Mexico City Legislators Seek to End School Suspensions for Technical Councils
Mexico City, February 23 – Legislators in the Mexico City Congress are advocating for Technical School Council sessions to no longer entail the suspension of academic activities, a practice that currently occurs every last Friday of the month, leaving children without classes. This initiative, presented as a point of agreement to the local legislature, is directed at the Ministry of Public Education (SEP).
Support for Caregivers and Reduction of Inequality
In an interview with Reporte Índigo, the promoting legislator, Royfid Torres González, explained that this initiative falls under a care agenda, with the primary objective of supporting caregivers. He emphasized that the goal is to reduce the burden on women who also perform paid work, a situation that exacerbates inequality gaps and limits their autonomy.
“The educational reform proposed that the Technical Council be held once a month; this not only represents educational impacts but also affects families, because households must decide what to do with their children on those days,” commented Torres González, who is also the coordinator of the Citizen Movement (MC) in the local Congress.
The legislator added that today, with care and care perspectives being part of the public policy conversation, “a fundamental part is the school environment and how we affect the economy, independence, and care with these definitions.”
Ensuring Academic Continuity
Therefore, the legislator urges the SEP to ensure that academic update sessions are conducted according to the established school calendar, in both public and private schools. This would guarantee the presence of children and adolescents in schools without undermining the labor and union rights of teaching staff.
From the tribune of the Mexico City Congress, Torres indicated that the request is based on Article 21, Section IV, of the SEP’s Internal Regulations, referring to the “Work Guide for Technical School Councils” (Articles 13 and 14, dated April 8, 2024), which establishes their realization without implying the suspension of activities.
“What we seek is that it can be analyzed that on Technical Council Fridays, those families who need to send their children to school and who have no other alternative can do so, that there are options from the schools to receive them and have activities on that day and it does not affect them in particular and economic terms,” he detailed.
Consensus and Future of the Care Agenda
The point of agreement was forwarded to the Education Commission to open a discussion table with teachers, authorities, and families to find viable alternatives. “We seek the benefit of a large number of families who on those days have no alternative to leave their children and have to lose their day at work, have to lose their economic remuneration to care for and take charge of their children,” he stressed.
The proposal was positively received among the legislators of the Mexico City Congress, which could open a path for consensus among parliamentary groups to advance various aspects of the care agenda. “We do not end only with the construction of an Integral System Law; we must advance in many other regulations, such as the Technical Councils, paternity leave, care permits, and the forty-hour work week. It is a broad catalog of actions that we will continue to promote,” affirmed Torres González.
2026: Year of the Care System in Mexico City
In December 2025, the Mexico City Congress concluded the consultation for the construction of the Care System Law, a pending debt since 2017, when the right to care was elevated to constitutional status in the capital.
During that same year, both the Mexico City Government and the benches of the National Action Party (PAN) and Citizen Movement presented their respective law proposals. Therefore, it is expected that the Care System Law will finally be approved in this session period.
Despite the lack of a framework law, the capital government has already begun implementing its model. In May 2025, Clara Brugada, head of government of Mexico City, inaugurated the first center of the Public Care System, based on the rehabilitation and adaptation of service spaces.
This model includes the implementation of popular kitchens and dining rooms, public laundries to lighten the burden of the home, and Day Homes for the elderly. The construction of Child Development Centers for children of working mothers, Everlasting Homes for specialized services for women, Health Homes, the Hummingbird Center for addiction prevention, and centers for the attention of the LGBT+ community were also announced. Likewise, the implementation of awareness and co-responsibility programs in care was made public.
Finally, local authorities reported that the system will integrate co-responsibility programs in care, in addition to complementary services such as community spas and cultural and sports workshops.
Source: reporteindigo.com
