by Henry MacDougall
Season's Greetings, and welcome to the December edition of the Dragon’s Pen.

QUESTIONS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL TRUSTEES

The newly elected school board was sworn in at the inaugural meeting on November 7 and I decided to send them a series of questions seeking their positions on four issues concerning King George and our West End community.

The questions I asked were on the following issues: 1. The redevelopment of King George Secondary, 2. Overcrowding in schools, 3. Decolonization of school names, and 4. the School Liaison Officer (SLO) Progam.

I did receive a preliminary response from one of the trustees, Jennifer Reddy (One City Vancouver). This response did not, however, include answers to my questions, and it was quickly followed by a note from the VSB communications department promising to get back with details.

As of press time, my questions remain unanswered.

In the meantime, the school board held their first regular meeting on Monday November 28. The most controversial item on the agenda was a motion to move ahead on re-instating the SLO program.

The program began in 1972 with an officer stationed at Killarney Secondary, and continued until its cancellation in 2021, at which point there were officers in all 17 high schools in the district.

Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a Minneapolis police officer and subsequent protests about the police, the Vancouver School Board faced calls to get police officers out of VSB schools.

The board commissioned a report, using input from students and stakeholders, that "centred the voices of students who self-identified as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) and/or with direct experience with the SLO program itself."

Following presentation of the report and after hearing from stakeholders and community members, the board voted to discontinue the SLO program and continue to work with police regarding emergency protocol, training, information sessions for students and gang intervention referral and communication.

The first ever liaison officer in a Vancouver school, Officer Mears, started his service at Killarney Secondary in 1972.

The current School Board's composition includes four ABC trustees and one former ABC trustee, out of a total of nine trustees. The ABC party, the same party that our current mayor, Ken Sim ran with, campaigned on a pledge to bring the SLO program back.

Various groups and individuals have voiced why they believe that the liaison program is a bad idea. The BC Community Alliance, a local, Black-led organization, condemned the move to reinstate SLO. The program was cancelled back in April of 2021 and the decision to end the program was influenced by claims of unequal treatment by the officers. The current board heard from many public delegations and stakeholders at meetings during the week of November 21-25, although the Vancouver District Parent Advisory Council complained via Twitter that the motion people were speaking about was only shared hours before the first delegations were scheduled to speak.

The majority of the students I talked to believe that the program sounds like a bad idea, this opinion being owed to the intimidating reputation that the police have. However, the teachers felt the opposite, feeling that they could help keep students in line, while also forming good citizens. A parent I talked to expressed support for the program, although their reason was that it would help their child stay safe. Although this is completely true, it should be a high priority to make sure that every student is made safe.

On Monday, November 28, 5 out of 9 of the trustees voted to send a letter to Police Chief Adam Palmer asking for a plan to bring police officers back into schools by September of 2023. Student trustee, Mia Liu asked that students be consulted about the issue.

At this point, I’m not sure if KG will be getting a police officer back.

WORLD CUP AT KING GEORGE

This November, students all over KG watched excitedly as the FIFA World Cup kicked off. But it wasn’t just the students who were interested, as some teachers even turned on the game for the students to watch.

Unfortunately, Canada lost to Croatia and did not continue on. On the bright side, Alphonso Davies, who scored the goal is now the first Canadian man to score a goal in a FIFA tournament!

RISING VANDALISM?

However, it wasn’t all fun and games this last month, as an announcement was issued recognizing that there had been a higher amount of vandalism in the school. Students were reminded to respect the school, so everyone can have a better time.

SEMESTER VS LINEAR SCHEDULES

We also had a block switch this November, meaning that the first and second blocks switched place, as well as the third and fourth.

This process is meant to balance students’ education, as some students might focus better at different times of the day. The VSB sent a survey to parents and caregivers asking for their opinions on our current semester system, compared to our older linear system.