WRDSB apologizes for harms caused by School Resource Officer program

The Waterloo Region District School Board administration building is seen on Thursday, May 9, 2013. (David Imrie / CTV Kitchener)

Waterloo — The Waterloo Region District School Board (WRDSB) is apologizing for the harms caused by the School Resource Officer (RSO) program.

Last month, the board voted to axe the RSO program, which had been put on pause for a year while it was reviewed by a special committee.

On Tuesday, the WRDSB issued a formal apology to students and families harmed by the program.

"Members of the committee heard that both the presence of police and how and when they are used in schools can create a sense of fear, increased anxiety and vulnerability for some, and especially Black, Indigenous, and racialized students. The fact that any student felt this way is not acceptable," reads a statement issued by the WRDSB. "We apologize, unreservedly, to the students and communities who have been harmed."

The school board says it will continue to work with Waterloo regional police to create policies and procedures that clarify and limit the role of police in schools.

Officials say the board remains focused on addressing systemic barriers and building an equitable community culture for students and staff.

"We just felt that an apology allowed us to start from a place of healing and to repair some of the relationships with some of the students and their families that were harmed by this program," WRDSB chairperson Joanne Weston said Tuesday. "It's just a first step."

She said an apology was part of the review committee's recommendations.

Other programs are also under review, including the board's suspension and expulsion program. Weston said restorative justice practices are being explored.

"We are looking at everything through an anti-oppressive and equitable lens," she said.