Deadline to weigh in on school resource officers extended
The resource officer program has been in London and area schools for years, but after protests last year led to calls for change, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) decided to review it.
“We need to be guided by the voices of our students, our parents and our community at all times, and so we really need to do our best to get as many responses as possible,” says Dennis Wright, TVDSB superintendent of student achievement, safe schools and well-being.
The survey has been available for the past two weeks, but the groups that represent the communities the survey is focused on hearing from, say it needs to be more visible.
“I think it’s a matter that making sure people know where the survey is as a starting point,” says Multicultural Outreach Program Coordinator at LUSO Community Services Leroy Hibbert.
As of Wednesday morning just over 3,000 people have clicked on the survey, a low number that has led to the extension of the deadline to June 15.
Following that date, data will be gathered and some community involvement, possibly a round-table type discussion, will be held in July.
“It’s very critical in having a conversation about what it can do to communities that have experienced it in the past, or they’ve had a historical context of situations with law enforcement,” says Hibbert.
Those conversations are expected to lead to recommendations from The Centre for Organizational Effectiveness, a third party company that is handling the survey on behalf of the school boards and police agencies in the area.
Any changes that come from the process are expected to go into effect by the fall.
“I can’t anticipate what those recommendations may look like, but the board is certainly committed to ensuring a do no harm for all of our students,” says Wright
Alexandra Kane from Black Lives Matter London says this should not be a consensus issue, “If we’re going around saying every child matters, and if one child finds issues, there need so be a swift response to that.”
And the payoff, according to Kane, is more than worthwhile.
“Changing that culture of your organization is so important, and encourages students to learn better.”
Those interested have until June 15 to complete the survey.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.