B.C. fires Victoria School Board over ban on police in schools

British Columbia's education minister has fired the entire Victoria School Board in a dispute over a safety plan where the board barred police from schools except in emergencies.

Minister Lisa Beare says student safety is at risk in the district, and she has appointed a lone trustee to oversee the district. 

"Students are at the centre of every decision I make, and ultimately their safety in this school district is at risk. Our government has given this board multiple opportunities to act, and they have not delivered," Beare said in a statement.

"The decision to remove an elected board is a difficult one, but it is necessary to bring our collective focus in School District 61 back to where it belongs — supporting students."

Beare was critical of the board, saying it ignored parents who brought forward concerns about a rise in violence and gang activity in schools. 

"The board has failed to work together with local First Nations, police and other key stakeholders to prioritize student safety," Beare said. "This inaction has gone on long enough."

Former district superintendent and Camosun College president Sherri Bell has been appointed as the trustee to replace the board, effective immediately. The province says she will remain in the role until the next scheduled board elections in fall 2026.

Board chair Nicole Duncan was not available for an interview but said in a statement Beare's decision is "extremely disappointing and profoundly undemocratic." She said former board members are reviewing the decision and considering next steps.

 Alyx MacAdams, a parent who has organized rallies in opposition to police in Victoria schools, was disappointed by the decision to fire the board. 

"We believe this is an undemocratic move that's against what voters want," MacAdams said. "I also see that this is a move on the part of the Ministry of Education and Child Care to have more police in schools."

Carolyn Howe, the president of the Greater Victoria Teachers' Association, slammed the decision, which she said "undermines democracy and local governance at a time when we need to be strengthening our democratic institutions."

"There is no reasonable justification for the Minister's action," Howe said in a statement. "It is deeply troubling that the province would choose to strip away local decision-making power rather than work collaboratively with our elected trustees to address the challenges in our community.

The last time the province fired a school board was in 2016, when the Vancouver School Board failed to balance its budget.

Board failed to work with community: report

The province also released a report from Kevin Godden, a former superintendent of the Abbotsford School District, who had been appointed by Beare in December to work with the board on creating a safety plan with input from community groups.

In that report, dated Jan. 10, Godden described a school board that was unwilling or unable to take feedback from himself or the community.

"This conclusion is based on actions taken by the Board that have compromised my ability to appropriately assist them," he wrote, describing meetings and interactions in which board members seemed to ignore or dismiss feedback from both district staff and community groups.

Ron Rice, who chairs the Urban Peoples' House Indigenous Advisory group, welcomed Bell's appointment as trustee. Rice said the advisory group felt ignored by the previous board members.

"To say that we felt disregarded would be an understatement," Rice said. "I'm not sure where things went off the rails [with the former board]. But at some point, somebody decided we're going to do it our way, and no one's going to tell us what to do."

Saanich Police Chief Dean Duthie welcomed the decision, saying it's key to making schools safer for students. 

Duthie said Saanich police officers have continued the liaison program in schools outside of the Victoria School District, and it's proven important to building relationships and trust with students. 

Lynne Block, the B.C. Conservative education critic, said the board's firing is long overdue.

"This has been a long saga of a rogue board ignoring the wishes of parents and rights-holders who became increasingly concerned about school safety in Greater Victoria," Block said in a statement. "At last, SD61 can now focus on prioritizing student safety and achievement."

Months of controversy

The ministry's decision comes after months of controversy following the school board's decision to cancel the school police liaison officer (SPLO) program in May 2023.

At the time, the board said that its SPLO program did "not best meet the needs" of the 20,000 students it serves in the 28 elementary schools, 10 middle schools and seven secondary schools in Victoria, Esquimalt, Oak Bay, View Royal and a portion of Saanich. 

The board cited reports that some students and teachers — particularly those who are Indigenous or people of colour — don't feel safe with officers in schools.

Victoria police, three area municipalities, and the Esquimalt and Songhees First Nations have all vocally opposed the decision, citing concerns about gang violence, drugs and sextortion. 

In September, former education minister Rachna Singh issued an administrative directive to School District 61 to develop a safety plan. 

LISTEN | Victoria police chief on officers being barred from schools:  

On The Island7:58The province has ordered the Victoria school board to develop a safety plan, involving police and other agencies... we'll get reaction from Victoria's police chief

Gregor Craigie spoke with Del Manak, Victoria's police chief.

Board's safety plan rejected

Beare says on Nov. 8, the ministry received a letter addressed to the board from four area police chiefs expressing their lack of support for the draft safety plan. 

The board submitted a safety plan to the ministry for approval on Nov. 15, the minister said. But after asking a provincial team of school safety experts called the Safer Schools Together Program to conduct an independent review of the plan, Beare did not approve it. 

The district's plan did support some high-risk vulnerable youth and staff training but didn't address the key aspects of a comprehensive safety plan, said Theresa Campbell, founder of Safer Schools Together.

"Proactive safety plans must include strong relationships and collaboration with law enforcement, First Nations and other community partners," Campbell said in a statement "There is also a need for more specificity regarding safety strategies, protocols and processes."

The Ministry of Education said some of the issues the safety plan was expected to address include increased gang activity and a commitment to improve the relationship between the school board and police.

Instead, in December, Beare appointed Godden as a special advisor to "revise and improve" the plan that was submitted.

In his report, he said his efforts were stymied by the board, which often seemed disinterested in working on a safety plan or would surprise staff with requests for revisions — including one instance, he said, where the school district's superintendent was asked to redraft the entire plan in a single day.

"Poor governance erodes trust and diminishes public confidence in the education system," he wrote.

He made several recommendations, including that the board be given training to better understand their jobs, their obligations to staff and the community and their relationship with Indigenous organizations affiliated with the school board.

He concluded, "In my view, the board's behaviour has poisoned the working relationship," with stakeholders in the community "and has eroded their confidence in the board's ability to successfully govern the safety of its students."