Ontario's New Police-in-Schools Regulation

On July 1, 2026, the Province of Ontario brought into force new legislative changes under the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, including Ontario Regulation 176/26 - Work with Local Police Services.

This regulation changes how every publicly funded school board in Ontario, including the HWDSB, must work with its local police service.

For many people, this important change has gone largely unnoticed. Regardless of where you stand on the issue, I believe parents, guardians and community members deserve to understand what has changed and what it could mean for our schools.

What is Ontario Regulation 176/26?

The regulation requires school boards to cooperate with their local police service in several prescribed areas, including:

• Emergency preparedness and lockdown drills.

• Road and traffic safety education.

• Youth engagement and mentorship programs.

• Community safety initiatives.

• Career days and school events.

• School Resource Office (SRO) programs*, where an eligible program is offered by the local police service.

If a local police service offers an eligible School Resource Officer program, the board is required to enter into an agreement, notify families, and consult with students, parents and the community regarding implementation.

This means locally elected trustees no longer decide whether boards cooperate with police in these prescribed areas. Instead, their responsibility is to oversee how the legislation is implemented within their communities.

What is the Province hoping to achieve?

According to the Province, these changes are intended to:

• Improve school safety.

• Strengthen emergency preparedness and response.

• Build positive relationships between youth and police.

• Increase opportunities for mentorship and education.

• Encourage collaboration between schools and law enforcement during emergencies and community events.

Whether these goals are achieved will ultimately depend on how the regulation is implemented locally (by the Board).

Why are some people opposed?

Not everyone supports increased police involvement in schools.

Some parents, educators and advocacy organiztions have expressed concerns about:

• Student privacy and information sharing.

• The impact police presence may have on some students, particularly students from marginalized communities.

• Whether schools should remain separate from law enforcement except during emergencies.

• The Province reducing the decision making authority of locally elected school boards.

These are important concerns that deserve thoughful discussion and careful consideration.

My Perspective

I support this legislation.

Schools have a legal and moral duty to provide a safe, caring and respectful learning environment. Parents trust schools with their children every day, and that responsibility should never be taken lightly.

Today's educators and administrators face increasingly complex challenges. They are expected to manage behavioural issues, bullying, mental health concerns, substance use, threats of violence and emergencies while working within the requirements of the Education Act, board policies and progressive discipline procedures.

Many prinicpals and school staff work incredibly hard under difficult circumstances. They must balance student rights, procedural fairness and legal obligations before significant disciplinary action can be taken. Those safeguards exist for good reason, but they can also make responding quickly to serious situations more challenging.

I believe that a positive police presence can be part of the solution.

This is not about criminalizing students or creating fear in our schools.

It's about providing another layer of support for students, staff and families.

Strong partnerships between schools and police can improve emergency prepardeness, help deter illegal activity such as drug trafficking or violence, strengthen school security, and foster positive relationships between young people and law enforcement. When officers become familiar, approachable members of the school community, students are more likely to see them as trusted professionals who are there to help, educate and protect, not simply enforce the law.

Like many parents, I have watched incidents across Canada in which school staff have struggled to safely respond to serious violence or significant behavioural incidents. While every situation is different, I believe schools should have access to every appropriate resource available to help keep students and staff safe.

There are still important questions

While I support the overall direction of this legislature, I also believe transparancy and accountability are essential.

One area I intend to explore further is the regulation's policy and information sharing provisions. Parents deserve to understand how student information will be protected, what information, if any, may be shared with police, and what safeguards are in place.

Supporting safer schools and protecting student privacy should go hand in hand.

These questions deserve thoughtful discussion at the Board table, and I intend to ask them. As your school trustee candidate, student safety is my highest priority. My own child was bullied and physically assaulted at one of our schools. I know what it feels like to send emails that go unanswered, wait for phone calls that never come, and spend sleepless nights wondering whether your child will be safe the next day. That experience is one reason I believe positive partnerships with local police can be part of creating safer schools.

What do you think?

I'd genuinely like to hear your perspective.

• Do you think the Province made the right decision by introducing this legislation?

• Do you believe stronger partnerships with local police will improve school safety?

• Or do you feel the legislation gives the Province too much control over locally elected school boards?

There are thoughtful arguments on both sides, and respectful discussion is important.

As your candidate for HWDSB School Trustee for Wards 11 and 12, I will continue researching these changes, listening to our community, and advocting for decisions that put safety, well being and success of students first.

Please leave your thoughts below. If I earn the privilege of representing Wards 11 and 12, your feedback will help shape the questions I ask and the positions I take at the Board table. Whether you support this legislation or oppose it, I want to hear from you. My job is to listen, advocate and ensure your voice is heard.

-Melissa

*School Resource Officer (SRO) Program: To learn more, I invite you to read my companion blog explaining why the HWDSB discontinued the SRO program in 2020, what Ontario's new legislation requires today, and what those changes could mean for Hamilton families.