British Columbia Education Minister Asks Greater Victoria School Board to Update Safety Plan to Address ‘Increased’ Gang Activity

The province of British Columbia is requesting an updated student safety plan for the Greater Victoria School District (SD61), following discussions with the school board and police and reports of gang recruitment at local schools.

The province says the board must develop its own “proactive, coordinated” safety plan, which will address “increased” gang activity, crime prevention and crisis response, and submit the plan to British Columbia’s Education Minister by Nov. 15.

READ PREVIOUSLY: Unprecedented gang recruitment taking place in Greater Victoria schools, counselor says

This comes after SD61 ended its police liaison program at the end of the 2023 school year. The decision sparked ongoing controversy, including calls from Victoria Police (VicPD) to reinstate the officers over gang-related activities.

Earlier this year, people held a rally outside SD61 headquarters to draw attention to what police said was an increase in gang recruitment in schools in the capital region.

“Gang activity in Greater Victoria has increased and a primary target of their activity is our youth. We currently have seven street gangs operating in the Greater Victoria area and gang recruitment through our schools is increasing,” VicPD Chief Del Manak said in February.

“Gangs have successfully recruited members from middle and high schools in SD61 to deal drugs and vaping products, which are illegal for young people to possess,” he added.

According to him, students aged 11 and older were targeted.

When the program was abolished, SD61 said other professionals, such as counselors and teachers, could better provide the services the officers provided in local schools.

However, Manak later stressed the need for school liaisons and in July, members of the detachment’s Mobile Youth Service Team had a heated exchange with the British Columbia Human Rights Commissioner about the impact since the program ended.

They said some children felt less safe at school.

However, the commissioner said the liaison officer program should not be reintroduced unless there is clear evidence of its benefits, even as the premier of British Columbia and local councils, including Victoria, Saanich and Oak Bay, also urged its return.

Police had no data indicating that criminal activity or gang recruitment increased after the contacts were removed from schools.

READ PREVIOUSLY:

Now the province says SD61 must develop its own plan, in partnership with local police departments, that “will help address safety concerns … and ensure that the best prevention approaches and protections for children are in place.”

The province says that in a “key part” of developing the plan, the board will detail how it will work with police, First Nations, individuals, organizations and service providers involved in supporting student well-being.

“This will promote mutual respect, support, integrity, accountability and the principles of equity, diversity and inclusion within the plan and for the broader school community,” a province press release said.

The province says the safety plan:

• Addressing increased gang activity, safety issues, crime prevention and crisis response in schools within the school district
• Include a commitment to improve the relationship between government and police
• Identify proactive safety, crime prevention, and crisis response strategies that can be implemented in the district’s schools, including student safety supports immediately needed for the 2024-2025 school year.
• Develop a trauma-informed approach to interactions between students and police officers to promote positive and respectful relationships
• Include a protocol for communication and coordination between the board and the police
• Describe the respective roles and responsibilities of the administration and police in implementing preventive approaches and responses to safety concerns affecting students and the school community.
• Establish a process for changing the safety plan, including collaboration with the police, and ensure that the Minister is notified in writing of changes 60 days in advance.

CHEK News reached out to SD61 for comment.

Once the board receives approval from the minister, it can implement the plan. The full administrative guideline can be found here.