WRDSB apologizes for harms caused by School Resource Officer program
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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.