Return of Vancouver school liaison officers is 'taking 10 steps backwards,' says Indigenous parent

In a five-to-four vote Monday night, school trustees in Vancouver approved the school liaison officer program that assigns police to public schools, with the intention to have officers on campuses by next September.

The newly elected ABC Vancouver party campaigned on a pledge to return the liaison officers because of what it said was a "marked increase'' in swarmings, robberies and attacks on teens.

ABC holds four out of nine VSB trusteeships, and a fifth trustee is a former member of ABC. All five voted in favour of reinstating the program.

The liaison program was cut last year after a review concluded that a police presence in schools had a negative effect on the mental and physical well-being of students, especially students identifying as Black, Indigenous or people of colour.

Stephen Quinn, the host of CBC's The Early Edition, spoke to Leona Brown, an Indigenous mother of three in the Vancouver School District and an outspoken advocate who worked to end the school liaison program. Brown was also a Vancouver mayoral candidate in this year's civic elections. 

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

ABC trustees dominate the Vancouver School Board. They promised to bring back the school liaison officer program to put police back into schools, and they've done what they promised. Is there any real surprise here? 

Yeah, there was no big surprise. ABC fought really hard, and they said the right words to the right people, and it was no surprise. I was hoping that maybe they did listen to the delegates. But no, it wasn't a surprise. It's disappointing. 

Why is it disappointing?

Because it was a long fight, this SLO program, the first time it was taken out. It was a long fight for a lot of people that were Indigenous and minorities. They didn't want the SLO program in the schools anymore because of the emotional effects it has on students. We felt it was a success getting rid of it, and now it just feels like we're taking 10 steps backwards. It was just disappointing hearing that they really wanted to push to have it back for no realistic reason. 

The reason they tell us is that the schools and the school community are unsafe and that the student liaison officers are a place for students who might have concerns about safety to go to. What do you think about that?

I think that there's a disillusion of what the word safety means. It's coming off like we're dealing with gang members and really reckless teenagers. When in reality, a lot of the complaints around safety in schools, which I have experienced with my own children, are just around bullying and harassment from other students, and it needs to be dealt with in a better way than with police hostility.

Do you not see police intervening in those situations when they are school liaison officers?

I mean, with the testimonies that have been shared the past couple of years since this was on the table the first time, I don't think they're equipped to deal with the issues that come up in school. I think they're doing it the wrong way, and the wrong people are being put in front and centre to deal with issues at the school level with students.

You submitted an equity statement report to the school board earlier this year. What did you recommend to improve safety in schools?

Realistically, the issues that happen in schools, specifically around bullying and kids feeling not safe, it has to start with parents first and then when we get to school, children who don't feel safe or not comfortable in schools. I recommended that we really incorporate Indigenous elders in the school system and have them fully employed to help deal with these issues at school.

Would that be aimed specifically at Indigenous kids, or would that be aimed at all kids? 

No, it would be aimed at all kids. We're in a city that declared itself a city of reconciliation. I think there would be a great understanding of having an elder to share that feeling of, like a grandma.

In Indigenous families, we go to our grandmas or aunties to talk about issues that are harming us, and it's dealt with in an Indigenous way. I've also recommended that we have other elders of other races that could be assisting in that situation as well. 

Some people have made the argument that if you put a cop in a school, the kids get used to having a cop around, and if the cop is affable, friendly and cool, the more they're exposed to them, the less they might fear the police.

Even people who might be Indigenous, Black, or those who walk in with a fear of police because of systemic discrimination. Do you see any validity to that argument?

I think it can be true in some cases.

Overall, I don't feel that it would cause more safety or they would feel safer in the school because the police officer is present. What I see is a form of grooming because the police officer, especially from an Indigenous point of view, will handle you differently in the school situation than they would on the streets. So you feel like you're safe with somebody, and then they react to you differently on the streets.

Former VSB school board chair Patti Bacchus tweeted out last night. Here's what she said.

"What I'd really like to hear, instead of a debate about bringing back police in Vancouver schools, is a plan to address systemic racism in policing and the VPD. That's what this debate is really about." 

Do you agree?

I do agree. I think there's a huge issue with the Vancouver police. It's not just in schools. It's in the public sector as well. The handling of Indigenous people and Black people causes a lot of trauma. Even with them in the public walking down the street, we have this instant reaction that, if they stop you, it's not going to be a positive one, or it's going to be an intense one. The system itself with the VPD needs to be changed. And how to handle any situation in public needs to be done better.