Ottawa public school trustee calls on board to immediately end School Resource Officer program
Ottawa's largest school board will vote Monday evening on a motion to end its participation in the School Resource Officer program with Ottawa police immediately.
Trustee Lyra Evans will introduce a motion at the Special Committee of the Whole meeting for the Ottawa Carleton District School Board, calling on the board to "immediately and completely" end it's engagement with the Ottawa Police School Resource Officer program.
The motion comes after the board's Office of Human Rights and Equity Advisor recommended the board terminate the School Resource Officer Program.
"During the consultation process we heard from many community members who were deeply impacted by police intervention in OCDSB schools," said the report from the Office of Human Rights and Equity Advisor.
"Their experiences clearly indicate that people who have been pushed to the margins in society (e.g., Indigenous, Black, 2SLGBTQ+ and people with disabilities) continue to be severely impacted by police presence in educational settings."
The report added, "There was wide support from people of all identities in the group discussions for the removal of police presence from schools."
The board launched community consultations on the program in March.
There are 24 full-time School Resource Officers who support all 375 schools across the four school boards and private schools. Two officers are dedicated to support Gloucester High School and RIdgemont High School, along with the seven elementary schools in their catchment areas.
"It is evident that the way OCDSB is currently using police to regulate behaviour of children in school is disproportionately impacting on children with disabilities and who are Indigenous, racialized and 2SLGBTQ+," said the report. "It is also evident that the inclusion of the police in the school community is creating barriers to the educational success of some Indigenous, Black and marginalized students who do not feel safe in the schools as a result."
Ottawa's public school board pays $95,000 for the School Resource Officer program, with Ottawa police covering the rest. Staff informed trustees last month that the 2021-22 budget does not include funding to cover the School Resource Officer program.
The board's Human Rights and Equity Office held 28 small group discussions on the issue of school resource officers in schools, and 3,100 people participated in a survey for students, parents and community members.
"Having armed police officers in schools has the potential to impact the well-being and development of all youth, but racialized youth are particularly susceptible to negative impacts given the long-term and widespread problem of systemic racism," said the report for the board, which was discussed during a meeting last Tuesday.
Evans says the goal is to make every child feel safe when they go to school.
"Many students do not feel safe with police around particularly the students from the Black community, the Indigenous community, and the people with disability community," Evans said in an interview with CTV News Ottawa last week. "They feel like the police are over policing them."
Evans motion also recommends the Ottawa Carleton District School Board issue a formal apology to the communities and students who have been harmed by the School Resource Officer program. The trustee also wants the board to ask the city of Ottawa to allocate the funds previously assigned to the Ottawa Carleton District School Board's share of the School Resource Officer Program to be used to start a mobile crisis team for youth.
The OCDSB's Committee of the Whole will meet on Monday at 6 p.m.
Ottawa Carleton District School Board staff are scheduled to present a draft of a revised policy on the School Resource Officer program in the fall, based on the report from the Human Rights and Equity Advisor.
With files from CTV News Ottawa's Leah Larocque
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Deaths of 4 people on Sask. farm confirmed as murder-suicide
The deaths of four people on a farm near the Saskatchewan village of Neudorf have been confirmed a murder-suicide.
Full parole granted to man convicted in notorious 'McDonald's murders' in Cape Breton
The Parole Board of Canada has granted full parole to one of three men convicted in the brutal murders of three McDonald's restaurant workers in Cape Breton more than 30 years ago.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
George Washington family secrets revealed by DNA from unmarked 19th century graves
Genetic analysis has shed light on a long-standing mystery surrounding the fates of U.S. President George Washington's younger brother Samuel and his kin.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Rainfall warnings of up to 80 mm among weather alerts in effect for 6 provinces
Rainfall warnings of up to 90 millimetres and other alerts have been issued for six Canadian provinces, according to the latest forecasts.
Bus plunges off a bridge in South Africa, killing 45 people. An 8-year-old child is only survivor
A bus carrying worshippers headed to an Easter festival plunged off a bridge on a mountain pass and burst into flames in South Africa on Thursday, killing at least 45 people, authorities said.