Trustees gain access to contracts with police, RCMP

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This article was published 08/12/2022 (1088 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. James trustees are putting their relationship with law enforcement under the microscope, against the backdrop of a nationwide debate over the value of police-in-school programs.

Elected officials in the St. James-Assiniboia School Division unanimously voted to give themselves more power to oversee the relationship between senior administration and police during a public meeting Tuesday.

Prior to the change, a vague document on board relations with police authorities — namely, the Winnipeg Police Service and Headingley RCMP — simply gave trustees the ability to “establish and maintain co-operative relationships with law enforcement agencies.”

Trustee Holly Hunter put forward a motion to amend the policy so she and her colleagues can have access to all contracts signed between WPS and the division.

Hunter, a representative for the East Ward, also proposed the board be granted the power to vote on the establishment or continuation of contracts between the above parties.

“It’s my hope that this change in policy will allow trustees the information they need to make a more informed decision about the continuation or cessation of the SJASD relationship with (WPS),” she said, during a hybrid meeting on Dec. 6.

The trustee noted the division’s relationship with WPS has evolved since the policy was last revised in 1984 — let alone its introduction in 1977.

There was no subsequent discussion or debate around the board table. The motion passed with all trustees in favour.

There are two uniformed officers who serve about 10,000 students and staff members in 26 schools in west Winnipeg.

The aptly named school resource officer initiative was introduced locally in 2002 with a goal of building positive and trusting relationships between constables and community members.

Officers are tasked with giving anti-bullying presentations, undertaking family consultations, completing truancy checks, participating in restorative justice work and doing threat assessments, among other duties.

The three-year contract, paid for by the province, police and participating school boards, is set to expire next year.

At the program’s height in 2020, 19 officers were stationed across six city divisions.

That summer — not long after a white constable pinned down and killed a Black man in Minneapolis, a horrifying scene that was caught on video, sparking protests across the globe — Police-Free Schools Winnipeg formed to call on K-12 leaders to revisit their relationships with police.

Local activists began raising concerns about systemic racism and the presence of uniformed officers at school making Black, Indigenous and people of colour feel unsafe.

Trustees in WSD axed their police-in-school program in March 2021. Several months later, leaders in Louis Riel followed suit, citing an external report’s findings that indicated some racialized community members did not have a positive experience with the program.

Despite local backlash, Winnipeg police continue to stand by its partnerships with divisions.

Community members often provide positive feedback about the program and its value when it comes to educating students and diverting youth from the criminal justice system, according to police.

B.C.’s human rights commissioner penned a letter to trustees in that province last month to recommend the end of all police-in-school programs, unless officials can demonstrate an evidence-based need for them that cannot be met through other services.

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @macintoshmaggie