SEP, CDMX Government and Tlalpan Mayor's Office publicly apologize for the tragedy of Colegio Rébsamen

Mexico City.- The Ministry of Public Education (SEP), the Government of Mexico City and the Tlalpan Mayor's Office, together with relatives, presented the "Memorial Colegio Rébsamen - 19S" in Alameda Sur, which commemorates the 19 minors of age and 7 adults from the educational establishment who lost their lives during the earthquake of September 19, 2017 in the capital of the country.

During the act, the Head of Government, Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, stated that in response to Recommendation No.31VG/2019 addressed to the holders of the SEP, the capital's Government and the Tlalpan Mayor's Office by the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), but also out of conviction, this memorial is presented that includes the names and initials of the victims, whose design, elements and materials were agreed upon with parents.

“I am here to offer, as a representative of the Government of Mexico City, a sincere, heartfelt and deep public apology to the victims and their families for the irreparable loss derived from the collapse of the Rébsamen College during the earthquake of September 19, 2017, and we deliver this significant memorial that you chose and designed to always remember, honor and pay tribute to your family and loved ones," he said.

As a report, the head of the local Executive recalled that derived from the documentation provided by the then demarcation under her charge and the investigations carried out by the Attorney General's Office, now the Attorney General's Office, today it is known that those responsible already sanctioned -the owner of the property, directors in charge of works (DRO), co-responsible for Structural Safety of the school and public servants, acted illegally to obtain the permits and authorizations necessary for the operation of the campus.

After acknowledging the struggle of the fathers and mothers of the victims, Sheinbaum Pardo endorsed that, at the time, as head of the Tlalpan delegation and today as Head of Government, she is always on the side of justice, the victims and enforcing the law. Victims Law with measures of restitution, rehabilitation, compensation, satisfaction and non-repetition of a similar act.

He also highlighted the changes in the Civil Protection Law, the Construction Regulations and attention to the demand of relatives to have the "Safe School" platform, where you can check which schools meet the conditions and documents to operate.

The Secretary of Public Education, Leticia Ramírez Amaya, expressed her solidarity and respect to the families of the victims of Colegio Rébsamen, and endorsed the commitment to safeguard the integrity of educational communities, and the exercise of the right to education in safe environments .

"On behalf of this Secretariat, I offer a deep, sincere and heartfelt apology for the violation of the human rights of the girls, boys and adults who lost their lives at the Rébsamen College," he said.

The head of the SEP, affirmed that to guarantee the memory and the non-repetition of the facts, what happened at the Rébsamen College will be incorporated into the contents of the Free Textbooks.

Before relatives and friends of the victims, he urged the owners and directors of private schools to conduct themselves responsibly, ethically and in full respect of legal provisions; disseminate their civil protection programs, and comply with the required documentation, so that families choose safe educational institutions.

He stressed that the SEP, and the authorities of the different levels of government, promote periodic reviews in schools, both private and public, as well as drills and training in civil protection, so that school facilities meet the best security conditions.

The mayoress of Tlalpan, Alfa Eliana González Magallanes, assumed the responsibility that corresponds to the demarcation in accordance with her powers, regarding the grievances committed against the students and staff of the Rébsamen School.

"It is clear that the main damage caused to the victims cannot be corrected, so the public apology by the three levels of government will only make sense if it fulfills a transformative and corrective purpose (...) The Tlalpan Mayor's Office proposed to the mothers and affected parents, the location of a memorial, who ultimately chose its location on the site where this apology is offered today,” he declared.

For her part, the Attorney General of Justice of Mexico City, Ernestina Godoy Ramos, highlighted the fundamental role of family members in using the figure of reward and being able to complete arrest warrants against those who were prosecuted for the crime of manslaughter. In addition, she mentioned that a claim regarding extinction of ownership of the property where the school was located is in process, which is in the judicial stage.

“We have worked, we continue to work together with you and therefore my deepest appreciation to the fathers and mothers of the victims for their great strength and for the drive to achieve justice. We want, as I have always said, and together with you, that justice becomes customary in this city, ”she said.

