Peel District School Board (PDSB) chair Brad MacDonald issued a statement to the public Wednesday, Feb. 26, after Tuesday’s regular meeting of the board turned contentious and Peel Regional Police were called to "ensure trustees got home safely."

MacDonald’s statement said, "a trustee indicated that he felt there was a risk to his personal safety given an interaction he had with a member of the public."

“As chair, my goal is to balance the rights of the public to participate in regular meetings of the board with the need for the board of trustees to be able to conduct its board business effectively and productively,” he stated.

“At the regular meeting of the board on Feb. 25, we were not able to continue with the meeting’s agenda as I was not able to maintain order,” MacDonald added.

MacDonald said a five-minute break failed to restore order, so he moved the public meeting into a private session that excluded public attendance.

Tempers flared during the meeting after MacDonald told Mississauga trustee Noka Dakroub that her notice of motion was out-of-order.

Dakroub's motion sought to a change administrative protocol when calling police to handle non-emergency incidents in Peel board schools. She wanted school administrators to first contact parents, guardians or family members before calling police to address these non-emergency incidents involving students, and require officers wait for parents before investigating, arresting or handcuffing any student.

"In recent months, we have learned of multiple incidents where Peel DSB children, specifically black children, were victims of excessive discipline practices that have resulted in frequent and unnecessary interactions with the police," Dakroub stated in the motion.

She also proposed formation of a joint school board, police and community committee to review the School Resource Officer program that places police in local schools.

“In consultation with various people on this motion, I’m going to rule this motion out-of-order,” said MacDonald during the meeting. Peel police created the protocol in conjunction with other community partners, and MacDonald said police will be revising the policy.