Should police officers be welcomed back in London's schools? Here's what some trustees think

Ahead of city budget deliberations, the London police union is pushing for the Thames Valley District School Board to bring back school resource officers (SRO). At the same time, equity activists say cops in schools make many students feel uncomfortable and intimidated.

CBC News asked the Thames Valley District School Board's 12 elected politicians what they think of the program and the review. Four agreed to speak to a reporter; the eight others did not return repeated phone calls or emails. 

It's been more than two years since officers were taken out of schools in September 2021, when education director Mark Fisher apologized to students who have felt traumatized or hurt by police presence in schools. 

The SRO "pause" and apology came after a months-long review of the program, culminating in a 325-page report summarizing parents', students' and graduates' experiences with the school resource officers. The report recommended pausing the program for a year to clearly articulate the purpose of the program, increase the officers' diversity, increase accountability and re-design the program. 

An outside consultant, the Centre for Organizational Effectiveness, was hired to lead the original review of the program. In calling for the pause, the group's report said some students felt intimidated by police officers in school, that some of the rhetoric about the program was politicized, and that its intent wasn't clear. 

The police union is pushing for a return of the program. 

Here's what five school board trustees told us they think of the program. The trustees were speaking about their own personal beliefs, not on behalf of the school board. 

Marianne Larsen, Wards 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

"Our schools must be safe places for all students, and while SROs are placed in schools in order to foster a setting that is safe and secure for students (and staff), we know from the review and other related reviews/research that the presence of police officers in TVDSB schools was not only triggering for BIPOC students, but that some had been intimidated and mistreated by SROs in their schools," Larsen wrote in an email. 

"I am a white cis-gendered settler. Decisions like this need to be made by those who are the most impacted by programs such as this. That is why it is crucial to privilege the voices of BIPOC students and others in the school in SRO reviews, as these are the individuals most affected by the presence of police officers in their schools."

Larsen said she's not convinced that having police officers in schools creates and sustains a culture of safety and security, and that there are other ways to achieve that, for example, by using restorative justice. Still, it's important to have healthy relationships between schools and police, she added. 

"This is not about demeaning an entire profession but ensuring that together we do everything we can to create and maintain safe environments for all those in our schools. That means we need further discussions between SROs, BIPOC students, teachers and school leaders to determine together the future role, if any, of SROs in our schools."

Sherri Moore, Wards 7, 8, 9, 10, 13

There's a disconnect between the intent of the school resource officer program and some of the rhetoric around it, Moore said. 

"We want people to feel safe and connected with police, and that's great, but is this the only way we can do it? Is this the program we need, in the format it is, with armed officers in schools?" 

Much of the opinions about school resource officers among the public is focused on feeling the safety and security that officers bring to a school building, but that's not the intent of the program, Moore said. 

"Right now, the conversation is about 'This was a great program when I was in school' and "My child really loved this program, but I want to make sure that all voices are respected, not just the majority. We don't just go with the majority when marginalized people say they're facing harm." 

With the information she has now, Moore likely wouldn't vote to reinstate the SRO program, she said, and she's looking forward to the review that will be presented to the board of trustees in the coming months. 

Bruce Smith, Elgin County trustee

A former high school and elementary school teacher, Smith said he has seen the positive impact that police officers can have in schools, particularly with programs such as Values, Influences and Peers, where officers teach Grade 6 students about drugs and peer pressure. 

"I do believe that we need to review the SRO program to make sure that it's suitable," Smith said. "It was mostly the students who are racialized who were having a problem with the program, and they didn't feel safe in the presence of police officers. That's something we have to look at." 

When he was a high school teacher from 1975 to 1990, including at Arthur Voaden Secondary School in St. Thomas, there were no resource officers in the building. Instead, teachers and guidance counsellors were on the lookout for kids that needed help. 

"I had some of those students for five years in a row. I knew how things were going, how they were, if there were issues, and the teachers are in a good position to see how the students are and hopefully get them help if they need it," Smith said. 

It's essential to listen to what people are saying about the SRO program and the impact it has on families and students. "I can listen to people, but I haven't had the opportunity to stand in their shoes. I do my best to understand them and empathize with them," Smith said. 

Christian Sachs, Middlesex County trustee 

Sachs told CBC News she would love to see police come into schools "for educational purposes," to fill in gaps that teachers might not have. 

"I don't have all the information about the SRO program in its entirety and how it affects the Middlesex County community. Without that knowledge, I really cannot comment, but I think that teachers should have all the resources that they need." 

Sachs said she's looking forward to seeing what the next review will bring. 

Lori-Ann Pizzalato, Wards 1, 11, 12, 44, chair of the board of trustees

Pizzalato said she could not comment on the issue as an individual trustee, and instead wrote an email to CBC News when asked for her personal opinion about the SRO program and the long review.

"There have not been any new developments since the Board of Trustees passed the motion to continue to review the School Resource Officer Program. The Board will be receiving an update at a meeting in the near future. In the meantime, Administration is continuing to engage in the review process," she wrote.

Initially, the group created to review the SRO program didn't have anyone from Black Lives Matter on it. After Indigenous trustee Carol Antone brought that up, Black Lives Matter was brought into the process. 

The school resource officer team reviewing the program includes people from the following: 

• London Muslim Mosque
• N'Amerind Friendship Centre
• George Johnson, former Western and CFL football player and black youth advocate
• Congress of Black Women of Canada
• Munsee-Delaware Nation
• Black Lives Matter

Also included is a youth advocacy council of students and other young people, as well as others from the Thames Valley and London District Catholic School Board, the St Thomas Police, Woodstock Police, OPP, London Police and Strathroy Caradoc Police, a board spokesperson said.