The Greater Victoria School Board has escalated its dispute with the Education Minister over school police liaison officers (SPLOs) by posting three new safety plan versions and threatening legal action. The board, facing potential termination for defying the minister’s orders, accuses her of overstepping her authority and claims it lacks control over SPLOs.
After an earlier safety plan was rejected by the education minister, the Greater Victoria School Board posted three more versions on Monday and warned it is ready to go to court over the issue of school police liaison officers. Facing termination if they don’t comply with Education Minister Lisa Beare’s orders, the board released a 3,000-word memo accompanying a motion that tries to deflect the issue back to the minister.
It defies her on specific counts, rejects her general authority, hints at a split between the board and its senior staff, and discloses that the special adviser appointed by Beare has given up trying to work with the board. The three versions of a safety plan were produced rapid fire over three days last week. Board chair Nicole Duncan on Dec. 24 asked for two versions, one that included school police liaison officers and one that did not. The memo said she got “no substantive response” from staff or from special adviser Kevin Godden. A single draft was produced Jan. 2, but the board found it “problematic.” Among other things, the memo said it “abrogated the board’s statutory duty to have ultimate oversight of all educational programs.” The board has repeatedly complained that it doesn’t have authority over SPLOs, citing that as one of the reasons why it cancelled the program in 2023. It asked the next day for another version that would limit police involvement in schools and require board approval for any police presence. Hours later, Godden notified the board he could no longer do his job “with the integrity it was intended” and was no longer willing to advise the board. Staff then forwarded another safety-plan version. The board amended that into a third version, all of which were posted Monday. The references to rejecting staff reports echo the revelation from former deputy superintendent Harold Caldwell in November that he took early retirement over how toxic the work environment got over the school police liaison issue
SCHOOL POLICE EDUCATION MINISTER SAFETY PLAN SCHOOL BOARD LEGAL ACTION
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