Statement on the SRO Program from a TDSB Teacher (who prefers to remain

anonymous)

I am teacher in a TDSB high school with an SRO and I am opposed to the SRO program.

Many of my students, particularly racialized and immigrant students, do not feel safe with a
TPS officer in the school. These students face racial profiling and harassment from the
police in their neighbourhoods and are intimidated by, and anxious about, the presence of
armed and uniformed police officers in our school. We work so hard to make our school feel
welcoming, safe and inclusive and the SRO program undermines our efforts.

We have had students complain about the SRO pressuring them to join police-youth
sporting activities and, more seriously, about being stopped, detained or searched in the
hallway without being informed of their rights. We have heard rumours of an abusive
search and arrest on school property that was filmed by concerned students. We had an
SRO in a central office for several years with access to student records. We have had a
uniformed and armed police officer attending staff meetings. We have also watched
uniformed and armed police officers deliver poorly designed workshops on 'bullying and
harassment' to students, including many who have actually been bullied and harassed by
the police. Sensitive and skilled TDSB Equity Department staff used to deliver workshops
on gender-based violence and racism instead.

Furthermore, we have wondered why our school with a racially and ethnically diverse
student population has to have an SRO while the neighbouring schools with mainly white
student populations don't.

It is unclear to me as a teacher why they are in our school in the first place.

We were told it was for the police to be able to build better relationships with students by
helping them see the police in a more positive light. If this is the case, the students are
being treated as the problem rather than the police's profiling, surveillance, and harassment
of racialized and immigrant communities.

My students deserve to be respected and heard. They deserve a welcoming and safe
environment to learn in. They deserve support and guidance from trained and caring
counselors, youth workers and social workers rather than uniformed and armed police
officers. Please end the SRO program!