The province on Tuesday (Sept. 17) issued a directive compelling the Greater Victoria School District board to craft a new safety plan.
The board must submit the plan to the minister of education by Nov. 15 as the province said it will require a strategy that addresses "safety concerns" and ensures protections are in place for children.
The order came after the province said it held discussions with SD61 board and local police departments. It calls for the board to develop the plan in collaboration with the four police departments whose jurisdictions encompass the district's schools.
The directive calls for the plan to address "increased gang activity", safety concerns, crime prevention and crisis response.
A Tuesday news release did not say what the safety concerns were, nor did it provide data or examples of the alleged gang activity. In response to Black Press Media asking what those safety concerns are and who is bringing them forward, the education minister said, "We have heard concerns from the community and we share them".
“All students, teachers, and staff should feel safe at school. This happens best when we work together," Education Minister Rachna Singh said in a statement. "A proactive, coordinated safety plan will help address safety concerns in the school district and ensure the best prevention approaches and protections are in place for kids."
The school board on Wednesday said it has consistently prioritized safety in schools and it released a list of more than 50 safety related programs, policies and other actions that are active in the district.
The trustees said they've asked for more information from local police to understand the risks associated with gang recruitment in South Island schools. The board asked for any and all police data going back to 2015 that pertains to gang recruitment and police calls for service to each SD61 school.
"The board is optimistic and motivated to continue moving the safety conversation forward while considering the diversity and unique experiences of all students and families within our learning community," a statement from the trustees said.
Victoria Police Chief Del Manak applauded the minister's decision as he said the SD61 board hasn't acknowledged what's happening in schools. VicPD was vocal about alleged gang activity targeting local schools in the months after the board ended its school police liaison officer (SPLO) program last year.
The goal is to have officers in schools so they can build positive relationships with students, Manak said.
“It’s about prevention and it’s about being proactive,” the chief told reporters on Sept. 18.
Asked for data backing up his claims about an increase in gang activity, Manak said students don't feel safe using particular bathrooms and "the data is under-representative of what the situation is".
"I certainly don't want to paint a picture that the schools are infiltrated with gang members and they run the schools and whatnot, but we have a problem," he said.
In a letter Singh and Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth penned to the Victoria and Esquimalt Police Board, the ministers said they met with the SD61 board in early August. The pair said they brought up the alleged gang activity in that meeting because police agencies around the Capital Region had "raised concerns" about the issue.
The ministers' letter said the SD61 board "shared its safety plans with us for review and we have expressed our concern that they do not adequately outline preventative safety measures". The SD61 board said it was set to respond to the province’s additional questions and concerns on Sept. 23.
"We are concerned that rather than engage in continued collaborative efforts alongside us and police services, the minister took this preemptive and unprecedented step," the trustees said in their statement.
The provincial directive requires the school board to establish a trauma-informed approach for interactions between students and police officers "to foster positive and respectful relationships".
The plan must include a commitment to improve the relationship between the school board and police. It also has to describe the respective roles and responsibilities of the board and police in regards to "implementing preventative approaches and responses to safety concerns related to students and the school community".
The 2023 vote to end the liaison officer program followed a years-long committee review of the program's impact. School board trustees at the time said they were still receiving reports of students feeling unsafe around police.
The board also said it had no oversight or input over the program's delivery, the program lacked defined objectives and responsibilities and the services provided by SPLOs could be delivered better by professionals trained in areas such as mental health and counselling.
Police are still allowed in SD61 schools for various reasons, such as responding to emergencies, lockdowns and more.
Lori Poppe, a mother who has called for the SPLO program to be reinstated, called the provincial directive a message of hope for parents.
"It is disappointing that the government had to step in while so many families had to deal with the negative impacts and fallout of removing the positive police role model from school grounds," she said in a statement to this paper.
That Greater Victoria board's decision also came a year after B.C.’s human rights commissioner recommended ending liaison officer programs unless and until districts could demonstrate there's an evidence-based need for them that cannot be met through other services.
VicPD and its police board have provided the SD61 trustees with a draft memorandum of understanding that Manak said would allow police to be back in schools and would address the SD61 board's concerns.
