March 31, 2021 -- York Region District School Board is pausing its school police programs, including, School Resource Officer (SRO) and Youth Education Officer (YEO) programs with York Regional Police.
YRDSB is undertaking a review of the role of school police programs to assess the impact on the well-being and learning environments of all students. The decision to review school police programs aligns with YRDSB’s Director’s Action Plan and the Board’s Dismantling Anti-Black Racism Strategy, Action 4.6.
“YRDSB and YRP agree that this is an important time to critically review our partnership to ensure students feel safe, welcome and supported,” said Director of Education Louise Sirisko. “We look forward to fulsome discussions in regards to the role police play within schools and in partnership with our Board.”
“Despite this pause, York Regional Police will continue to increase youth engagement outside the schools, including conducting community Youth Forums and posting the Values, Influences and Peers program on platforms like YouTube. We will increase social media events, create podcasts and generally offer more online opportunities for officers to engage youth,” said York Regional Police Chief Jim MacSween. “We continue to connect with young people at places like Jericho Youth, Children’s Aid Societies, 360kids, Clarico Place and on Georgina Island. We also intend to augment our summer camp programs to offer ones specifically geared to teens.”
York Region District School Board is the third largest school district in Ontario with over 128,000 students in 180 elementary schools and 33 secondary schools. York Region students consistently perform above average in provincial testing and the Board is one of the top achievers in Ontario. For more information about the York Region District School Board, please visit the Board website and follow YRDSB on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn.
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