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Les Leyne: Board’s opposition to police in schools puts racialized people in ‘victim role,’ says youth counsellor

28 1
01.05.2024

It would be good to report that the Greater Victoria School Board at least expressed some concern Monday after hearing a persuasive and alarming case as to how profoundly wrong its decision to scrap the school police liaison officer program is.

But it didn’t happen that way.

Mia Golden, a veteran youth counsellor who has spent years working on the Mobile Youth Services Team, briefed them in passionate detail about the damage that decision is doing and how badly the program is needed.

At one point, she said: “My hope is, with so much at stake, board members will reach out with questions…”

Board chair Nicole Duncan cut her off exactly at the five-minute mark, as per the rules. Then the trustees asked a handful of innocuous questions that completely bypassed the points she made. Then it was on to other business.

It was not hostile or rude. They thanked her for her service. But it could only be summed up as polite indifference to the essentials of the case she made.

Golden joined the long, growing list of people and groups who are objecting to the decision to ban police from district schools on the........

© Times Colonist


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