Police officers return to Vancouver schools alongside students — despite concern from some families

As kids head back to class in Vancouver this week, so will police officers as the city's school liaison program returns —despite concerns from some students and families.

School liaison officers (SLOs) will be in schools wearing less formal uniforms and carrying smaller, less exposed firearms, according to Vancouver School Board (VSB) vice-chair Preeti Faridkot, who voted in favour of reinstating the program after it was halted two years ago. 

SLOs will also undergo specific training to help them better understand the communities they're working with, said Faridkot. 

The VSB says there will be 15 officers total as part of the program. Their offices will be located in secondary schools, but officers will also support elementary schools.

The original SLO program ended in 2021 after the VSB voted to remove officers from schools as of June that year. Students and advocates had been speaking out about the harm police in schools were causing, particularly for Black and Indigenous students.  

More than 1,900 people were surveyed by a third-party organization to look at SLOs in the spring of 2021. While the majority of respondents felt neutral or positive toward the program, Black and Indigenous respondents were more likely to say they felt "uncomfortable, scared, anxious" around SLOs.

Before the vote to reinstate SLOs, B.C.'s human rights commissioner said they should stay out of schools unless there was an evidence-based need for them that couldn't be met in some other way.

The VSB moved to reinstate the program in a 5-4 vote just weeks after the ABC Vancouver party won five out of nine trustee seats. The party, led by Mayor Ken Sim, had promised to bring back the program during the municipal election. 

Faridkot said all concerns raised in the spring 2021 report have been addressed under the new program, though she acknowledged that won't satisfy everyone.

"In reality, to be honest, there's going to be a lot of people who are not going to be happy with the program," she told The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn.  

VSB superintendent Helen McGregor said the new program was created after conversations with students, families, communities, the Indigenous Education Council and the Vancouver Police Department. 

"The officers' focus is really going to be working in schools as part of the community and their work is about proactive preventative measures to further safety in our schools," she said. 

"They're available as a resource to students or family members for support or guidance."

McGregor said if a student is approached by an officer and is uncomfortable with that interactions, they can request to speak with another adult at the school. 

"No student is required to engage with the school's SLO," McGregor said. 

"If any student or family has a concern, we really encourage them to talk to those school staff where they have that relationship."