City boards affirm support for officers in schools
Toronto program ended amid concerns some students feel intimidated by police
Edmonton school board officials are voicing support for police officers in schools after the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) decided to end its school resource officer program over concerns it made marginalized students feel targeted.
Canada’s largest school board voted to end its school resource officer program Wednesday. The board pulled officers from schools in August pending a review, The Canadian Press reported.
Edmonton’s two largest school boards, however, said they firmly support their partnerships with the Edmonton Police Service.
Toronto’s debate over its 10-year-old school resource officer program — created after a student was shot and killed at a high school there — began after pushback from community groups.
Supporters of the program said it improves safety and perceptions of police among youth, and that officers aim to resolve disciplinary issues outside the justice system.
Opponents said officers are based in schools with large populations of students of colour, some of whom felt intimidated by the presence of armed police.
“We know that with the TDSB there has been a history of racism and discrimination, we know that with policing in Toronto there is also a history of racism and discrimination,” Phillip Morgan, a member of Education Not Incarceration, told The Canadian Press. “So the folks who find themselves at the intersection of these two institutions through the SRO program have been particularly affected.”
A survey of around 15,000 Toronto students in schools with school resource officers (SROs) found most were happy with the program or had no opinion on it. Around 10 per cent said the officers made them feel uncomfortable.
Edmonton’s school resource officer program was launched in 1979 — one of the service’s first community policing initiatives, according to the EPS website. It has since expanded to 18 Edmonton public and a dozen Catholic schools. Officers do class presentations, work with school administration to respond to safety concerns, conduct investigations, and serve as mentors for students. Recent programs have focused on preventing cyber-bullying and warning students about accidental overdoses.
In 2014, the U.S.-based National Association of School Resource Officers recognized Edmonton’s program as a “model” for other agencies.
Joan Carr, superintendent of Edmonton Catholic Schools, said in a written statement it was “impossible to imagine Edmonton Catholic Schools without” the SRO program.
“It has been so successful at the high school level that we have expanded the program into some of our junior high schools,” Carr said. “Our dream would be to have SROs in every one of our schools — elementary, junior high and high school. The Edmonton Police Service SRO program is truly making a difference, one child at a time.”
Raquel Maurier, communications consultant with Edmonton Public Schools, said school resource officers have been added to five junior high schools since last year.
“Each jurisdiction needs to do what’s right for their families and school communities,” Maurier said in an emailed statement. “However, we believe strongly in the relationships and partnerships that we have built with the Edmonton Police Service and our SROs.”