Study collects views of officers in schools

A new study on school resource officers and violence in Alberta schools recommends formalizing training for SROS, improving student mental health supports and prohibiting cellphones as a means of curbing conflict.

Published this spring, Violence in Alberta’s Urban Schools: The Perspectives of School Resource Officers surveyed SROS in six jurisdictions across Alberta, including Edmonton and Calgary.

The study comes at a time when the future of Edmonton’s 40-yearold SRO program is up in the air. Edmonton Public Schools trustees unanimously called for a review of the program recently amid concerns SROS contribute to criminalization of marginalized students.

A motion to suspend the program narrowly failed but may be revisited Tuesday, following trustee Cheryl Johner’s resignation over a racist comment about refugee students and violence.

The study’s authors — University of Calgary education Prof. J.K. Donlevy and Taber Police Chief Graham Abela — said the paper is the first in a series on violence in Alberta schools that will hear from students, parents and teachers.

“Our purpose was to determine what is the scope and manifestation of violence (in schools): who are our victims, who are our perpetrators, and how does it actually happen? So we can get a handle on it,” Abela said in an interview.

To do that, they surveyed 41 Alberta SROS — 12 of whom sat for in-depth interviews.

Here are a few of the findings:

NO SPECIFIC TRAINING

Officers interviewed for the study said they received little to no specific training for their SRO roles.

“They relied heavily on their basic police training and experiences, as well as the occasional tangential specialty course,” the study says.

Some believed other officers look down on them, believing SROS were doing social work and not policing.

“We have this terrible reputation,” one officer said (all officers in the study were granted anonymity). “Because police officers don’t believe what we do is police work ... I am concerned that our current leadership (is) ... starting to ... (have) that (opinion).”

SROS also have fewer opportunities to earn overtime, and end up making about $10,000 to $15,000 less than their front-line colleagues.

CELLPHONES SEEN AS SCOURGE

Cellphones came up time and again. As the authors summarized, “The smartphone is the mechanism through which much of the buildup and planning associated with school violence occurs.”

SROS saw social media as Ground Zero for bullying.

The study recommends Alberta school districts follow Ontario’s lead and ban cellphones in school.

Officers said they occasionally find weapons in school, including brass knuckles, pepper spray, batons and replica handguns. Participants in the study did not mention knives, real handguns, or rifles being brought to school.

Part of the study’s goal was to identify common aggressors and common victims in fights, bullying and other forms of school violence.

Officers said victims tended to be those with “difficulty socializing and picking up on social cues” — students who are not well-off, who frequently suffer from physical abuse, emotional abuse or neglect at home.

Another subset was gang members, who were “simply ciphers in gang-on-gang violence. In other words, such violence was ... not personal.”

RELIGIOUS SCHOOLS LESS VIOLENT?

One officer who works at several different schools believed religious-based schools have fewer problems with violence.

“I have two faith-based schools that I find I’m not called there even a fraction of the time I am for the other schools,” said the officer, who was not personally religious.

AMOUNT OF SEX, PORN A SURPRISE

Multiple officers brought up the prevalence of pornography and sexual relationships among students.

One officer said the breakdown of sexual relationships was frequently a source of tension, fights and bullying.

SROS “unanimously” brought up the need for improved mental health initiatives in schools, particularly in middle school, the study said.

Donlevy said in addition to standardized training, SROS should undergo more rigorous selection.

Edmonton public school trustee Bridget Stirling said they receive little data or reporting about the program.