Dozens to speak for and against return of police to Vancouver schools

Vancouver's school board is hearing from the public on a key promise from many of its new trustees: returning police officers to schools.

Last year, the school board voted overwhelmingly to end the School Liaison Officer 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 school would have 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.

The ABC slate of municipal candidates, led by now-Mayor Ken Sim, vowed the program would return.

A motion has been drafted to reinstate the program in Vancouver. The board is expected to spend four days this week hearing from the public about the idea. Over 80 speakers have registered, including six organizations like teachers' unions.

"A return of the School Liaison Officer program is something that many students, parents, and educators have been calling for," said ABC trustee Preeti Faridkot in a September statement. 

"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."

The ABC slate holds four out of nine VSB trusteeships. A fifth trustee is a former member of ABC.

While the move to restore uniformed officers to schools was promised well ahead of the election, its implementation spurred divided reaction from parents who spoke to the board.

Vote coming Nov. 28

Monday saw the start of public input. Among 19 speakers who addressed the board that evening, 16 opposed the officers' return, while three were in favour.

Leona Brown, who identified herself as a Gitxsan and Nisga'a mother of three, spoke in opposition. She ran for mayor as an independent in the 2022 civic election.

Brown says a police presence won't help kids like hers, and that police are the wrong solution to concerns of Indigenous parents.

"In our parents' circles, it's bullying, and name-calling, racism," Brown said. "Situations that don't need police in the schools."

Audra Yap was one of the parents who spoke in support of the officers' return.

"We have to face the fact that current urban issues like gang activity, the drug crisis and hate crimes creep into our schools and can affect our children," Yap said.

The motion calls for the board to write to the VPD to request a "revised and reimagined" program. It calls for the new program to reflect public consultation work and address while noting police reports of more youth crime.

The agenda has not yet been posted for that meeting, but the motion's text was provided to stakeholders Monday, the board said. The Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council posted the motion on Twitter.

A vote on the motion to return the officers is scheduled for the board's Nov. 28 meeting.