Victoria school board votes to end police liaison program
The Greater Victoria School District (SD61) board is following through with is controversial decision to end the school police liaison program.
Earlier this year, the Greater Victoria Teacher's Association brought forward concerns, saying that it believed school police liaison officers (SPLOs) had a negative effect on students, particularly Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (BIPOC), 2SLGBTQIA+, and people with disabilities.
The school board listened to these concerns and unanimously decided to end its SPLO program at a special board meeting Wednesday.
Other concerns raised by the school board included a lack of clear guidelines and oversite for SPLO activities in schools, and tasking police officers with issues they may not be trained for.
The school board approved three motions at its meeting Wednesday:
• To end its SPLO program while updating its policies around school emergencies – such as lockdowns – and asking superintendents to give SD61 a list of services that will no longer be offered by SPLO's, with recommendations on how to replace them.
• Urging the province to research the impacts of SPLO's on students.
• Asking that the province to fund community alternatives to SPLO's, like social workers, community coaches and restorative justice initiatives.
At the meeting, SD61 board chair Nicole Duncan said that she believed having professionals in mental health and substance use was a better alternative than having police officers provide guidance on these issues – saying that other professionals would not attempt to do a police officer's job, so police should not attempt to take on other professionals' roles.
HEATED DEBATE
The decision to end the program did not come without pushback.
Leading up to the vote Wednesday, local police leaders said it was important to have officers spend time at schools.
"This program is critical to the safety of youth in our community," said Victoria police Chief Del Manak after the Greater Victoria Teacher's Association first brought its concerns forward in March.
"This program also allows us to deal with worrisome behaviours that are not criminal, but are beyond the capacity of school teachers and counsellors to manage. That is the reality of what is happening in our local schools today," he said.
At the school board meeting Wednesday, Saanich police Chief Dean Duthie also voiced support for keeping SPLOs in schools, saying they helped teach students about bullying, bike safety, online safety and drug and alcohol use.
Officers could also intervene and help students "avoid what could result in criminal consequences" later down the line.
"I've been told time and time again that not only do students learn from us, but that we learn from them," said Duthie.
Meanwhile, a lack of research about the impacts of SPLOs in schools was considered by both sides of the argument.
The Greater Victoria Teacher's Association said that SPLOs should not be in schools until further research on their potential harms and benefits to students could be studied further, while Manak argued that the officers should not be removed, since it's unclear if potential harms outweigh the potential benefits.
The Victoria Principals' and Vice Principals' Association also voiced support for keeping SPLOs in schools, while the Support Network for Indigenous Women and Women of Colour argued that having police in schools had a negative impact on students.
"There have been many positive interactions through the SPLO program, but undeniably there are some students and staff who do not feel safe with police in schools," said Duncan in a statement Thursday.
"The decision to end the program speaks to the board’s commitment to provide trauma informed support and inclusive spaces for all students."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.