Mexico's Public Education Secretariat Orders Closure of Militarized Schools Before August 31
mexicosolidarity.com
The order follows the alleged femicide of a 13-year-old at a militarized-school camp; the first academy targeted is Puebla's Ignacio Zaragoza.

This article by La Jornada Editorial Staff and Martín Hernández originally appeared in the July 29, 2026 edition of La Jornada, Mexico’s premier left-wing daily newspaper.

The Secretariat of Public Education (SEP) informed all state education authorities across the country that, for the start of the 2026-2027 school year on August 31, it must be guaranteed that no institution provides educational services under a militarized or military denomination or modality, or any other that makes reference to instruction or discipline of a military nature.

The agency stressed that, based on its constitutional powers and the General Education Law, the head of the SEP, Mario Delgado Carrillo, asked the state education secretariats to carry out an exhaustive review of all authorizations, permits, and official recognitions of study validity (RVOE) that have been issued in their respective states.

In cases where institutions operating under the aforementioned type of denominations or modalities are detected, “the suspension of their activities will proceed and the corresponding administrative procedures must be initiated for their definitive closure.”

Likewise, the immediate delivery of school documentation must be ordered for students who might be affected, including full or partial certificates and any other document held by the schools, in order to guarantee the continuity of their academic path and facilitate their incorporation into another educational alternative.

In the event that payments have been made for services yet to be rendered, such as re-enrollments, school supplies, uniforms, or any other item, these must be immediately refunded by the schools.

Students from the Ignacio Zaragoza Military Academy in Puebla during a march last year as part of their physical activities in a forested area of ​​Puebla. Photo from the military academy’s Facebook page.

‘Training Exclusive to the Defense Secretariat’

The federal agency emphasized that providing services under military denominations or modalities “is incompatible with the aims and principles” of the National Education System, since military education is limited to the training of members of the armed forces and the National Guard, and is provided exclusively by the Secretariat of National Defense (Defensa).

The head of the SEP’s Unit of Legal Affairs and Regulation, Eurípides Flores Pacheco, announced that since Monday the agency had notified the Education Secretariat of the State of Puebla to begin the corresponding administrative process to suspend the activities of the Academia Militarizada Ignacio Zaragoza, located in the state capital.

In an interview, Flores Pacheco explained that the SEP carried out a review in coordination with the 25th Military Zone and confirmed that the aforementioned institution is the only one detected in Puebla that publicly promotes itself under the military scheme and does not have a permit to operate with those characteristics.

Cadets in beige uniforms marching in formation with rifles on a plaza

Photo: La Jornada

Governor Alejandro Armenta assured that the state government will act in accordance with the law and with the resolution issued by the federal authorities. During a press conference held yesterday in Mexico City, he indicated that his administration will seek alternatives to prevent enrolled students from losing the school year or having their education interrupted.

Sources close to the Ignacio Zaragoza academy have indicated that its representatives are considering filing an amparo lawsuit to prevent the suspension of activities.

Meanwhile, an audio recording attributed to the school’s director, Daniel Guzmán, is circulating on social media, in which he asserts that the school will resort to the corresponding legal remedies to prevent its eventual closure. “We are not going to sit idly by,” the director states in the aforementioned recording, which was supposedly obtained during a meeting he held with mothers and fathers between Monday and Wednesday.

As of this edition’s press time, the school had not officially confirmed the authenticity of the audio.

The SEP’s decision to close this type of educational center comes after the alleged femicide of 13-year-old minor Dafne Zapata on July 16, during a camp organized by the Academia Militarizada de Marina Doenitz, in Ciudad Madero, Tamaulipas.

The post Mexico’s Public Education Secretariat Orders Closure of Militarized Schools Before August 31 appeared first on Mexico Solidarity Media.

From Mexico Solidarity Media via This RSS Feed.