Ontario Human Rights Commission calls for evidence-based Education Act amendments

The Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) has shared its submission on Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, which proposes to amend Ontario’s Education Act, 1990, reviving discussions on police presence in the province’s publicly funded schools. 

In a news release, the OHRC explained the bill aims to update the Education Act to require school boards to work with local police services in implementing school resource officer (SRO) programs. 

The OHRC urged the province to ensure that amendments to the Education Act and the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act, 1990, would align with the Ontario Human Rights Code, 1990. 

The OHRC stressed the importance of prioritizing student dignity and safety, fostering inclusive educational institutions, and promoting equality, safety, and support for all students as the province reforms its education system. 

The OHRC highlighted the lack of evidence showing that SRO programs are effective. The OHRC said police presence in schools could reinforce, perpetuate, or worsen the negative experiences of students with disabilities and Indigenous, Black, and 2SLGBTQ+ students. 

The OHRC noted that school boards have implemented SRO programs across Ontario, then later removed some programs. 

The OHRC shared that communities have spoken out about their experiences with and the dangers arising from SRO and police-in-schools programs and pushed to replace these programs with social supports like hiring peer support staff, counsellors, and mental health professionals. 

Recommendations

In its submission to the Ministry of Education, the OHRC made the following recommendations to help ensure that the bill promotes the protection of rights in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: 

• evidence-based amendments to the Education Act, given the evidence showing significant harm associated with SRO programs 
• a provincial review of these programs to analyze their effects on students and reflect the lived and living experiences of those most disproportionately impacted – Black, Indigenous, and 2SLGBTQ+ students 
• student well-being investments, such as social supports and in-class and in-school strategies promoting young people’s attachment to education and the school community 

In its submission to the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security (MCURES), the OHRC suggested that the bill’s contemplated changes to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act include a clear definition of “merit” to reduce risks of misinterpretation. 

In its news release, the OHRC emphasized that college and university admissions should affirm the principles of substantive equality. 

“Central to educating students must be a commitment to uphold the dignity, self-worth, well-being, and safety of students,” the OHRC said in its news release. “This is foundational to a robust economy.”