The number of police officers patrolling the hallways at Toronto public schools has dropped in recent years, despite a spike in weapons-related suspensions.

During the last school year, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) handed out 73 suspensions and expulsions for possession of a weapon, according to records obtained recently by CTV Toronto. That is nearly double from the previous year, when there were 42 such cases.

Despite the increase, however, the number of school resource officers has been on the decline since the introduction of the program following the 2007 shooting death of a Grade 9 student.

Jordan Manners was fatally shot inside C.W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute, a west-end school located in the Finch Avenue West and Sentinel Road area, on May 23, 2007. His death was the first-ever fatal shooting inside a Toronto high school.

Months later, in early 2008, Police Chief Bill Blair approached the board about implementing the school resource officer program. When it was rolled out that same year, there were 50 police officers assigned to TDSB schools.

That number has since dropped to 38. Those officers are shared between 65 different schools across the city, including North Albion Collegiate Institute, where 19-year-old Hamid Aminzada was fatally stabbed in the hallway this September.

Police have previously said Aminzada was attempting to defuse a fight when he was stabbed at lunchtime on Sept. 23. The board has since launched an independent investigation into his death. It will look at the events leading up to the stabbing at the Etobicoke school, and methods to prevent similar incidents. An interim report is expected to be presented on Nov. 26.

Aminzada's death has raised questions about implementing metal detectors at Toronto high schools. TDSB director of education Donna Quan has previously said she is not in favour of the idea.

According to Quan, there are many factors in creating a safe learning environment for students, including community involvement.

"Ultimately, the community and the students in the school, and the people who are there every day…contribute to the school’s safety," Quan told CTV Toronto. "Certainly having an officer helps, but it is not the only answer."

Blair agrees with Quan. He says that while he would consider increasing the number of resource officers in schools if there was room in the police budget, he does not believe their decreased presence is directly linked to the recent stabbing in the Etobicoke high school.

"The presence of the police officer is no guarantee of immunity from violence or bad things happening. Young people still have to make the right choices," he said.

The TDSB defines a weapon as any article used or intended to be used for the purpose of threatening, intimidating or injuring a person. All firearms, including replicas and imitations, are also considered weapons.

The Toronto Catholic District School Board has also recently launched its own investigation after a brazen fatal daytime shooting involving a 15-year-old student from James Cardinal McGuigan, and a 17-year-old student from Don Bosco Catholic Secondary.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Naomi Parness