Police officers returning to Fredericton schools

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Fredericton Police Force officers will be once again stationed at city schools after council approved an agreement Monday between the force and school district.

The “school resource officer” (SRO) program started in 1995, but was ended in 2019 after then-chief Roger Brown chose to redirect resources to beef up street patrols.

Two officers will now return to schools as early as this September, with one to be stationed full time at Fredericton High School, with visits to Bliss Carmen Middle School and George Street Middle School, and a second at Leo Hayes High School, visiting Devon Middle School and Nashwaaksis Middle School.

Anglophone West School District superintendent David McTimoney approached the force about re-establishing that program about a year ago, Chief Martin Gaudet said, as the populations in local schools continue to climb.

“When you look at the schools here within the city of Fredericton, the two large high schools and four large middle schools, there are over 6,500 students that are served … Fredericton High School is the biggest school in the province with 2,250 students, and Leo Hayes is really in second place with 1,710 students,” McTimoney told council at its Monday meeting.

“So, really big schools, communities within the community here in the city.”

The role of the officers, the superintendent said, will be to “maintain positive and safe learning environments,” and provide a quick response in cases of emergency.

“From time to time there are incidents that occur in these schools, where police presence of a timely nature will be helpful,” McTimoney said. “Creating that safe environment in our schools is always a priority, and this partnership really strengthens that opportunity to do so.”

McTimoney said the desire for the program’s return was not driven by any particular incident.

In a news release Tuesday, Gaudet said the officers would build relationships early with students.

“The cornerstone of the SRO’s role is community policing, and with officers stationed in our schools, it will foster the development of positive attitudes toward police and will help nurture relationships between youth, their families, and public safety partners,” Gaudet said in the release.

“Above the stated mandate, the SROs will provide enforcement, intervention, and education, fostering a safe environment for schools within our community.”

Gaudet was unavailable for interview Tuesday, but police spokesperson Sonya Gilks said the officers’ presence will focus first on “proactive” work.

“The officers present to students in classrooms, staff and community groups, and participate in extracurricular activities and school community events,” she said.

“The SROs also spend a lot of time casually interacting with students and school staff, are visible and available to all students and staff who may need their support, assistance or advice.

They provide information to students on the law, the work of the police, and legal consequences and schools often ask them to mediate situations and assist with conflict resolution.”

The superintendent said the SROs will have office space to meet in private with students, staff and families, but that they will also be expected to circulate often in the school.

“They’ll be out and about in the cafeteria, walking the halls, visiting classrooms, even extra-curricular, attending hockey games and basketball games and drama productions,” he said.

According to a council document, the school district will pay three-quarters of the salary and benefits for a first-class constable.

“Studies and local evaluations indicate that SROs can have a positive impact, resulting in reduced suspensions, arrests for assaults and weapons charges, disciplinary actions, serious school violence, and crime in the areas surrounding schools and improve relationships between law enforcement and youth,” the council document reads.

In an interview, McTimoney said the spend on police presence is worth it for the district – despite ongoing gaps in other staff resources like psychologists and educational assistants.

“Those recruitment challenges still exist,” he said. “It will always be a priority to have education support services staff and those positions filled. The two don’t necessarily compete with each other.”

The superintendent was not certain about the training SROs would receive but said inclusivity may be a part of it, as racial minorities in Canada have long raised concern about profiling by police.

“We want to make sure that our school settings are welcoming, inclusive and safe for everyone. And we know that the diversity in all of our schools, but in particular our Fredericton schools has really changed significantly over the years,” McTimoney said.

“We’re proud of the efforts we’re making in terms of learning and taking that anti-racism stance … I know that the police force is cognizant of that as well.”

McTimoney said the officers have yet to be hired, but the district hopes to have them in schools by September.