Victoria – In April, the Province introduced new legislation to keep kids safe and focused on their education by preventing disruptive behaviour, including aggressive protests, on school grounds.
As of Friday May 31, the Safe Schools Act is in effect. It sets 20-metre (66-foot) “no-go zones” for protesters around schools.
“While everyone has a right to freedom of expression, disrupting or scaring kids while they’re learning in schools should be, and soon will be, illegal,” said Premier David Eby. “During the pandemic, when hospitals and health-care workers became the target of anti-vaccine protests, we took action so doctors and nurses could get to work and patients could access care. As schools increasingly become the target, we’re taking similar action to ensure classrooms are safe for kids.”
The proposed legislation will help protect students and staff by giving the Province the authority to prohibit behaviour that impedes access to school grounds, disrupts school programs and activities, or causes concern for physical or mental safety of students and staff.
“Protests are an important way for people to express their views and advocate for change, but not at the expense of the safety of our schools,” said Niki Sharma, Attorney General. “This legislation provides an important tool to help safeguard our schools and protect kids from intimidation and harassment so they can feel safe to learn.”
The new law will provide police the authority to arrest or issue tickets to anyone found impeding access, disrupting educational activities or attempting to intimidate an individual within 20 metres (66 feet) of school grounds.
