The chair of the Victoria School District (SD61) board is expected to issue a statement on school liaison officers this week following calls from local councils, police and parent groups to reinstate the program.
The Victoria School District (SD61) board chair Nicole Duncan is expected to issue a statement on behalf of the board this week regarding the cancelled school police liaison officer program in SD61.
The board voted unanimously to end its police officer school-liaison program in 2023. That followed a letter from B.C.'s human rights commissioner Kasari Govender calling for these programs to be removed from B.C. schools.
Both Saanich Police chief Dean Duthie and Victoria Police chief Del Manak have appeared on CFAX 1070 asking the board to reinstate the program.
Lori Poppe, a spokesperson for the group Parents and Police Together for SD 61 & 62, spoke with CFAX's Ryan Price on February 26 saying that gangs have been recruiting students in SD61 with the absence of school liaison officers. The group has held a number of rallies outside the district's school board office calling for the reinstatement of the program.
On March 11, Saanich council unanimously agreed to have mayor Dean Murdock write a letter to the SD61 board asking for the program to be reinstated with modifications. Oak Bay council unanimously passed a similar motion on April 8 for mayor Kevin Murdoch to write the board asking for police to be brought back into schools with a redefined role.
Victoria mayor Marianne Alto wrote a letter in support of the program following a successive 5-4 vote on the motion from coun. Marg Gardiner on April 4.
B.C.'s Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General Mike Farnworth spoke with CFAX's Al Ferraby on March 6 saying the SD61 board's decision was "a mistake... they need to responsive to the needs of parents and students".
Last week, at the re-opening of Victoria High School, Duncan was asked about the school liaison officers and said she would issue a statement this week on behalf of the board.
Ilda Turcotte, President of the Greater Victoria Teachers’ Association (GVTA), spoke with CFAX's Al Ferraby on Monday. Turcotte reaffirmed GVTA's stance of not supporting the school liaison program saying "in terms of supporting student mental health and academics, we feel that educational professionals are best suited for that".
Listen to the full conversation here: