This is in response to Warren Hamm’s letter, Police liaison officers needed in Greater Victoria schools. In it, he states that “it is imperative for school boards to make decisions that reflect the majority of views in their district, not their own or those of the minority.”
Schools used to exclude students by race and religion because that is what the “majority” wanted. Schools used to teach creationism instead of science because that is what the “majority” wanted. Schools used to restrict the classes students could take based on their gender, because that is what the “majority” wanted. The decisions to change each of these were controversial, too. But fortunately, those in power chose to do what was right, and not what was popular.
As a parent, I don’t want school boards to mindlessly impose what they think the “majority” wants. I want them to look at all the evidence and make a decision in the best interests of all students. And that is what the School District 61 board did.
Anecdotes about pleasant encounters with SPLOs are lovely. But they do not overcome the evidence that these programs risk harming the students who are already the most vulnerable. So I am grateful for all the teachers, staff and board members who are not so quick to sacrifice a minority of students on the majority’s whims.
Laura Floyd
Victoria