Police could return to London-area schools with a new 'community' mandate

A recommendation to pilot and develop a new community policing program in London-area schools was the main focus Tuesday night during a committee meeting of Thames Valley District School Board trustees.

It follows the final report of a committee that has reviewed the school resource officer (SRO) program in London-area schools for nearly three years at a cost of more than $65,000.  

The previous SRO program was put under review in 2020 following the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Other school boards in Ontario, including Toronto and Kitchener, have ended school resource officer programs for good. 

In the report, tabled during Tuesday's meeting, the committee recommended that a new trauma-informed program for community policing in schools be piloted, centering on the considerations of Black, Indigenous and other youth representing equity-deserving groups.

"Students recognize and have articulated that changing policing in schools will not address the root issue at hand," said Dennis Wright, superintendent of student achievement. "Instead, they recommend a community-based pilot, which sees both school boards and police continuing to address practices and policies that have the potential for harm."

Students would only participate if six "holistic recommendations" were followed by police agencies to ensure the program focuses on cultural safety, community engagement, and building trusting relationships with students, among others, the report said.

BIPOC students from across Thames Valley took part in developing the report and suggested various ways officers could build trusting relationships, including by participating in educational activities, attending student club meetings, parent council meetings, and extra-curriculars.

If all parties agreed to a pilot, the details of which still need to be worked out, "relationship building, and communication to all communities involved would be prioritized," Wright said.

Student trustee responds

Concerns were raised during the meeting, including a lack of clarity about what a pilot would look like, the purpose and role of officers under the program, and whether such a program was needed in the first place.

"In the few times that police have been on school property, it has garnered feelings of apprehension and fear for students, as well as micro aggressions toward those who are a part of the BIPOC community," said Jana Anan, one of the board's three student trustees.

"How are we ensuring that, with the potential continued police presence on school property, that those issues do not occur, and where wearing school spirit and attending extra-curriculars may not be enough?".

An earlier report by the committee found that under the region's previous SRO program, some students said they felt intimated by officers. They also indicated that the program's intent wasn't clear, and that some of the rhetoric about the program was politicized.

Wright said officers would require a "substantial amount of training." One of the requests made by the committee is that school boards and police commit to having officers complete anti-racism, cultural competency, and mental health training offered by their departments.

The TVDSB said it could provide training in the event it's not available through police. 

Trustee Marianne Larsen questioned whether it was a conflict of interest having police involved in conducting the review of a program that had potentially caused harm to students. Superintendent Wright said the role of the police was to share experiences and stories of the community.

"Also there would be no way forward, if in fact that was the will of the trustees, if police were not at that discussion," Wright said.

The London Police Association which represents officers has pushed for the program to return and circulated a petition seeking support. 

What happens next

After two hours of questions and a lengthy procedural debate, trustees voted 7-5 Tuesday to send the report to TVDSB's Jan. 30, 2024 school board meeting for further discussion.

The committee conducting the review was made up of community leaders from marginalized groups, officials from TVDSB and the London District Catholic School Board, and police services from London, and Elgin, Middlesex, and Oxford counties.

The Centre for Organizational Effectiveness, a London-based consulting firm, was hired by TVDSB, LDCSB and local police services to lead the review.