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Review of School Resource Officer Program released

Wed, 14 Jun, 2023

News item: Review of School Resource Officer Program released

Today, the Edmonton Public Schools Board of Trustees released an independent research report on the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program at Edmonton Public Schools. 

Three years ago, Trustees passed a motion at their June 23, 2020 Board meeting to conduct an independent review of the SRO program. 

This study was intentionally focused on only the voices of racialized and otherwise marginalized students. To hear more perspectives, the Board will conduct further engagement in the fall. No decisions on the SRO program will be made until after the engagement is complete. 

The SRO program is currently suspended in Edmonton Public Schools.

Statement from the Board of Trustees

The Board of Trustees values input from students, staff, families and community. We are committed to high-quality public education that serves the community and empowers each student to live a life of dignity, fulfillment, empathy and possibility.

Thank you to students and families who participated in the School Resource Officer (SRO) evaluative study for their time and for sharing their experiences.

The Board of Trustees is committed to safe schools. We are also committed to listening, learning and hearing more about safety in schools. We believe the SRO study is one piece of information, but know that many voices were not heard through this study. Further engagement, in particular with students and staff, is required to ensure we have a fulsome conversation about what school safety should look like in Edmonton Public Schools.

To gather more information and hear more perspectives, we will be conducting further engagement in the fall. No decisions on the SRO program will be made until after the engagement is complete.

We appreciate the patience of the Edmonton Public Schools community as the Board of Trustees, working with the Superintendent, continues the conversation. We will have more to share in fall 2023.

—Edmonton Public Schools Board of Trustees