When the British Columbia government fired the Greater Victoria School Board last week, it effectively made police liaison programs mandatory in schools while failing to provide a factual basis for the decision, the B.C. Human Rights commissioner said in a letter.
Kasari Govender said in the letter to Education Minister Lisa Beare and Public Safety Minister Gary Begg that failure to fund research into the matter is contrary to the government’s human rights obligations “and undermines its stated values to combat racism.”
The letter dated Monday came after Beare fired the entire elected board of School District No. 61 last Thursday over its refusal to allow police in schools except in emergencies.
Neither Beare nor Begg were immediately available for comment.
“The decision to fire SD61 board members — and effectively make [school police liaison officer] programs mandatory across the province — was ostensibly based on concerns about student safety, and yet the lack of transparency in this process belies a commitment to evidence-based decision-making,” Govender said.
The commissioner said there are “significant gaps” in evidence supporting school police liaison officers, and there is not enough research to say definitively whether police presence in schools keeps young people safe and thriving.
“What is being called into question is the benefit of the role of police when the objective is simply to build relationships with children and youth, and if it outweighs the potential harms,” Govender wrote.
It is “past time” for funding of research into police in schools, and that an evidence-based policy is more effective and likely to avoid bias, Govender said.
Months of controversy
The former board of the school district said its ban on police was based on reports that some students and teachers — particularly those who are Indigenous or people of colour — did not feel safe with officers in schools.
But the decision was questioned by several community groups, including three area municipalities and the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations, which said they tried, unsuccesfully, to work with the board on their concerns.
In December, Beare appointed former Abbotsford School District superintendent Kevin Godden to work with the board on creating a safety plan with input from community groups.
In that report, dated Jan. 10, Godden described a school board unwilling or unable to take feedback from himself or the community.
He said his efforts were stymied by the board, which often seemed disinterested in working on a safety plan or would surprise staff with requests for revisions — including one instance, he said, where the school district’s superintendent was asked to redraft the entire plan in a single day.
“Poor governance erodes trust and diminishes public confidence in the education system,” he wrote.
Following that report, Beare appointed a lone trustee to oversee the district until municipal elections set for the fall of 2026.
She said last week that students in the Victoria district were at risk from the board’s failure to implement a revised safety plan.