Tuesday, October 12, 2021
Greater Victoria School District Seeks Input on School Police Liaison Officer Program
VICTORIA, BC – The Greater Victoria School District is reviewing the School Police Liaison Officer (SPLO) Program. The District is asking for feedback from all members of the learning community through a survey to gather input on people’s perspectives and experiences with the program.
In September 2020, the Board of Education passed a motion to form a committee to review the SPLO Program. The committee represents students, parents and guardians, key stakeholders, Indigenous groups, police officers, senior administration and trustees.
Over the last year, the committee has participated in educational learning opportunities on anti-racism and culturally committed approaches. The committee hosted a speaker series informed by school communities and members of the public about their interactions with the SPLO program, including the collection of written and recorded submissions that could be shared with the committee to review.
As part of the next steps, the District wants to hear from the community about the future direction of the SPLO Program, including individual experiences and perspectives. The results of the survey will inform recommendations for the Board’s consideration by spring 2022.
“The Board is committed to providing a safe, inclusive and culturally responsive learning environment for all of our students and staff,” said Ann Whiteaker, Board Chair. “We are working hard to understand how best to move forward with the program to meet the needs of our diverse community, in partnership with the policing community. It is important we hear the perspectives and experiences of our learning community and encourage participation in this survey on the SPLO Program.”
For more than 30 years, police liaison officers from multiple departments have served as resources to District schools. They assist with education and drug prevention, school safety drills, community and sports events, and addressing school violence. Currently, there are 12 police liaison officer positions serving elementary, middle and secondary schools in the District.
The survey is open for two weeks. It will close on Tuesday, October 26, 2021, at 4 p.m.
SURVEY: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SD61-SPLO-Program
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For more information contact:
Lisa McPhail
Communications & Community Engagement
Greater Victoria School District
Office: 250.475.4103
www.sd61.bc.ca | @sd61schools
