The Upper Grand District School Board will be taking a look at whether it should continue to have a police presence in its high schools.
A report heading to a special meeting of the UGDSB Tuesday night calls for the forming of a 13-person task force to take a look at the issue, reporting back to the board no later than December.
The task force would include seven members of the public, three school board trustees and three board staff members.
A background report of police presence in schools from chair of the UGDSB report Martha MacNeil stated that staff and trustees received many emails and phone calls regarding police presence in schools that suggest police have been targeting Black, Indigenous and people of colour (BIPOC) students.
“The Upper Grand District School Board takes these allegations seriously and is committed to a learning environment where BIPOC students, staff, and families feel safe,” read the report for by MacNeil.
Search for members of the public to serve on the task force would begin immediately and the three staff members and three trustees would be appointed at the next board meeting June 23.
The task force is to submit its report, including recommendations, no later than December.
According to the description on school web sites, the Guelph Police Service’s High School Resource Officer program for Grade 9 to Grade 12 students was initiated for officers to work closely with students to provide a safe environment for them within school grounds by offering guidance, participating in discussions and assemblies and ultimately help promote a better understanding of law enforcement.
Requests for comment from the chair and director of education of the UGDSB were not immediately returned.
The report states that many people have demanded the school board to end its partnership with the Guelph Police Services.
On Monday, The Waterloo Region District School Board paused its school resource officer program in order to conduct a review.
The program that has run for two decades in the Waterloo Region had 10 officers assigned to 240 public and Catholic schools.It also recommends that staff members include the superintendent responsible for equity and inclusion along with two other staff members selected by the superintendent next week.
A three-year Equity plan for 2019 to 2022 will also be presented at the board meeting,
It asks for the membership of the Safe Equitable Inclusive Schools Steering Committee to be expanded to include permanent positions for community members representing marginalized and racialized individuals and agencies throughout the geographic area the board serves.
It also asks that a community member selected by the committee chair the Safe Equitable Inclusive Schools Steering Committee and that staff members act as resources and advisors to the Safe Equitable Inclusive Schools Steering Committee.
“As an educational community we have a responsibility to identify and describe racism and then work to dismantle it,” reads the report from superintendent of education Cheryl Van Ooteghem to director of education Martha Rogers.
“The Upper Grand District School Board is committed to disrupting systemic racism and oppression in all of its forms and in an ongoing manner. We are also committed to making the work we do more visible and transparent. The Three-Year Equity plan will provide trustees with information on the scope of work planned in the Upper Grand District School Board."
