Nearly four years after local school boards ended their involvement in the School Resource Officer (SRO) program, a local MPP is calling for the program's reinstatement in schools where it was cancelled.
Kitchener South-Hespeler MPP Jess Dixon has introduced a motion at Queen's Park calling on the Ministry of Education to encourage and support all publicly funded school boards to partner with police services through Community School Liaison Officer (CSLO) programs.
In a press release Dixon said the motion highlights the essential role these partnerships play in fostering safe, supportive school environments where students, educators, and law enforcement build mutual trust and respect.
“School Resource Officers have done incredible work in Ontario schools,” Dixon said in the release.
“In regions where these programs continued, officers have remained an invaluable part of the school community, acting as mentors and trusted support figures when students need them most."
She added that expanding this program will ensure that every student in Ontario has a safe, inclusive space to learn and grow, with positive role models to look up to.
The motion has received support from the Police Association of Ontario, which represents over 28,000 police personnel. The association noted the positive impact of these partnerships on public safety and community well-being.
Janet Campbell, President of the Joy Smith Foundation, Canada's leading authority on human trafficking prevention, intervention and support for survivors has also supported the motion.
“School resource officers are essential in safeguarding youth from risks such as human trafficking and exploitation, providing students with trusted figures within their school community," Campbell said in the release.
Founder of Black advocacy group Rhythm and Blues Cambridge Marjorie Knight suggests Dixon should look at why the program was shut down in the first place.
She said there's no quick fix to the issues youth are facing today.
"There was a reason why it was stopped and I think people need to look at that and revisit it," Knight said. "Since COVID, there has been so much turmoil in schools; do we need to throw police into the mix now too?"
The program was cancelled in 2021 due to concerns from the community about students who were feeling uncomfortable or unsafe around the officers.
The Waterloo Region District School Board issued a public apology for the harms the program had caused soon after it was cancelled.
A committee tasked with coming up with the recommendation said they heard from students and parents that "both the presence of police and how and when they are used in schools can create a sense of fear, increased anxiety and vulnerability for some, and especially Black, Indigenous, and racialized students."
"The fact that any student felt this way is not acceptable. We apologize, unreservedly, to the students and communities who have been harmed," the board wrote in its apology.
Knight thinks that the community, mental health professionals and educators all need to be consulted in what they think should be done in schools to help the children.
"I think that we need a deeper dive and a better look into what's going on in our schools," Knight said. "It needs to be a joint collaboration, you know, not just racing out to do the easy thing."
Knight also pointed to students who are suffering from mental health or behavioural issues and believes support workers might be a better option than police.
"I'm not saying "yay" or "nay," but we need to look at what has happened in the past and we need to look carefully at what is happening now and we need to come up with a real solution," she said.
"You have kids with mental health issues that are acting out; do we criminalize them or do we get them the help that they need?"
Dixon will table the motion for debate at the provincial legislature Dec. 3.
