose name and school were not disclosed, “with appropriate sanctions.”

In the viral video, the teacher was using the username @leobondoclopez when he posted a video of himself dancing and running his hand through his hair to apparently catch the attention of a “cute” student. His account has been switched to private, as of this writing.

“We remind our teachers and non-teaching personnel to always subject our words and actions, including our social media activities, to the highest degree of ethical and professional standards,” the statement read. 

The agency also reminded teachers and its public servants to “always champion a safe and nurturing learning environment for children, where physical, verbal, sexual and other forms of abuse and discrimination are renounced.”

“As we celebrate National Children’s Month, DepEd will continue to strengthen its policies and capacity-building activities to further promote our advocacy of protecting our learners against abuse,” DepEd said in a statement.