Divisions to gather feedback on police in schools

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This article was published 17/12/2020 (2100 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The fate of police-in-schools programs in two Winnipeg districts could hinge on student, staff and community feedback.

Winnipeg and Louis Riel school divisions have pledged to consult their respective populations about the future of school resource officer contracts with the Winnipeg Police Service.

Plans are underway to gather community input before trustees finalize budgets for the upcoming school year in March.

“Our 2021-22 budget is about priorities,” said Jennifer Chen, a trustee in WSD. “We are facing challenges in this upcoming budget, so I really think, at this time, we need to re-evaluate our priorities and see what programs are our priorities.”

WSD is set to launch an online survey, from Jan. 18 to 29, to gather perspectives on the program from guardians, staff and Grade 7-12 students.

The survey has not been finalized, but division spokeswoman Radean Carter said the intent is to review and evaluate the merit and impact of the policing initiative. 

The police-in-schools program has long been touted as one that builds trust and understanding between marginalized students, parents and authorities.

Uniformed officers stationed in districts typically work in a few schools, giving presentations on everything from bullying to gang violence. Their duties include doing truancy check-ins, restorative justice work, and threat assessments in schools.

Only in recent months have critics mobilized to question their effectiveness. Police-Free Schools Winnipeg, the Police Accountability Coalition and Justice 4 Black Lives Winnipeg have all called for an end to the programs, citing the well-being of Black and Indigenous students.

Since then, Chen said seven delegations have registered at WSD meetings to raise concerns about the program, which cost $2.4 million — a sum covered by the province, divisions and police — for Winnipeg’s six divisions last year. 

The province’s largest division currently has nine officers. In LRSD, which has a student population of nearly 16,000 — about half of WSD’s, there is a single officer.

During a Tuesday board meeting, at the LRSD administration’s request, police gave a presentation about school resource officers. One slide detailed the divisional officer’s activities from Sept. 8 to Dec. 9.

During that period, the officer participated in 19 meetings with a student, 28 with a parent, and 144 with a teacher or administrator. There were 77 school walkabouts, six traffic events or parking complaints, and six threat assessments.

Also Tuesday, the board approved the creation of a committee to review the program, which superintendent Christian Michalik said should have been in place long ago as part of LRSD’s contractual agreement.

Trustee Chris Sigurdson said the board has heard families’ concerns and wants to ensure a comprehensive report of the initiative is carried out.

Meantime in Seven Oaks, which has three officers, the board has concluded its program is working as intended. “We’ve only seen success in the program so until that changes, the (officers) have been an asset,” said Greg McFarlane, board chairman.

McFarlane cited positive officer-student relationships and proactive interventions that have kept young people out of the criminal justice system.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie