B.C.’s education minister has ordered the Greater Victoria School Board to come up with a safety plan to tackle gang activity and improve relations with police.
The order, issued Tuesday, gives the district until Nov. 15 to develop a “proactive, co-ordinated safety plan that will help address safety concerns in the school district and ensure the best prevention approaches and protections are in place for kids.”
The school district scrapped its school liaison program last year, over concerns that police on school grounds were having an impact on Black and Indigenous students.
Earlier this year, Victoria Police Chief Del Manak warned that gangs were actively recruiting students near school properties and cited the end of the program as a continuing factor.
Tuesday’s order directs the district to work with local police in developing the safety plan.
The plan must address increased gang activity, crime prevention and crisis response in schools, and “include a commitment to improving the relationship between the board and the police,” the Ministry of Education said.
The plan must also establish a “trauma-informed approach for interactions between students and police officers to foster positive and respectful relationships” and include a protocol for communication and coordination between the board and police.
The ministry said the board must also detail how it will work with police, First Nations and service providers to support the safety and well-being of students.