Teach a valuable lesson about the police

Re: “Supporters rally for return of police officers to schools,” Feb. 27.

If I’d known about the rally outside the Greater Victoria School District office on Monday to support the discontinued school-liaison officer program, I would have joined the 12 participants to make a baker’s dozen.

I have been a teacher in Victoria since 1995, and I remember Victoria Police Chief Del Manak when he was a schoolliaison officer.

I also remember when I began teaching at Spectrum in 2001, Const. Dan Mayo, who was a liaison officer for several years.

Know who else remembers them? Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of kids with whom they, along with many of their colleagues, interacted in positive and impactful ways over the years.

I disagree with school board chair Nicole Duncan’s opinion that, because of possible “trauma and harm” that some students might feel from a police presence in schools, the liaison program should have been discontinued.

The best method to help students to overcome their anxiety and fear is not to remove the cause — this simply reinforces the problem. The best method is to educate them, support them and help them face what is causing their anxiety and fear.

Removing school-liaison officers reinforces in the minds of students that police officers are to be feared. Reinstating the program and then supporting any students who feel anxiety, perhaps even having them meet and talk with the officers, would help the students face their fears and overcome them.

In addition, it would teach them how we all should view the amazing police officers in our city — as people who dedicate their lives to keeping us all safe, even in the face of grave danger.

Those of us in education call this a “teachable moment.” I hope we can use it as such, for at this point, it is a missed opportunity for teaching our kids a valuable lesson as well as bringing our community closer together.

Christopher Parker Victoria