Minister rejects Victoria school safety plan, appoints special adviser to revise it – BC [Video]

B.C.’s education minister has rejected a safety plan drafted by the Greater Victoria School Board and appointed a special adviser to “revise and improve” the framework.

In September, the province gave the district a two-month deadline to draft the plan which it said was needed to tackle gang activity and improve relations with police.

The district scrapped its school liaison officer program last year over concerns that police on school grounds were having an impact on Black and Indigenous students.

Earlier this year, Victoria Police Chief Del Manak warned that gangs were actively recruiting students near school properties and cited the end of the program as a continuing factor.

On Friday, Education Minister Lisa Beare tapped former Abbotsford School District superintendent Kevin Godden to serve as the special advisor.

“It is a top priority of our government that schools must be welcoming places where all students and staff can come to learn and grow safely,” Beare …