Classes were called off on Monday. | Photo: Miquel À. Cañellas
Andrew EdePalma20/10/2026 07:55
Xavier Ferriol, president of the Federation of Parents' Associations (FAPA) in Mallorca, supported the decision to cancel classes at all educational institutions on Monday, prompted by the threat of heavy rainfall. While he believes that "prevention is better than cure", he also sees a need to establish a "clear protocol" on how families with children in school should stay informed and respond to such events, which are becoming increasingly frequent.
The federation emphasises the importance of preparing for future scenarios, particularly if an emergency occurs during the school day. Ferriol is therefore calling for precise guidelines regarding critical issues at high-stress moments, such as whether parents should immediately pick up their children or wait until the alert has passed, as well as clear information as to which official body is issuing the directives.
He feels that the regional government has yet to fully integrate families into its prevention plans. Although schools currently provide emergency training for both teachers and students, families are left out of the process entirely. This creates an information gap, one that must be urgently addressed to ensure the safety of the entire educational community.
Vicenç Garcia of the STEI union fully endorsed the cancellation, pointing to the high level of risk predicted by both meteorological models and the emergency response officials. The consequences could have been dire had precautionary measures not been taken.
"Situations like this will become increasingly frequent, and we need mechanisms to respond to them, while also ensuring that teaching can continue. It is easy to now say that it wasn't as bad as had been expected, but we could be facing a very different, regrettable outcome had we not acted."