Edmonton Public Schools commits to more public engagement before decision on School Resource Officer program

Two and a half years after Edmonton Public Schools voted to suspend its School Resource Officer (SRO) program, the board has not made a decision on whether or not to reinstate it.

The program was suspended in September 2020 over concerns about the impact on racialized and marginalized youth in schools.

The board commissioned a report on the effects of SROs in schools.

That report was released on Wednesday.

The 183-page document concludes that there are positive and negative aspects of placing police officers in schools.

"Some of the views expressed in the report weren’t new. There would be views that were very favourable to having police officers in school. They play that key role for serving students," board chair Trisha Estabrooks told reporters on Wednesday.

"Then you could also see in the report that there are some concerns. Overall I didn't read anything too surprising in the report. I think it confirmed the fact that there are varying perspectives."

Estabrooks announced that the board has opted to do further consultation and will hold engagement sessions this fall.

"The board of trustees, to be clear, will not be making any decision on the SRO program until after we hear more from staff and students, until after the engagement plan."

Estabrooks acknowledged the process has taken longer than anticipated, citing the COVID-19 pandemic and the length of time required to conduct research for the report as factors in the delay.

"I acknowledge that this has taken time, but on a conversation this critical and this important, we're committed to taking the time that we need to make the best decision for those that we serve."

The Edmonton Police Service released a written statement regarding the report on Wednesday, calling it a "positive response for our SROs and the program."

"This team of highly respected academics took great care to implement a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to gather data and ensure representation of racialized and marginalized groups," Enyinnah Okere, Chief Operations Officer for the EPS Community Safety & Well Being Bureau wrote. "Though we are pleased to hear that EPSB intends to undertake more engagement, we encourage EPSB to ensure that voices are not again left out in future plans."

The board has not released details about the upcoming public engagement.

The full report is available below: