A small gathering of parents and community leaders assembled outside the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) headquarters on Friday to express their opposition to the reintroduction of police officers in schools. Their concerns revolved around Bill 33, known as the Supporting Children and Students Act, which mandates school boards to permit the return of school resource officers (SROs) starting in September next year.
Andrea Vasquez-Jimenez, the director of Policing-Free Schools, a group advocating for the removal of police from educational institutions in Canada, labeled Bill 33 as a punitive education policy. She criticized the bill for channeling funds into policing and correctional measures instead of prioritizing education and the well-being of students, educators, and school communities.
Vasquez-Jimenez argued that having police in schools does not enhance safety, citing research and student accounts to support her stance. She emphasized the importance of allocating resources to schools rather than law enforcement. London had previously operated an SRO program, but it was discontinued in 2024 due to student concerns about surveillance and discomfort.
Although the physical rally attendance was limited, the event was being live-streamed by Policing-Free Schools, with participants like Xenia Osegueda present. Osegueda, a mother of a racially profiled child, voiced worries about the impact of policing within school premises. She highlighted instances of racism and negative encounters with law enforcement reported by students and advocated for a welcoming and secure educational environment for all.
Instead of investing in police presence at schools, Osegueda proposed redirecting those funds towards more beneficial initiatives such as counseling services and programs for special needs students. Local police services in London and St. Thomas have expressed support for SRO programs, emphasizing the importance of police engagement with youth beyond enforcement measures.
The protesters also criticized Education Minister Paul Calandra’s potential move to eliminate trustees from school boards. Elected TVDSB trustees Lori-Ann Pizzolato and Marianne Larsen attended the protest, with Larsen backing Policing-Free Schools during the gathering. They raised concerns about the centralization of power in the provincial government’s hands, diminishing the decision-making authority of locally elected officials.
The decision to remove elected trustees and appoint a supervisor to address financial mismanagement at TVDSB has raised apprehensions about the erosion of local democracy. Pizzolato stressed the importance of local decision-making on issues like police presence in schools and school renaming. The province’s takeover of TVDSB aimed to address financial issues, including a substantial budget deficit.
Larsen pointed out that a significant portion of Ontario’s school boards are grappling with deficits due to chronic underfunding in public education. She highlighted a substantial underfunding figure since 2018, attributing it to the current government’s policies. However, the province defended its education funding increases, emphasizing the allocation of resources to benefit students directly in classrooms.
Bill 33, concerning SROs, underwent a second reading in June, with the education minister hinting at a potential plan to eliminate school board trustees by year-end. The ministry’s statement reiterated the focus on directing resources effectively to support students and ensuring accountability across school boards. If trustees fail to manage resources efficiently, the ministry vowed to take necessary actions to safeguard the quality of education.
