Kitchener MPP wants police to return to Ontario classrooms as part of school resource officer program
Decisions to remove school resource officers 'sort of a knee jerk reaction,' MPP says
A Kitchener MPP wants to see school resource officers back in the hallways of Ontario schools after some school boards cancelled their programs.
MPPs will debate a new private member's bill from Kitchener South-Hespeler MPP Jess Dixon on Tuesday that would encourage publicly funded school boards to work closely with local police services to have officers in schools.
Some boards opted to remove the school resource officer program, including in Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, London and Waterloo region. In Peel Region, the police service opted to end the program in July 2020.
Dixon said she remembers when the Waterloo Region District School Board paused the school resource officer program in 2020 and voted to end it in 2021.
"I very much remember when that decision was made and feeling very frustrated. Similar decision-making, I think, for the other boards who decided to remove it where it seemed like a sort of a knee-jerk reaction," she said in an interview with Craig Norris, host of CBC K-W's The Morning Edition.
She said one of the reasons she wants to see police officers return to classroom is they play a role in "building trust and building relationships with children and students and communities that may not trust or feel comfortable around police."
Waterloo region board suspended program
The Waterloo Region District School Board voted in June 2020 to suspend the program after concerns were raised by community groups.
One of the organizations was the African, Caribbean and Black Network of Waterloo Region, which at the time was calling for police to be defunded. It also came in the wake of the death of George Floyd, who died in Minneapolis, Minn., during an arrest when the police officer kneeled on his neck and back, making it impossible for Floyd to breath. The officer, Derek Chauvin, was found guilty of murder and manslaughter.
ACB Network advisory committee member Ruth Cameron told CBC News at the time that schools need to be a safe space for young people, but not everyone felt safe with police in the hallways.
"How are you going to engage in learning, in a space that is supposed to be a safe space ... when you experience that kind of fear, humiliation and stigmatization in a learning environment?" Cameron said.
The board voted 8-2 in June 2021 to end the school resource officer program, despite objections from trustee Mike Ramsay, a former police officer. Ramsay argued the school board was making a decision that was "emotionally based and not evidence based."
In July 2021, the school board issued an apology to people negatively impacted by the program.
"The move to end the program aligns with our commitment to ensuring that our schools are welcoming and supportive learning environments for each and every one of our students," the board said in a statement on its website.
School board hopes for consultations
CBC News requested an interview with new Waterloo Region District School Board chair Maedith Radlein about Dixon's private member's bill.
In an emailed statement, Radlein said she hopes any decisions about the future of school resource officer programs "would be made in consultation with the communities we service."
She noted she was not aware of any discussions about Dixon's bill with trustees or school board staff.
Radlein said the school board and police have collaborated since 2020 and director of education jeewan chanicka and police Chief Mark Crowell work closely on a variety of levels.
"We value our partnership with WRPS, and as a school board, we are focused on finding solutions and supports that centre the communities we serve, together," Radlein's statement said.
Dixon said she's aware of concerns police officers may make some students nervous, but she doesn't think that's a reason to keep police out of schools.
"The idea that you would have children that are that scared of police officers and that the response to that is to simply say, 'all right, well, let's just keep them scared and remove the trigger' versus say, 'OK, well, how do we work on this to create a more positive relationship,'" Dixon said.
Support for private member's bill
Dixon said in speaking with people about the bill, she's received a lot of support, including from the Police Association of Ontario and the Joy Smith Foundation, which raises awareness around human trafficking.
Dixon said there are important topics officers could talk to students about, including gangs and human trafficking where young people can be recruited as victims.
In a statement, the Joy Smith Foundation said the organization believes "protecting youth from human trafficking is a responsibility we all share."
"By reinstating [school resource officers], we have a unique opportunity to build a secure school environment, protect vulnerable students from exploitation, and empower youth to pursue bright futures," the foundation's president and CEO Janet Campbell said in an emailed statement.
Mark Baxter, president of the Police Association of Ontario, said in a statement that the police resource outreach supporting education program, or PROSE program, "represents a meaningful evolution in how our members engage with schools and communities, prioritizing relationship-building, and collaboration to support student success."
Baxter said the program fosters "trust and understanding with students, staff, and families by focusing on equity, human rights, and community building" and that the association "is proud to support an initiative that prioritizes officers in schools where meaningful engagement opportunities take place between the police and the school community."
In order to be enacted, Dixon's private member's bill will need to be passed by MPPs at Queen's Park. She said she's hopeful that happens Tuesday so work can begin to have school boards and police services collaborate.
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