Police back in local schools? Trustees’ wait for consultant report continues

Local school board officials have pushed back their deadline to decide whether the suspended program that places uniformed police officers in schools will be reinstated or scrapped permanently.

Trustees with the Thames Valley District school board were told at their meeting Tuesday night the Thames Valley board and the London District Catholic school board have pushed back a final decision on school resource officers as a team continues to review student feedback.

But the lengthy review – launched in 2020 amid the global fallout of the US police killing of a Black man, George Floyd – irked one trustee.

“My question has to do with the time it has taken,” Marianne Larsen said. “So three years later, we still don’t have a final decision. Justice delayed is justice denied.”

Dennis Wright is superintendent of student achievement with the Thames Valley District school board. He told trustees the review is ongoing and those involved “continue to make headway.”

A staff report indicates trustees should get a recommendation on the program’s future by the end of June.

Both the Thames Valley and London District Catholic boards paused the police-in-schools program following a survey that indicated some students were uncomfortable with their presence. Activists and visible minorities had said the police in classrooms and hallways made some students even feel intimidated.

Last week, newly hired St Thomas police Chief Marc Roskamp said he believes having police in area schools is beneficial to the community.

“The needs of the community and school environments have changed in recent years and advanced to a level where (school resource officer) programming would be of great benefit to ensuring safe schools,” he said in an email. “We remain proud of the work our school resource officers have done in the past.

“We are committed to collaborating with our community partners, and strongly believe that there is value in having police personnel in schools.”

The review of the program is being led by the London consulting firm Center for Organizational Effectiveness, hired by both London-area boards and the police departments in London, St. Thomas, Woodstock and Strathroy.

Maria Sanchez-Keane, its head, said the process “takes time since we are focusing on creating safe environments to gather feedback” on the issue.

“No decisions have been made as to whether or not there will be a police officer program in non-emergency situations at either school board. As per the initial recommendations we are prioritizing hearing from the voices of BIPOC youth,” she said, using an acronym for Black, Indigenous and people of colour.

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