Education minister sacks Victoria school board over police policy dispute [Video]

British Columbia’s education minister has fired the entire Victoria School Board in a dispute over a safety plan in which the board barred police from schools except in emergencies.

Minister Lisa Beare said student safety was at risk in the district and she had appointed a lone trustee to oversee the district until the next municipal elections, set for the fall of 2026.

“Our government has given this board multiple opportunities to act, and they have not delivered,” Beare said in a statement.

She said the appointment was effective immediately, clearing the way for the completion of a safety plan for the district.

“The decision to remove an elected board is a difficult one, but it is necessary to bring our collective focus in School District 61 back to where it belongs, supporting students,” she said of the Victoria district.

Sherri Bell, former president of Camosun College and superintendent of …