The Grand Erie District School Board says it will begin a review of its school resource officer program in January.
But the board’s decision to pause the program pending the review is being criticized.
“The review process will include consultations with representatives of the police services in Haldimand, Norfolk, Brant, Six Nations and Brantford, as well as with staff, students, and other stakeholders in the school community,” board spokesperson David Smouter said in an email to The Brantford Expositor. “These consultations will include interviews, focus groups and online surveys.”
The program sees a uniformed police officer stationed in schools in an attempt to build positive relationships and act as a resource for faculty, students and parents.
It was paused in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Smouter.
“As many other school boards in the province, we have maintained this pause pending the program review,” he said.
“An external consultant has been engaged to conduct an objective, evidence-based review of the police programs in Grand Erie schools, through a human rights and equity lens.”
School resource officer programs have become controversial across the country, with critics saying a police presence in schools causes fear and stress for students, particularly those of colour.
Smouter said the board established a working group of staff from across the Grand Erie district to gather input on the program review.
“We have also held meetings in the past few weeks with various stakeholders to inform them of the review process.”
Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board schools no longer have formal student resource officer programs, said board spokesperson Tracey Austin.
“Our students and families benefit from ongoing, positive relationships that have been formed with our OPP and Brantford police service partners,” she said.
Austin said officers continue to provide scheduled safety education and services, including high school classroom presentations that complement curriculum, such as for law courses, and programs geared for specific elementary school students.
“It is recognized that individuals may have a personalized response to police presence in schools,” she said.
“Our schools have strategies in place to support individuals, if required, when officers are in the building. Student and staff safety is always our priority.”
The Grand Erie board’s decision to keep the school resource officer on pause pending the review was criticized this week at a meeting of the Brant police services board.
Board chair Jennifer Haley said a review could have been conducted while the program was ongoing, with changes made later.
“That would have been the best course of action,” she said. “Suspending a program that is under review makes no sense to any of us.”
Haley said she recently attended a presentation on human trafficking, during which people asked why the topic isn’t talked about in schools.
“By having this (school resource officer) program suspended, I think we are missing vital and critical opportunities to engage with youth about these important topics,” she said. “There are some hard topics that need to be addressed in positive ways, as well that would prevent harm to some of our youth in the community.”
Haley noted that, when students were studying remotely because of pandemic restrictions, Brant school resources officers made virtual presentations to elementary and secondary school students.
Board Vice-Chair Jim Brown, a retired RCMP officer, noted that the program has been successful for many decades, providing an opportunity for officers to create relationships with students with long-term benefits.
“The methodology of stopping this program while they review it is highly questionable and I don’t understand it.”
In Brantford, the school resource officer program began in September 1990 with an officer assigned to St. John’s College. In September 1999, the program expanded to the public school board, with officers at Pauline Johnson and North Park collegiates and Tollgate Tech. The program expanded again in September 2000 to include Brantford Collegiate Institute, covering all the city’s high schools at the time.
Brantford police spokesperson Robin Matthews-Osmond said officers “thoroughly enjoyed” participating in the program.
She said Chief Rob Davis has expressed concerns regarding Grand Erie’s decision to suspend the program.
Removing school resource officers from schools “creates a gap,” said Matthews-Osmond.
“It hinders our ability to be a proactive partner to not only prevent potential problems but from connecting youth (and their families) with services.”
Mark Baxter, president of the Police Association of Ontario and former president of the Brantford Police Association, said the Brantford school resource officer program proved its worth.
“Brantford’s program was a huge success, bridging the gap between the youth and the police,” he said.
“From a provincial perspective, it’s disappointing that school boards are deciding to listen to a small, vocal minority of parents who have concerns about officers being in the schools,” said Baxter. “The program is great at engaging our youth and showing the human side of policing.”
He noted that school resource officers coach sports teams, help on students council and foster positive relationships with students and teachers.
“The officers also entertain youth from crime, help students and provide advice with struggles they may be having at home or in their social groups.”
Baxter said research on the effectiveness of school resource officers in high schools in Peel Region found that for every dollar invested in the program returns $7.
Norfolk police services board chair George Santos said he was unaware of Grand Erie’s decision to suspend the program until reached for comment this week by The Expositor.
“This is definitely something that’s questionable,” said Santos.
“People are police and police are people. It’s so imperative to educate. This interaction is paramount.”
Insp. Andrea Quenneville, Brant OPP detachment commander, said ways are being examined to deliver the program, possibly after school or during evening hours at a community location to make it still accessible.
“Engaging in peaceful times rather than in crisis is important in all the work we do, and this (suspension) certainly creates challenges to that.”