News Releases

Hamilton Police Service, Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board, Conseil scolaire Viamonde and Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), marking a step toward building stronger relationships and working together to reimagine a School Resource Officer program.

The goal is a program made in Hamilton, for Hamilton, shaped by the experiences, concerns and ideas of the community it serves.

Community engagement will be central to this work. A public survey launches December 1, 2026, inviting students, families, educators and community members to share their perspectives. Smaller, focused discussions with identified community groups will provide further opportunities to hear about experiences, discuss concerns and explore what a new relationship between police and school communities could look like.

This engagement will help inform how a reimagined program can support students, build trust and benefit the broader Hamilton community.
The work responds to Ontario’s Bill 33, the Supporting Children and Students Act, 2025, and related provincial requirements for school boards to work with local police services on School Resource Officer programs where available. These requirements include community engagement to inform implementation.

Through the MOU and upcoming engagement, Hamilton Police and the four boards will work together to explore how a locally developed program can reflect the needs of Hamilton’s diverse school communities.

Details on how to access the survey and participate will be shared ahead of December 1.

Your experiences matter. Your ideas matter. We want to hear your voice.

Quotes

This renewed partnership is an opportunity to build trust, strengthen relationships and support student safety and well-being. Together with our school boards and community, we want to create a School Resource Officer program made in Hamilton, for Hamilton. That starts with listening. We want students, families and school communities to share their experiences, concerns and ideas to help shape the program.

– Chief Frank Bergen, Hamilton Police Service

The process thus far has been thoughtfully collaborative between Hamilton’s four public school boards and Hamilton Police Service. As we move forward, we know we must learn from past experiences while shaping a reimagined approach for today’s school communities, aligned with the Ministry of Education's direction. As we shape the SRO Program for Hamilton’s public-school boards, we will ensure diverse voices are present to influence and shape the implementation of this Ministry requirement. Our priority is to ensure that every student is valued and treated with kindness, respect, and dignity.

– Sheryl Robinson Petrazzini, Chief Executive Officer, HWDSB

Our longstanding partnership with Hamilton Police Service reflects a shared commitment to supporting young people and the communities we serve. At the heart of Catholic education is a commitment to the dignity and well-being of every young person entrusted to our care. We recognize that students today face increasingly complex challenges, and that relationships grounded in trust, empathy and mutual respect can make a meaningful difference in their lives. We welcome this opportunity to build on the positive relationships already established and to work together with students, families and educators in shaping a program that reflects their voices and contributes to the well-being of our school communities.

– David Hansen, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Education Officer, Hamilton-Wentworth Catholic District School Board

Viamonde est convaincu qu’une école est aussi un milieu de vie où les jeunes apprennent à être des citoyennes et des citoyens engagés, responsables et bien informés. En collaborant avec le Service de police de Hamilton, nous souhaitons offrir à nos élèves des occasions d’échanger ouvertement et en toute confiance avec les personnes qui veillent à la sécurité de leur communauté, de mieux comprendre leur rôle et d’aborder des enjeux qui les touchent directement. Cette initiative s’inscrit dans notre volonté de faire de nos écoles des milieux où le dialogue, la prévention et la collaboration contribuent concrètement au bien-être de chacun.

Viamonde believes that a school is also a community where young people learn to become engaged, responsible, and well-informed citizens. By collaborating with the Hamilton Police Service, we aim to provide our students with opportunities to engage openly and confidently with those who help keep their community safe, to gain a better understanding of their role, and to discuss issues that directly affect them. This initiative reflects our commitment to making our schools environments where dialogue, prevention, and collaboration contribute meaningfully to everyone’s well-being.

– Sébastien Fontaine, Director of Education at Conseil scolaire Viamonde.

Au Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, le bien-être et la sécurité des élèves sont au cœur de notre mission. Nous sommes fiers de nous associer au Service de police de Hamilton et à nos conseils scolaires partenaires dans le cadre de cette initiative visant à renforcer le soutien offert aux élèves grâce au Programme d’agents ressources dans les écoles. La présence d’un agent ressources en milieu scolaire constitue une occasion importante de tisser des liens positifs, de favoriser la confiance et de veiller à ce que les élèves aient accès à des conseils, à du soutien et à des ressources quand ils en ont besoin. Grâce à cette collaboration, les élèves bénéficieront de présentations et d’ateliers offerts en français, ce qui leur permettra de participer, de poser des questions et d’obtenir de l’aide dans leur langue d’enseignement. Ensemble, nous renforçons des communautés scolaires catholiques francophones sécuritaires, inclusives et accueillantes, où chaque élève se sent écouté, valorisé et soutenu », a déclaré Nicole Mollot, directrice de l’éducation du Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir.

At Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir, student well-being and safety are at the heart of our mission. We are proud to partner with the Hamilton Police Service and our fellow school boards in an initiative that will strengthen the support available to students through the School Resource Officer (SRO) program. The presence of an SRO provides an important opportunity to build positive relationships, foster trust, and ensure that students have access to guidance, support and resources when they need them. Through this collaboration, students will also benefit from presentations and workshops delivered in French, helping to ensure that they can engage, ask questions and access support in their language of learning. Together, we are reinforcing safe, inclusive and welcoming French-language Catholic school communities where every student feels heard, valued and supported.

– Nicole Mollot, Director of Education, Conseil scolaire catholique MonAvenir.