‘Profoundly disappointing’: Guelph Police Association reacts to school board’s decision to end police program
Guelph, Ontario. Canada May 22 2021
The head of the Guelph Police Association is finding the decision to end the school police program in Guelph “profoundly disappointing”.
Matt Jotham, president, told the Mike Farwell Show on 570 NEWS officers were part of the school community and were contributing in many different ways.
“Many officers provided many different levels of support for students, the youth, [that experienced] bullying, cyber-bullying. The enforcement piece was also a big part in terms of traffic safety around schools, but also resources for school administrators and staff.”
He said when in-person learning resumes, the decision to discontinue the School Resources Officer role will leave Upper Grand District Schools in Guelph feeling unsafe.
“There’s a number of youth that don’t feel supported by the school system so they rely on speaking to the high school resource officer for advice and direction and guidance. From a frontline perspective — there are drugs in schools, there is violence in schools, there are mental health issues in schools. I truly think schools aren’t capable of handling these issues.”
He warned that without an officer at the school, going forward, school administrators will have to call 911 or ask for officers to be dispatched when a difficult situation arises.
“Another problem arises where not all officers are trained in dealing with youth resolution, mediation, the education act. They don’t know the school community — the dynamics and so on. I do believe that this will be a decision that the Upper Grand District School Board will regret.
“As a parent in the community, as a resident in the community, I am disappointed.”
