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

B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner is calling for an end to the school liaison officer program that puts police in schools, just as the Vancouver Board of Education is preparing to vote on a motion to bring police back to schools.

In a letter to the BC School Trustees Association, Commissioner Kasari Govender recommends that all school districts terminate the program unless they can demonstrate an evidence-based need that cannot be met in other ways.

The letter, dated Friday, is due to the Vancouver School Board scheduled to vote today on a motion to revive a “revised and reimagined” version of the program in public schools after it ended last year.

The governor said Indigenous, Black, and other marginalized students, as well as their parents and communities, have expressed serious concern about the harm caused by having police in schools.

She said last year’s study found little research on Canadian programs, but U.S. programs made marginalized students less safe and fostered criminality. and concluded that police officers imposed disproportionately high levels of discipline on black students and students with disabilities. rate.

The ABC Vancouver Party, which holds a majority in both the school board and the Vancouver City Council, campaigned with promises to revive the program.

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