Board puts police in schools on hold

‘We really do need to listen and to learn and understand,’ education director says

WATERLOO REGION — The public school board will pause the School Resource Officer program as it reviews having police in schools.

At the Waterloo Region District School Board meeting on Monday, Trustee Scott Piatkowski notified colleagues he will bring forward a motion asking a committee be formed to review police in schools. His motion is in response to the board receiving numerous emails from parents and alumni and other community members expressing concern with the program.

During the meeting, education director John Bryant said the administration was committed to undertaking a review and would pause the program while the review is underway.

“We really do need to listen and to learn and understand what our students and families have experienced, and really to listen to understand the concerns of our community,” said Bryant.

Trustees heard that staff met with its Black Brilliance advisory committee and local Black activists and organizers who expressed concerns with the program. They do not want officers in schools dealing with racialized youth and say students are reporting they do not feel safe with police in their hallways and classrooms.

“The community wants to work together with our school board to think creatively about what could replace the

SRO program,” Deepa Ahluwalia, the board’s human rights and equity adviser, said at the meeting. “They’re asking that we come to the planning table with an open mind. They are dedicated to finding a solution with us and not to just dismantle everything without thoughtful consideration of next steps.”

Also on Monday, a group of local students launched a campaign on social media — called Students 4 Inclusive Schools — calling on the school board to include their voices in the review. The group said in a statement Tuesday they commend the move to review the program and its suspension, but say it is long overdue.

“We continue to advocate for a community-led alternative to disciplinary action that is based in restorative and social justice,” the group said in a statement. “These alternatives must include culturally-responsive support workers, crisis counsellors, mental health workers and community-led de-escalation response teams.”

The board committed Monday to consulting with a variety of groups as it conducts the review.

“This will be a very important process as we listen and learn and understand the concerns that are coming from our community,” said Lila Read, associate director at the board.

Administration with the board will get started gathering information for the review and it is expected that at a September meeting the board of trustees will formally vote on Piatkowski’s motion requesting a committee be formed to review the program.

The proposed committee will look at the history and origin of the program, its scope, gather data, host consultations with the community and examine whether to continue with the program. It will include trustees, a student trustee, a superintendent, teachers, parents, a youth worker, principals or vice-principals, the human rights and equity adviser and an administrator responsible for student discipline.

“We understand that some of our students have had a negative experience with the SRO program — with the police officers in schools — and I think it’s an important and necessary step that we are doing this review to understand better what those concerns are,” Ahluwalia said in an interview.

In a statement Tuesday, the Waterloo Catholic District School Board said it is committed to a review of the program in the fall as well.

The School Resource Officer program has existed for about two decades. There are 10 officers in the program who are assigned to 240 secondary and elementary schools in the region.

The goal of the program is “to develop positive relationships between youth and police, reduce youth victimization and partner with school staff to proactively address student, family and school challenges,” Waterloo Regional Police’s 2019 annual report says.

Student resource officers make regular visits to schools and bring awareness on topics such as online safety, substance abuse, bullying and sexual harassment. They also investigate school-related incidents that happen on school grounds, including reports of suspicious persons and altercations between students. They also assist in situations such as lockdowns and suspension re-entry meetings, the report says.

“The WRPS (Waterloo Regional Police Service) supports an evidence-based review and we look forward to future engagement with the school board surrounding the SRO program,” said Cherri Greeno, police spokesperson.