Vancouver School Board votes to reinstate school liaison officer program

On Monday night, the Vancouver School Board voted 5-4 in favour of reinstating a school liaison officer (SLO) program in public schools. 

Prior to the vote, trustees spent several evenings hearing from dozens of delegates about their experiences — both good and bad — with the program. 

Multiple trustees brought motions to delay the vote, hoping for more information and consultation with individuals and communities that would be affected the most by the reinstating of the SLO program. Those motions ultimately failed. 

Trustee Suzie Mah pointed out that it took more than a year for previous trustees to dismantle the program, and it's been just weeks since this new slate of trustees took office and already they've reversed that decision. 

In April 2021, the Vancouver School Board voted 8–1 to end the program, which stationed Vancouver Police Department officers throughout the district's 17 high schools.

It was axed due to concerns about the impact that police presence in schools had on the mental and physical well-being of students, especially students of colour. The VPD said the program was about student engagement and making schools safe and inclusive.

More than a year later, the ABC slate of municipal candidates, led by now-Mayor Ken Sim, vowed the program would return.

"The complete removal of the SLO program ... I just don't see that moving us closer to the goal. The program is about, first and foremost, prevention of crime," trustee Joshua Zhang said during Monday night's school board meeting.  

The ABC party holds four out of nine VSB trusteeships, and a fifth trustee is a former member of ABC. All five voted in favour of reinstating the program.

Trustees Lois Chan-Pedley, Janet Fraser, Mah and Jennifer Reddy all voted against the motion. 

Ian Rowe, a member of the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council, said the council was surprised at how quickly the motion came forward. 

"What it looks like right now is an indication about a brand new group of trustees who are making to look good on [an] election promise," Rowe said. "But at the same time, there's a significant amount of complexities."

Human Rights Commissioner calls for end to program

Ahead of Monday's vote, B.C.'s Human Rights Commissioner wrote a letter to the B.C. School Trustees Association calling for the end of SLO programs. 

Commissioner Kasari Govender recommended that the programs be ended by all school districts unless they can demonstrate an evidence-based need for them that can't be met some other way.

Govender says Indigenous, Black and other marginalized students, as well as their parents and communities, have raised significant concerns about the harm caused by having police in schools.

She says a study last year concluded that there's little research on Canadian programs but those in the U.S. have been found to make marginalized students feel less safe, contributing to a sense of criminalization, and that officers discipline Black students and students with disabilities at disproportionately high rates.

While school liaison officers have acted as sports coaches, youth counsellors and substance use educators, Govender says the school district should fund educators to take on these roles.

"Instead of funding school liaison officers, let's fund educators to do this work and let their expertise shine in this context," she told CBC News.

In a September statement, ABC trustee Preeti Faridkot said many students, parents and educators have been calling for the program's return. 

"Reinstating an updated version of the program will be an excellent step towards creating safer, more welcoming schools while addressing concerns that led to the program being cut in the first place," she said.