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Plans to restore controversial in-school police program are returned to Vancouver School Board

Vancouver’s new school board is set to vote Monday night on one of the district’s most controversial issues as it revisits debate over a program to place police officers in schools.

The former school board has decided to end the half-century-long School Liaison Officer program in April 2021, subject to an independent third-party review.

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Vancouver School Board votes to cancel liaison officer program

Reintroducing the program became a key component of the ABC Vancouver party’s platform in the October elections, putting them in power.

If Monday’s motion is approved, Vancouver Police will consider the thoughtful responsibilities and opportunities from the 2021 SLO Engagement Report to develop a valid and operational “Revised and Reconsidered School Liaison” by September 2023. You will be asked to implement a “person in charge (SLO) program”. Along with community feedback.

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That review, conducted by Argyle Communications, found a “spectrum of experience” with the program. Some were positive and some were negative.


Click to play video: 'Vancouver's New School Board Majority Pledges Back to Liaison Officer'

New Vancouver School Board Majority Pledges Back to Liaison Officers


Fifty-three percent of students who responded said the police made them feel safe at school, but the number dropped among Black and Indigenous students.

Only 15% of Black students said they agreed with the statement, compared to 47% of Indigenous students.

BC Community Alliance spokesman Markiel Simpson told Global News that feedback from students and community advocates said the program was unwanted.

“This is for racialized students, such as blacks and indigenous people, but it’s also for neurodiverse and people of different sexual orientations and sexual orientations. Their advocates and guardians. They all said they didn’t want to see the SLO program put in again,” he said.

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“I don’t think there was much outcry from people to reintroduce the program, but it’s more of a political issue.”

Leona Brown, an indigenous mother of three, said many indigenous peoples distrust their presence due to a history of police involvement in boarding schools and the child welfare system. .

“I myself have been attacked by police knocking on my door all night long and it has been traumatic.

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‘A Positive Presence’: ABC Vancouver Brings Police Back Into School Programs

“If you want decolonization and reconciliation, listen to Indigenous peoples and think about what we can do better.”

However, the program has strong support among some parents who say school districts should do everything they can to ensure safe schools.

Harvey Budd, a parent of a child attending Killarney Secondary School in East Vancouver, cited a flurry of incidents at the school last June as an example.


Click to play video: 'VSB's school liaison program is coming to an end after months of debate'

VSB’s school liaison program is coming to an end after months of debate


In one of these incidents, police said an out-of-school teenager arrived with the intention of assaulting a student. Bear spray has been deployed in school hallways.

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“Living in a big city here, with so many social and psychological problems, violence and crime, and busy parents, even getting extra support from the SLO community makes me nervous. Stay away and just provide that safety for the kids as well,” he said.

“I think we should consider whatever we can do to help children, young people and schools to make education easier and to make teachers feel safer.”

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Human Rights Commissioner Calls for End of Police Program in BC Schools

B.C. Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Gavender this week called for the abolishment of contact persons in B.C. schools, saying marginalized communities raise serious concerns.

The program, which has been in place since 1972 and is fully funded by the VPD, has played a role in crime prevention and safety, helping remove barriers between youth and the police, according to Vancouver Police.

© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.



Plans to restore controversial in-school police program are returned to Vancouver School Board

Source link Plans to restore controversial in-school police program are returned to Vancouver School Board

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