The director of Digital Government of the Digital Agency for Public Innovation (ADIP), Eduardo Clark García Dobarganes, announced that as of this Thursday the digital platform "Escuela Segura" is public so that anyone interested can consult the status of each one. of the 2,938 private educational establishments in Mexico City, which can be consulted at https://escuelasegura.cdmx.gob.mx.

“In an unprecedented exercise and with the aim of identifying the status of educational establishments in Mexico City and carrying out the corresponding actions to guarantee their security, the digital platform for the documentary registration of educational establishments has been created: the platform 'Escuela Segura'”, he pointed out.

He explained that each school was trained and registered on the platform to upload the documentation that proves its operation: Land use zoning certificate, Internal Civil Protection Program, Notice of operation as a low-impact commercial establishment, Security Certificate Structural, and Safety and Operation Approval. To date, 2,496 private schools, 80 percent of the total, have uploaded the essential documents on the platform, and with the Federal Educational Authority in Mexico City, 274 administrative sanction processes against non-compliant schools were initiated.

Regarding Comprehensive Reparation for Damage, 220 records were granted to direct and indirect victims to ensure their access to public services of the capital's government; the Collective Comprehensive Reparation Plan was issued for the benefit of all the family nuclei of the victims listed in the CNDH recommendation, and 30 Individual Comprehensive Reparation Plans were issued. In addition, 25 families who decided to do so were provided financial support, comprehensive services and channeling to additional programs, while the Executive Commission for Attention to Victims (CEAVI) compensated families.

Additionally, Eduardo Clark García highlighted that through collaboration with the SEP and the Secretariat of Government Works and Services (SOBSE) of Mexico City, 1.5 billion pesos have been invested for the rehabilitation of public educational establishments in the Mexico City, with the aim of guaranteeing its structural safety.

On behalf of the mothers and fathers of the victims, Francisco Quintero, Mireya Rodríguez and Alma Mónica Ortega also spoke during the ceremony, who stressed that they have collaborated in the design and construction of the public platform "Escuela Segura", in which the educational establishments they must update their structural and civil protection conditions.

“With this contribution we seek that parents like us know the conditions of the schools in whose hands they entrust the life and education of their children; and, at the same time, that the schools comply with the requirements of the regulations and standards in force so that they are safe schools”, he pointed out.

The “Rébsamen 19-S College Memorial” was carried out by SOBSE, had an investment of 22.2 million pesos and was erected in an area of ​​5,200 square meters. On the circular mirror of water, 26 monoliths were placed in honor of each of the people who died in the Rébsamen College with their name or initials, whose base is basalt and the body is marble, which are accompanied by lights and a fountain. of water.

Around, at 5.41 meters high, you can see a steel structure covered with a wooden board on which you can read the phrases "The world is better because they were here", followed by the date on which the earthquake occurred "19 -09-2017”, and “Your memory will last over time”, followed by the time the earthquake occurred “13:14:40”. Near the entrance booth to the Memorial, the sculpture titled "Nunca más" (2022) was installed, made by the artist Ignacio Manteca Aguirre, which represents the figure of a human being before the loss of a loved one; he poses in his left hand a hummingbird in flight, which means the spirit of the loved one.

It should be remembered that in 2018, the then capital's Attorney General's Office determined that the current Head of Government had no responsibility in the Rébsamen case, since the illegal constructions on the property were not related to her management as a delegate of Tlalpan.

The commemorative act was also attended by the President of the CNDH, María Rosario Piedra Ibarra, and her counterpart in Mexico City, Nashieli Ramírez Hernández; the local Secretary of Inclusion and Social Welfare, Rigoberto Salgado Vázquez; the head of the Federal Educational Authority in Mexico City, Luis Humberto Fernández Fuentes; the mayor of Coyoacán, Giovani Gutiérrez Aguilar; fathers and mothers of victims, and civil associations.

With information from the CDMX Government

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