BONNYVILLE - They’ve become a friendly face to local students after 10 years of walking down their halls.
What started as a way of creating a safer community has turned into a decade of educating students on anything from cyber-bullying to drug and alcohol awareness.
School resource officers were brought into area classrooms in 2009 following a report released by the province two years prior that contained a list of recommendations for municipalities on ways to create a safer community. According to director of public safety for the MD, Chris Garner, there was one suggestion that stood out: the school resource officer initiative.
“There were (recommendations) where our hands were tied and we really couldn’t do any action on them, but one of the things that we could do that the council at the time grabbed onto was school resource officers. They felt there was value at having a resource officer in the schools,” he detailed. “At that point they wanted to do it because most of the youth in the area would be impacted by it, it was a one-stop-shop program.”
It took roughly two years to get the program up and running, but once it became recognized in the community, schools just couldn’t get enough of it.
“In the beginning, it was just about earning the respect and confidence from the staff in the different school divisions as well as the students,” exclaimed MD peace officer Trish Gillett, one of the original founders of the program and current school resource officer.
Garner said, “I think the biggest change since (it started) has been the integration into the day-to-day school life. Initially, it was a little more difficult to get into the school and I think it was because a lot of the schools weren’t aware of the different options they had… so they were a little unsure on how to utilize one and how to fit them into their curriculums. We quickly realized that we had to give them something to refer to so they could see where they could use these school resource officers.”
Lakeland Catholic School District (LCSD) deputy superintendent Pamela Guilbault said the program is “valuable," and is grateful the MD of Bonnyville continues to offer it to their district.
“They assist our students in making informed choices through its mandate, which is awareness through education and positive role modeling.”
She added, “The peace officers work on building healthy and trusting relationships with the children in the school by being present in the schools.”
Whether it’s through educational workshops, learning sessions, or other programming, youth are learning from “a trusted adult that they learn to rely on through their role modeling,” Guilbault exclaimed.
The bonds their students form with the officers is an added bonus, said Art Smith Aviation Academy principal Chris Vining, noting school resource officers start working with the kids at a young age to "give them that comfort level, and also as they get older, (the officers) introduce new programs, whether it's on relationships or bullying... I think it's good community relationships and it gives them an understanding of what goes on in the community."
He added, “It’s just good for our kids to know that there’s knowledge outside of these walls."
Garner agreed.
“I think it's important for them to have a positive relationship with law enforcement, sometimes the only things they see are the necessary but negative interactions that have to happen. This way, we’re leaving our world and going into their world. When they see us in their world, they see us differently, and I think that’s an important relationship for us to have because in the future, if they need us or someone else from law enforcement, they have that basic relationship and they understand how we’re going to act and what we’re going to do.”
School resource officers spend time in schools teaching youth through various programs. Most of their sessions fit within the students’ curriculums and are geared towards a specific age group.
For example, Garner said, the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) initiative works with the Grade 6 science curriculum. The students take part in three sessions: theory, a fingerprint lab, and mock crime scene.
Schools also have the option of having an officer present information on impaired driving, drug awareness, sexting, self-esteem, or racism and hate crimes, among others.
“It’s a different flare to some of the various curricular programs because the programs they run and the grade levels they offer them in are directly related to health or even science, depending on their outcomes,” expressed Vining. “It’s a nice way to deliver different voice, style, and hands-on programming.”
Since its inception 10 years ago, Gillett has seen the program change with the times. Now, they’re teaching youth about the legalization of cannabis in addition to their ever-popular Halloween and ATV safety courses.
Gillett stressed, “Things are changing so rapidly and we’re able to stay on top of that… It just constantly changes and by interacting with the students, we can stay on top of what’s trending in the schools and how to approach it.”
She noted with almost all youth having access to social media and cellphones, their sexting and cyber-bullying teaching opportunities are growing in popularity.
“Students need to understand the implications behind their actions and not just the law behind that but the emotional impact on people as well.”
She continued, “I build some really good relationships with the students and we provide education on different situations they may be exposed to, like drugs… and it’s really important that someone shares that information and the implications and physical harm it can do, in addition to the addiction component. Not only that, but the mental health issues behind the body image and self-esteem, whether it’s through cyber-bullying or social media. The reality is, kids are faced with social media and you can’t take that away. That has an impact on their self-esteem.”
Associate superintendent for teaching and learning for Northern Lights Public Schools (NLPS), Jimmi Lou Irvine, feels school resource officers have “created an opportunity to have an enforcement officer in our buildings forming relationships with our students and staff, educating them and creating a higher level of awareness and understanding.”
“It’s so key for our students to see people in uniform as people that can help them and people that will help them address a variety of concerns rather than someone who is always acting on an enforcement side. We want our students to be able to develop that relationship and understanding that those that serve us in those positions are in those positions to help keep us safe and build a positive community,” she added.
MD Reeve Greg Sawchuk explained the municipality has heard nothing but positive feedback from the staff, students, and parents from both school divisions.
“For the school resource program, it’s been widely acknowledged by the schools that it has been a real benefit to the students and we get a lot of comments from parents as well on the benefits of it," he stated. "It really goes to providing our kids a chance to see the peace officers as a representation of an authority figure in a friendly manner. I think that goes a long way."
