OCDSB trustee expresses frustration after recent board meeting
Posted May 11, 2022 10:13:38 PM.
An Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) meeting on May 10 didn't go as planned for one board trustee.
Donna Blackburn, the OCDSB trustee for Barrhaven/Knoxdale-Merivale, expressed frustration on The Sam Laprade Show on Wednesday, May 11 regarding her motion to create a set of standard practices for police responding to incidents at Ottawa schools being shut down at a board meeting on May 10.
A collaboration between law enforcement officers and the OCDSB called the 'School Resource Program' ended after a board vote in June of 2021.
“The current relationship with the police is murky, and that's unacceptable,” said Blackburn. “The relationship needs to be clear, not murky.”
Blackburn said police assistance may be required if a serious incident happens in schools, and had a private conversation about her concerns with the board's director of education.
“I'm very disappointed, she wasn't helpful to me in trying to push this forward, and I would never have brought the motion to the table if I was going to be the only person voting for it,” added Blackburn.
Blackburn said students' safety should be a top priority and plans to bring the motion back after the municipal election this fall.
Listen to the full interview with Donna Blackburn below:
