Regina school resource officer review shows strong parental support, room for improvement

Police officers have been welcomed inside Regina schools for more than four decades. But when some community members called for the school resource officer (SRO) program to be cut in 2020, the Public and Catholic school divisions commissioned a review.

The results are in, as are the recommendations.

The review found that parents and staff were most likely to respond positively to the SRO program, but student responses were less supportive.

While the program has strong support from both parents and teachers, the report indicates improvements are needed, particularly around fostering trusting relationships between the onsite officers and students from marginalized communities.

Indigenous respondents and those who identify as LGBTQ were less likely to feel that having police in schools is important. Many of these respondents said that having uniformed police in school makes them feel "watched," "monitored, "targeted" or "stereotyped."

RPS Deputy Chief Lorilee Davies said she understands this response. 

"A lot of those relationships are built on historical relationships between communities and police. And you think about Indigenous communities and the historical role of police [in] taking children from homes, right? So that has a lot of trauma attached," Davies said.

She said there is a lot of work to be done with diverse students, and that the RPS is committed to doing that work.

"There are so many benefits to the program in terms of the relationships that those officers create with students. Being able to mediate issues, being able to intervene before things get to a violent state," said Davies.

Davies said that one of the program's intentions is to develop positive relationships between youth and the police. She said she's seen that play out over the years, even as recently as last week.

"One of our school resource officers had someone five years out of high school reach out to say, 'I'd like to report a historic sexual assault and I feel safe reporting it to you because I trust you and we've had that relationship.'"

In addition to creating a safe environment, SROs are also in schools to provide administrators, counsellors and teachers with a resource in the areas of law and police work in the community.

How the review was conducted

The SRO program is a 43-year partnership between the Regina Police Service, the Regina Public School Division and the Regina Catholic School Division.

The program puts 15 police officers into different schools, sometimes in plain clothes and other times in full uniform with guns. The SRO programs cost just over $2.28-million to run in 2022 and is funded mostly by the RPS. The school divisions pay a fraction of the cost, according to the the Regina Catholic School Division.

The program's efficacy has been reviewed only once before in the past four decades.

Surveys for the report took place from February to May and were conducted by third-party Praxis Consulting. Both school boards and the RPS were interviewed for the report, as were focus groups that included staff and students from both divisions, participants at six public open houses and youth-led advocacy group Black in Saskatchewan. In addition to the interviews, an online survey received 2,694 responses in total.

The report indicates that just over 16 per cent of respondents identified as Indigenous or a different visible minority. Also, 7.8 per cent identified as LGBTQ.

Newcomers' concerns

Ted Jaleta, board trustee for Regina Public Schools, said that while he is happy the report was done and made public, he is still concerned about police presence in schools, particularly when they are armed. Jaleta mentioned newcomers in particular, saying he has had many conversations with their parents about the SROs. 

"Sometimes people don't understand. They didn't have any lived experience.… As a newcomer, as a Black person, I have that negative experience," said Jaleta, pointing out that many newcomers come from countries where police are seen as threatening to citizens.

He said having armed officers in schools is disturbing to newcomers and should end.

"Why [are] armed police creating discomfort, uneasiness for some of the marginal community members? And we refuse to acknowledge that and to make sure we create a safe environment and be inclusive."

The Regina Public School Division told CBC on Monday that it was unable to share its reaction to the report as it won't be placed before board trustees until Oct. 17. Jaleta said he is looking forward to discussing what's in the report and debating the need for an SRO program on that day.

Acknowledging improvement needs

Sean Chase, director of education for the Regina Catholic School Division, said the division is ready to take the recommendations and look at how it can improve the program for the benefit of the children and their families. 

"The uniform itself may be seen as a trigger, something from a traumatic event. So that's an area for growth and opportunity for conversation with RPS that we've already started, quite honestly," Chase said.

He said the importance of SROs when it comes to practice runs of lockdowns and securing school buildings needs to be better communicated to people. Chase said the visibility of officers should be improved as well.

"As well as the chances to connect and meet kids in very innocuous manners rather than just like any other situation in the school," Chase said.

"If the only interaction is around something that could be seen as potentially disciplinary, and that goes for our staff as well, that's going to be leaving an impression."

Recommendations

The report found that there should be improved clarity around what the program does and is intended to do.

Chase said his division takes this to heart.

"I've suggested that there's a bit of irony to that and the fact that our job is education, and perhaps we've missed an opportunity here for years now to educate our students and some families and some community members in terms of what the role really does on a daily basis," said Chase.

Praxis said that if the school boards choose to continue the SRO program, recruitment criteria and training for the officers should be improved. Praxis recommended that an advisory body be established, and that equity and inclusivity requirements be paramount in the management of the program.

Another recommendation is that all officers wear plain clothes going forward.

Praxis said that if school boards decide to reconsider the SRO program, it suggests pausing the program and conducting a redesign that considers "strengths and challenges" and how "restorative justice practices" could be incorporated going forward.

Praxis also recommended that student councils be engaged during the redesign process.