According to the Supreme Court, teachers can be held liable for accidents involving their students if they are proven to have been negligent. This was the case in which Gil Apolinario, principal of Brgy. Palale Elementary School in Sta. Margarita, Samar, was declared liable after his student was involved in a tragedy.
Apolinario ordered a 15-year-old student to cut down a banana tree as part of a school activity. In an unexpected turn of events, the tree fell and hit a passing motorist, resulting in a serious accident. Due to the injuries sustained, the victim suffered "post-traumatic brain swelling" and "diffuse cerebral contusion," which later caused his death.
The victim's family alleged that Apolinario was negligent and did not take sufficient precautions to ensure the safety of passing motorists and pedestrians. The student also said that he was ordered to cut down the tree without sufficient warning or safety measures. Meanwhile, the principal denied this and said that he immediately inspected the tree after learning about the incident, but the court rejected this due to lack of evidence.
As a result, Apolinario was declared negligent by the Regional Trial Court and the Court of Appeals. According to the Civil Code, anyone who causes harm to others through negligence must be held accountable. In addition, according to the principle of "vicarious liability," teachers and school heads are liable for the actions of their students while under their care, unless they can prove that they exercised sufficient caution.
In the Supreme Court ruling, the principal was held liable for his negligence in assigning the student’s homework. As a result, the court ordered him to pay the victim’s family P355,000 in damages and legal costs. This decision shows that teachers and school heads have a great responsibility for the safety of their students, even if the incident occurred outside of regular class hours.
