Extra police patrols, an expanded phone tip line and the establishment of an Africentric alternative school are just some of the recommendations listed in a report aimed at making schools safer for students.

The Toronto District School Board released the report Tuesday in advance of a meeting with school trustees.

If the recommendations are approved by trustees at Wednesday's meeting, students will see an increased police presence at their schools. Authorities will reach out to students to educate them about guns and gangs, Internet safety and drugs.

Students will also be able to access to an expanded safety tip line service. An anonymous phone tip line was established in January. The board recommended the line be expanded onto the web so that students can submit a tip online.

According to the report, the tip line has received about 30 calls a week in the past 16 weeks, mostly from students in elementary school. The majority of callers complained about bullying and confrontations.

Schools 'not safer'

The recommendations were made after the School Community Safety Advisory Panel released a report earlier this year that concluded Toronto schools are a hotbed for harassment and violence.

The SCSAP was commissioned by the TDSB to probe safety conditions inside public schools after 15-year-old student Jordan Manners was shot dead inside his high school.

Jordan's mother Loreen Small said she doesn't believe the recommendations are enough to make a difference.

"Show me where it says that a child who goes to the school that my son went to is a little bit safer than he or she was a day ago," she told CTV Toronto. "I've heard kids speaking about the schools and they're not safer."

Gerry Connelly, the TDSB's director of education, said the recommendations are just the first step.

"We said we would listen and we would act," she said in a news release. "This is exactly what we have done and what we will continue to do with even more initiatives to support student success and safety in our schools," she said.

"Our plan provides the framework to move our board forward to make our schools safer, enhance our culture of trust and openness, and improve our accountability and reporting process," she continued.

The TDSB report outlined six areas where changes need to take place. They are:

  • Equity
  • Gender-based violence
  • Community partnerships
  • Support for marginalized youth
  • Breaking down the culture of silence
  • Safety

After much controversy, the establishment of an Africentric school has already been approved by trustees. It will cater to black students with a unique curriculum catered to African culture.

With a report from CTV Toronto's Dana Levenson