The former deputy superintendent of the Greater Victoria School District went on stress leave for months and then retired early over the board’s controversial handling of the school police liaison officer program.
Harold Caldwell says the decision to cancel the program was a major mistake that has done serious damage to the critical mission of building relationships with students.
In an interview, he said that although there was a lengthy consultation process, the board was determined to shut the program down from the beginning. Board members discounted all the support for the liaison program and meddled in operational decisions, he said.
Caldwell described the behind-the-scenes atmosphere as tense and frustrating, and he considered the school district office a “toxic and harassing” workplace.
When the consultation produced an inconclusive report, the board had a pre-written motion ready and voted unanimously to block police from schools, he said.
When significant objections developed throughout the community, he said the board blamed the executive team for the controversy.
Victoria Police Chief Del Manak suspended formal participation in the police liaison program for budget reasons six years ago. Concern about growing gang activity later prompted him to attempt to resurrect it.
But the board concluded, “there are some students and staff who do not feel safe with police in schools.”
So police have been barred from district schools since last year, except in emergencies or special circumstances.
Although the concern was about students who are Black, Indigenous and people of colour, a host of groups representing those and other minority groups have since objected and demanded a return of the liaison officers. Municipal councils joined them, as did advocates and youth counsellors who consider the program vital.
The ongoing objections prompted the Education Ministry in August to order the board to come up with a safety plan. It has been submitted but is not yet public.
Caldwell spent 24 years working in the district as a teacher, principal (Cedar Hill), associate and deputy superintendent. The police liaison program was one of his responsibilities and he was strongly supportive of the “invaluable work” it did. But when the board ordered a review after Manak’s effort to restart it, “everything went downhill.”
He said it was “the hardest two and a half years ever.”
“It became clear if you had an SPLO-positive experience, your input was not valued as much as those who had a concern.
“You were not given the same weight as someone who was anti-police and wanted police removed from schools.”
He said district staff does outstanding work, but they had to take the brunt of the objections, “because we were blamed for not providing all the information.”
Caldwell said eventually board chair Nicole Duncan asked him to turn over all his correspondence and documentation on the issue.
“She thought I had something to hide … that something nefarious was going on.”
He considered that to be harassment, well outside the bounds of governance.
“The writing was on the wall. Are you looking for someone that you can pin this on, because it is such a bad decision and has gone so poorly?”
“Every time I turned around there was a comment or another action … impugning my integrity as an educational leader.
“Being with people so unwilling to support you just eats you up.”
He took stress leave in March, returned briefly in August then retired on Sept. 1, midway through his contract.
The board did not acknowledge his retirement or 24 years of service in any way, he said.
Caldwell said the board is so tightly aligned with the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association — which endorsed all the trustees who were elected in 2022 — “that they can’t see what the GVTA is asking them to do is actually causing problems within the district.”
The GVTA endorsed the removal of police liaison officers, saying police and justice system perpetuate institutional racism. But the teachers association strongly supported the program when Chief Manak suspended it in 2018.
In a statement, the school board said it is surprised by Caldwell’s comments.
“It is the first time we have heard this…” The statement said the former deputy superintendent did not raise the issues before his retirement. “We believe the information he provided to you was untrue.”
The board is also being supported in its stance by B.C. human rights commissioner Kasari Govender. She has urged all school boards to cancel police liaison programs until more study is done on their impacts.
In an unusual move, the school board issued a notice this past week that Govender will address the board at Monday evening’s meeting on the topic.
Board meetings are open to the public only via online streaming.
Just So You Know: Readers are invited to a special-edition gathering in Beacon Hill Park — Sunday, Dec. 1 at 2 p.m. — to remember Sir Winston Churchill, beside the tree he planted there in 1929.
A delightful crowd has commemorated him there for 25 years, and this time it will be in honour of his 150th birthday (the day before).
Author Chris Gainor — a noted Churchill impersonator — will be there at 2 p.m. in the Mayor’s Grove, at the foot of Quadra Street.
