Mayor Dean Murdock’s instructions from Saanich council are to write a “strong compelling” letter to the Greater Victoria School Board telling them they made the wrong call when they cancelled the school police-liaison program.
To give it added clout, council wants to copy neighbouring councils within the school district in hopes they will do the same. They’re hoping for a “domino effect” that might sway the school board.
After months of bubbling unrest about that decision, it’s a welcome indication that other officials feel strongly enough about the issue to urge a rethink.
The school board has so far ignored Victoria Police Chief Del Manak’s repeated requests to reinstate the program in the face of concerns about gang activity near schools.
The strong support for the program shown by council this week might change the picture.
It’s a bit outside protocol for a municipal council to step into school board affairs. But that pales in comparison to the insulting way the school board is treating the police.
Saanich’s letter may also flush out where Victoria city council stands on this issue.
The decision to send the letter hikes pressure that has been building since the board decided last year to cancel the program.
After a long study, the trustees concluded that police-liaison officers don’t meet the needs of students. “There have been many positive interactions through the SPLO program, but undeniably there are some students who do not feel safe with police in schools.”
They were backed by the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association, which stated that “police and criminal justice system have been founded on and continue to perpetuate systemic racism.”
“We must not ignore … the ongoing harm caused by police.”
Both the board and the union said completely the opposite when Manak cancelled the program in 2018 for budget reasons. The board wrote to Victoria and Esquimalt councils expressing “disappointment and concern” and warning about negative long-ranging impacts.
Manak was readying to reactivate the program when the board flipped its views. Police officers have not been welcome in Greater Victoria district schools since the start of the school year, except for emergency calls or lockdown drills.
Manak has been warning the board about an escalation of gang activity around schools, saying the police liaison program is a way to combat that.
Saanich Coun. Nathalie Chambers raised the issue, saying she was concerned about Saanich students’ safety in the face of criminal gang recruiting tactics.
“There are a whole bunch of parents listening right now, desperate parents who have been living in hell.”
Coun. Susan Brice said the value of the program has been shown and Saanich students in the Greater Victoria School District should enjoy the same benefits as those in the Saanich School District.
(Saanich municipality overlays the two districts and the Saanich School District has maintained a liaison program for years. The program also continues in the Oak Bay municipal portion of the school district.)
“Us indicating that we are very concerned that the children in District 61 are not receiving the service would be a valuable addition to the discussion,” Brice said.
B.C. human rights commissioner Kasari Govender earlier lent her weight to the move to cancel such programs when she urged all trustees in B.C. to halt them until there is evidence they achieve their goals and don’t harm minority students.
Coun. Colin Plant said during debate: “I think it should have been the other way around — find a reason why they shouldn’t be there,” he said. “We are the body that funds the police so we are not just bystanders, we are stakeholders in the safety of our community.”
Coun. Mena Westhaver said the program is staffed by amazing people and as a member of the Victoria family court committee, she is “terrified” by monthly accounts of drug gangs infiltrating schools.
The school board’s most recent statement on the issue this month referred only to “potential gang activity” and said it is a police responsibility.
“We welcome any information the police can provide us. … Where there is a safety risk we will continue to activate our existing protocols to appropriately address it.”
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