EDUCATION

1. COPE will foster education policies that promote inclusive, equitable, accepting, and safe school environments for students.
2. COPE will see the classroom and services to the classroom as its first priority.
3. COPE is opposed to the School Liaison Officer program and will replace the School Liaison Officer program with increased youth mental health support and teacher counselors.
4. COPE will explore using school facilities for before and after-school childcare, for child and youth-centred arts and sports programming, and for school gardens.
5. COPE will insist that all school properties are public lands.
6. COPE will restore neighborhood schools.
7. COPE will promote environmental safety in schools by:
8. Demanding that the provincial government provide more funding and approve faster builds for schools that need replacement and in communities where new schools are needed
9. Mandating renewable energy sources on all new builds and major renovations.
10. Implementing an urgent action plan for environmental safety including seismic upgrades & air-quality regulation.
11. Opposing any city development near schools that would result in a significant shadowing of classrooms and playgrounds during school hours.
12. COPE will support student learning by:
13. Facilitating Indigenous educational practices within educational settings and programming.
14. Adopting recommendations from the BC Human Rights Commission to respond to and eliminate racism in schools.
15. Maintaining Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity education and resources in schools.
16. Aligning special education funding with identified special education needs. This includes advocating for per-student funding for high incidence special needs students (students with learning disabilities) and those who need moderate behavior support.
17. COPE will prioritize public education by reviewing and implementing equitable taxation policy to adequately fund schools, advocating for increased funding and smaller class sizes, repair and replacement of aging school facilities, eliminating public funding for private schools, and supporting tuition-free adult basic education (ABE) programs.
18. COPE will fight for transparency and accountability at the Vancouver School Board (VSB) by promoting engagement with parents, students, unions, employees and the broader community in VSB decision making through:
19. Open, moderated live-streamed, meetings which allow for online questions, commentary, and input
20. Town halls, brainstorming sessions, and participatory budget processes with delegations
21. Transparent and ongoing oversight of the Superintendent as the sole employee of the trustees
22. Conducting regular reviews of governance and operational policies to promote the empowerment of elected trustees to make decisions on improving public education.
23. Fewer private board meetings
24. COPE is opposed to the 2026 spring implementation of Microsoft CoPilot at VSB, including the use of GenAI and chatbots in Vancouver schools.
25. COPE will put a pause on the use of GenAI and chatbots.
26. COPE will engage and consult with stakeholders and the broader community to implement a technology audit with a specific focus on the use of AI in schools.
27. COPE will engage and consult with stakeholders and the broader community to create VSB policies and procedures to address the concerns below:
28. Safety and privacy for students
29. Impact of AI usage on learning outcomes
30. Impact of AI usage on student mental health
31. Equity of technology resources
32. Need for transparent and robust consultation with stakeholders and community on AI usage and adoption in schools.
33. Impact on the use of and validity of results when AI is used for public engagement and consultation.
34. Impact on climate and the environment of AI usage and adoption
35. Lack of student AI usage policies and procedures
36. Lack of staff AI usage policies and procedures
37. VSB practises potentially in conflict with proposed Federal Bill C-34, The Safe Social Media Act
38. COPE will support visual and performance arts and music programs in schools.
39. COPE will support educators to teach about complex and controversial topics, including but not limited to the history and ongoing impact of residential schools and colonization, the Trans-Atlantic slave trade, anti-Black racism, and the struggle for freedom and equality made by People of African descent, the history and contemporary realities of Palestine, and related global conflicts, and other local, national, and international issues where multiple perspectives exist.