xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil Waututh) / Vancouver — The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and Policing-Free Schools (Canada) sent a letter to the BC Minister of Education and Child Care and the BC Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General calling on the provincial government to immediately end all police-in-school programs and prevent their reintroduction across the province.
BCCLA is aware of a serious incident in a Vancouver school, where a School Liaison Officer (SLO) pointed a firearm at an unarmed school employee, handcuffed them, and searched their belongings without legal grounds, causing serious lasting harm (see Appendix A.1 of enclosed letter).
A recent Office of the Police Complaint Commissioner (OPCC) report described a disturbing instance in which a Vancouver Police Department officer delivered a presentation on policing at a high school, exchanged emails with a female student regarding a career in policing, and later, after the student graduated, entered an intimate relationship with her. The OPCC investigation found that the officer lied to the student about his age and was verbally and emotionally abusive; the misconduct was classified as discreditable conduct, and the disciplinary/corrective measure was dismissal (see Appendix A.2 of enclosed letter).
These are not isolated incidents. They illustrate and support longstanding concerns raised by marginalized people and communities, particularly those who are Indigenous, Black, racialized, disabled, and 2SLGBTQIA+, as well as by BC’s Human Rights Commissioner, that police in schools pose disproportionate risks to vulnerable students and staff.
Police services and school authorities routinely describe these programs as carefully planned partnerships intended to advance student safety, well-being, mentorship, trust, transparency, and positive community relationships. Yet when serious harms occur, the institutions involved cannot show who is responsible for identifying risks, preventing harm, informing affected communities, or ensuring accountability.
Across Canada, and in BC specifically, there is no conclusive, empirical evidence demonstrating that police presence in schools improves safety outcomes. Conversely, emerging evidence indicates that real harm is happening. Many individuals are too fearful to come forward and report.
Ultimately, Canada has international human rights obligations to ensure that public services do not perpetuate systemic discrimination.
A recent Vancouver School Board (VSB) program evaluation highlighted improved perception ratings from staff and students — this was not a safety-outcomes study and did not establish that police-in-school programs reduce harm, are necessary, or are less harmful than non-policing alternatives.
In our view, program reforms and training commitments do not eliminate fundamental, structural concerns. The VSB’s evaluation says their renewed program reduced visible markers of policing and provided additional training, while also increasing emphasis on relationship-building, mentorship, and broader involvement in the school community. However, when an officer is simultaneously a law-enforcement actor, intelligence gatherer, mentor, presenter, club sponsor, and informal support person, the boundary between care and coercion becomes blurred. There are other professionals better trained and equipped to act in these roles — for example, mental health support workers, education assistants, and youth counsellors.
BCCLA and Policing-Free Schools are alarmed at the BC government’s insistence on the expansion of policing in schools, including the firing of (and now re-instated) democratically-elected School District 61 board members. Existing evidence strongly suggests that non-policing, healing, and student-centred approaches are both more equitable and more effective than police-in-school programs.
Meghan McDermott, BCCLA Policy Director, says:
“Police presence in schools is counter-productive to maintaining a safe learning environment for children. Institutional unwillingness to address the known harms compounds the serious power imbalance between police and the students and employees they interact with, and presents a risk to everyone in BC’s schools. It’s time to end the use of police-in-school programs in BC public schools without delay.”
Andrea Vásquez Jiménez, Policing-Free Schools (Canada) Director, says:
“Policing-in-schools, including police-in-school programs and police-led programming, is non-evidence-based, fiscally irresponsible, and harmful. It cannot be reformed out of the systemic harms it causes. What we need is a properly funded, supported, and well-resourced public education system, and strong community supports and services.”
