B.C. fires Victoria School Board over ban on police in schools

Premier David Eby looks on as Minister for Education and Child Care Lisa Beare walks on stage during the swearing-in ceremony at Government House in Victoria, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chad Hipolito

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

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

Beare says the appointment is effective immediately, which will clear the way for the completion of a safety plan for the district.

She says the government has given the board many opportunities to act, but it hasn’t delivered.

Sherri Bell, former president of Camosun College and superintendent of schools in Victoria, has been appointed as the trustee to replace the board.

Police have not been permitted at Victoria schools except in special circumstances since 2023, and the board said it based its decision to ban officers on reports that some students and teachers — particularly those who are Indigenous or people of colour — don’t feel safe with officers in schools.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2025.

The Canadian Press