Commentary
Police officers could soon be returning to Vancouver schools. That’s because Vancouver School Board trustees just voted to bring back a “reimagined” version of its School Liaison Officer program.
This program had been abolished by the previous board of trustees. However, a significant increase in violent incidents involving students led to safety concerns in Vancouver schools. In last month’s school board election, most trustees who won seats had pledged to restore the School Liaison Officer program.
However, not everyone thinks this is a good idea. Earlier this month, B.C.’s human rights commissioner sent the trustees a letter recommending against restoring this safety program. The commissioner argued that marginalized students often have negative experiences with police and putting police officers back in schools might make them feel even more unsafe….