Dear Parents and Guardians:
The London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) and the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), in collaboration with London Police Service, Ontario Provincial Police West Region, St. Thomas Police Service, Strathroy-Caradoc Police Service, and Woodstock Police Service are offering a voluntary parent/guardian, student and graduate survey to collect information about student experiences with the School Resource Officer (SRO) program.
This is an opportunity for us to understand the School Resource Officer program through the lens of systemic racism and the experience and perception of young people, parents and past graduates who are from Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour communities. We want to understand the program with regard to inclusion, relationship building, respect and sharing of responsibilities/power. We would also like to learn about the experiences of these community members with police in general.
Why Are We Doing This Survey?
In May 2020, following the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the worldwide protests against racism and racial injustice, Trustees and school board staff received questions about the role of policing in the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) from community leaders.
A process was established to create a Leadership Team with representatives from the two school boards (LDCSB and TVDSB) and the police services that provide the School Resource Officer programs in schools. Community leaders representing Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour communities were also invited to be part of the Leadership Team. A working committee was further established to assist in carrying out the work of this review. To inform this survey, 43 Black, Indigenous, & People of Colour students were interviewed.
As part of the review of the School Resource Officer program we are looking to gather feedback from:
- Students Grade 6 – 12 attending a LDCSB or TVDSB school
- Families with students in Grade 6 -12 attending a LDCSB or TVDSB school
- Past graduates of LDCSB or TVDSB
What Will Students Be Asked To Do?
The survey will be open beginning May 17, 2021 until June 15, 2021. Students in Grades 6 to 12 will be invited to complete the survey which should take about 5-10 minutes to complete. You and your child(ren) (Grade 6 and up) can access the survey on this webpage, click here. You and your child(ren) will have the option to skip any question that they prefer not to answer, and responses to all questions that they answer will be included in the analysis without any identifying information.
Do Students Have to Complete the Survey?
The survey is voluntary. The decision to complete the survey is yours and your child’s. You or your child(ren) can decide not to complete the survey and there will be no negative effects of making that choice. If your child is under 18 years of age, they will be asked confirm that you have read the information about the survey before they continue to the survey questions.
What Happens with the Survey Results?
Survey responses will be collected by the Centre for Organizational Effectiveness (CfOE) – a third-party consultant that has been engaged to assist with this review. Survey responses will be securely stored in a database and analyzed by a member of CfOE. A summary of the results will be shared with the working committee and Leadership Team. Individual responses and any information that could identify a student, parent, guardian, or family will remain confidential and will not be shared.
Where Can Parents, Caregivers, and Students Find More Information?
If you have questions, please email [email protected] or phone 519-663-2088 x40008.