The VSB’s Review of Armed Police in Schools Has Not Gone Smoothly
Parents and advocates say the Vancouver School Board is moving too slow and makes it hard to speak at public meetings.
Katie Hyslop is a reporter for The Tyee. Reach her here. SHARES Markiel Simpson of the BC Community Alliance. The alliance has requested the immediate end of the Vancouver School Board’s school liaison officer program.
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It’s been seven months since the Vancouver School Board announced a review of the presence of armed police officers in the city’s schools. An initial draft is expected to be made public in early March.
by Staff on February 1st, 2021 at 1:00 PM 1 of 3 2 of 3
B.C. Premier John Horgan and Rachna Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Anti-Racism Initiatives, issued the following joint statement today (February 1) for Black History Month: Black History Month is a time to honour, celebrate and reflect on the stories, experiences and accomplishments of Black Canadians here in British Columbia and across the country. Our province has been shaped by the contributions of Black Canadians, such as Leonard Lane, who fought discrimination in workplaces, the education system, and in housing. He was also one of the founders of the B.C. Unity Credit Union, which provided loans to young Black families to help them buy their first homes. Or Barbara Howard, the first Black woman athlete to represent Canada in an international competition and the first person of colour to be hired as a teacher by the Vancouver School Board.
VANCOUVER The Vancouver School Board is increasing in-person class time for eighth graders, but other high school students will see no changes to how many hours they spend in the classroom. The VSB’s Well-Being Committee heard from a number of concerned parents during a virtual meeting Wednesday night. Many of the speakers said they are worried students are falling behind and that their mental health is suffering from a lack of social interaction. Lack of direction and too much screen time. My Grade 8 son who has just gone into high school is expected to self-direct and self-manage his own homework and his time. It is way too much to expect,” said Nancy Small, a parent of two high school students.
The Vancouver School Board (VSB) has announced a number of changes to give secondary students more in-person class time while complying with BC’s COVID-19 health and safety requirements.
As it stands, instead of taking eight courses at a time for the whole school year, secondary students are on a quarterly system where they take only two courses at a time. A pair of courses is completed every ten weeks.
The changes are scheduled to being on February 4, 2021, and according to the VSB, allow “for consistency across all 18 secondary schools.”
The first change is that all students in Grade 8 will attend their remote class in person, twice a week. Schools will also go on a one-week rotation between having remote and in-person classes. Finally, all students will have “three interactive learning opportunities” for remote classes with increased social interaction.