By ESENDOM
December 16, 2025
Lea en español: Minerd emite protocolo obligatorio para excursiones escolares tras muerte de Stephora Joseph
Ministry tightens controls after Haitian girl’s tragedy in Santiago and imposes sanctions for non-compliance
Key Points:
Ministry issued Departmental Order 63-2025, replacing 09-2009, with mandatory protocol for field trips at public and private schools
Measure responds to death of Stephora Anne-Mircie Joseph (11 years old) during field trip from Leonardo Da Vinci School on November 14
Protocol requires requests 25 days in advance, increased adult supervision, written authorizations, and restrictions on high-risk locations
Prohibits activities at rivers, beaches, swimming areas, and nightclubs; imposes administrative and criminal sanctions
Dominican community demands transparency, oversight, and justice in education system
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SANTO DOMINGO—Nearly one month after the death of Stephora Anne-Mircie Joseph (11 years old) during a school field trip in Gurabo, the Ministry of Education (Minerd) announced a reform to the educational field trip system. Departmental Order 63-2025, signed by Minister Luis Miguel De Camps, establishes a mandatory protocol that tightens controls on school excursions.
The measure—effective immediately—responds to national outrage generated by the Leonardo Da Vinci School case, where Stephora drowned on November 14 at Los Caballos ranch. The school transported 87 students with only three chaperones, without a safety plan validated by authorities.
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Stricter Rules for Planning and Approval
According to the 13-article document, no field trip may be conducted unless included in the school’s curricular plan. All extracurricular activities require a formal process of approval, supervision, and certification.
Relevant points of the protocol:
Requests 25 Days in Advance (Art. 6)
Each educational institution must submit:
Pedagogical purpose of the trip
Guide(s) per grade level
Student roster
Designated supervisors
Schedule, logistics, and costs
Transportation and evidence of inspection
Approval letter from APMAE (Parent-Teacher Association)
Higher Ratio of Adult Supervisors (Art. 7)
1 adult for every 15 students
For children under 9 years: 1 adult for every 8 students
Mandatory participation of at least two APMAE members as observers
Location and Conduct Restrictions (Art. 3 and 4)
Prohibited:
Field trips to beaches, rivers, swimming areas, lakes, and pools
Visits to adult clubs or establishments with physical or moral risk
Consumption or transport of alcohol, cigarettes, vaping devices, or psychoactive substances
Use of uncertified vehicles
Each bus must have a first aid kit. Authorities must verify the mechanical condition of transportation.
Written Parental Authorization (Art. 8 and 9)
Each student must have signed informed consent.
Without District authorization, the activity cannot be executed.
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Education System Under Scrutiny
Stephora’s death reignited the national debate about school accountability and the lack of effective controls. The Prosecutor’s Office requested coercive measures against four Leonardo Da Vinci School employees for involuntary manslaughter: Yris del Carmen Reyes Adames (administrative director), Gisela González (general coordinator), Francisca Josefina Tavarez Vélez (counselor), and Vilma Altagracia Vargas Morel (secondary level coordinator).
The Public Prosecutor’s Office has evidence of gross negligence: they transported 87 children with only three chaperones, without considering pool depth, without lifeguards, without consulting parents about whether children could swim, without requiring life jackets.
Social organizations and parents demanded that Minerd close historical gaps in supervision, transportation, and student safety. Order 63-2025 attempts to respond through a more rigid, uniform, and verifiable protocol.
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Administrative and Criminal Sanctions (Art. 13)
Non-compliance with the protocol carries sanctions under:
Law 136-03 (Protection of Children and Adolescents)
Law 41-08
Law 66-97 (Education)
Dominican Penal Code
Minerd’s School Coexistence Manual
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Toward a New Model of Educational Responsibility
With this order, Minerd seeks to ensure that all school field trips meet minimum planning and safety standards, avoiding improvisations that endanger student lives.
As the criminal investigation into Stephora’s death advances, the country faces an urgent call: education must also be protected outside the classroom, and school safety is a shared responsibility.
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Related
Stephora Anne-Mircie Joseph: When a Child's Death Exposes a Nation's Failures
Stephora Joseph: el video que expone la tragedia y el silencio de 21 días
Caso Stephora: arrestos en el Da Vinci y un cierre anticipado que no calma la indignación