New research shows why Winnipeg schools feel unsafe for Black and Indigenous students

New research from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that racism in schools, as well as police in schools, are some of the main reasons schools feel unsafe for Black and Indigenous students.

The report, titled, ‘Safer Schools Without Policing Indigenous and Black Lives in Winnipeg, is based on interviews with 24 youth, 13 parents and legal guardians, and two key informants.

Most of the participants were Indigenous and/or Black and went to schools or had kids who went to schools in the North End or Downtown Winnipeg.

The research found that police involvement in schools targets racialized students, criminalizes their behaviours, and interferes with their right to privacy and safety.

Fadi Ennab, the lead researcher, said he undertook this study to find out what Black and Indigenous families felt about policing in schools and safety in schools.

“The findings are first that racism is a big issue in the lives of Indigenous and Black families in the school system. This is a historic and an ongoing issue,” he said in an interview on Wednesday.

Ennab added that having police in schools compounds the issue.

“It aggravates it. It escalates the situation, and often leads to criminalizing and targeting Indigenous and Black families, which is also pushing them out of school with long-term impacts emotionally, physically, psychologically, and also in terms of social outcomes in the community,” he said.

The report recommends ending policing in schools, having diverse educators and staff who are trained in anti-racism, and providing resources and support such as Elders, counselors, educational assistants or social workers.

It also suggests that schools gather data on police involvement and equity-related information to implement anti-racism guidelines and policies.

Ennab said though this type of research has been done before, this report is significant as it shows this is an issue in Winnipeg.

“It’s hard for politicians and school administrations to ignore this research because now it’s not just a U.S. or a North American problem – it’s a Winnipeg problem,” he said.

Ennab said his hope going forward is that we can now have open discussions in the Winnipeg school system.

“Sometimes we ignore the racism that’s happening in our own sight, in our backyards, in our classrooms, in our hallways,” he said.

Ennab did the study in partnership with grassroots advocacy group Police-Free Schools Winnipeg.

Winnipeg police said in a statement to CTV News Winnipeg that there continues to be misunderstandings and misinformation about school resource officers, adding the program is in place to help divert youth from the justice system.

“The small study that you referenced by Fadi Ennab, involved 24 youths, 13 parents/legal guardians, and two other sources, is not specific to the School Resource Officer (SRO) Program in Winnipeg and appears to be impacted by global and national perceptions regarding SRO,” the statement said.

Police cited a survey from the Prairie Research Associates that found 74 per cent of Winnipeg respondents said it was important to them to have police provide crime education safety in schools. This was up from 68 per cent in 2019.

“The report makes a number of recommendations to education leaders that the Winnipeg Police Service fully supports and implements for our own members such as anti-racist training and policies, hire diversity, and equity initiatives. The WPS also employs a trauma-informed equity approach and will continue our efforts to strengthen the positive relations with the community.”