TVDSB to Review School Resource Officer Program

Friday, 29 October 2021 05:40

The Thames Valley District School Board will continue to pause their school resource officer program and review it for a year.

TVDSB - The Thames Valley District School Board is not ready to get rid of the police in schools program.

Earlier this week trustees voted to continue to pause the program, but not to get rid of it entirely. Several large school boards in the province, including nearby Waterloo, have already axed the school resource officer program.

The program has become a lightning rod for criticism in the past couple of years from activists and visible minorities. Before the pandemic, the TVDSB had school resource officers in its 160 schools. They will not have any officers inside schools for at least another year. The Board wants to review the program, before making a final decision. They will be working with representation from BIPOC students and the local chapters of Black Lives Matter.

St. Thomas Police Chief Chris Herridge has put out a statement supporting the program.

"As education, community and policing leaders, we need evidence based research that not only evaluates School Resource Officer (SRO) programming, but one that also takes into account the experiences of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) students. In order to move forward, we need to develop a truly transparent relationship, that builds confidence in the program and certainly in all students. The St. Thomas Police Service applauds this recent decision by our partners at the Thames Valley District School Board. I am pleased that the SRO program is only being paused at this time. We are very proud of our local school programs, the terrific work STPS officers have been doing in St. Thomas schools for decades, and the positive relationships which have been developed, but even in that pride I do recognize there is clearly a need for change. We are definitely open to listening and learning, with a goal of bridging any gaps in our relationship with St. Thomas youth."