There's a new petition making its way around Toronto city hall that says police officers should still have a presence in school hallways and yards.
The Toronto Police Services Board is considering suspending the 'School Resource Officer' program.
The debate follows concerns raised by some advocates who claim those officers do little more than bully and intimidate students, especially ones who are black or who are in Canada without government permission.
Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti's name is at the top of a petition that has the signatures of 11 west-end city councillors who say the program should stay.
"The officers that are in these schools are fantastic people who try to relate to the kids as best they can and bring a level of trust between the police and the community," Mammoliti says.
"They've done a marvellous job."
Mammoliti slams the argument from the program's critics that black students become a target for harassment.
"It's hogwash," he says.
"Instead of us listening to them, we should be ignoring them."
Councillor Mammoliti frames the debate as city business being 'hijacked' by a small minority that "wants to cause chaos in the city."
Among the advocates who say schools are no place for police officers are teachers and education workers.
Some were at a Police Services Board meeting last month where a heated debate unfolded.
Critics of the SRO program, including NEWSTALK 1010 host Desmond Cole, laid out the "unsafe, dangerous" consequences of having cops in the hallway.
Supporters say the idea of regularly dispatching officers to schools helps establish personal connections with students and prevent potential problems with violence and crime.
The civilian oversight board has ordered a 3rd-party review into how effective the program is and what alternatives are used in other jurisdictions.
It'll be debated at this month's board meeting.
More than 30 Toronto Police officers take part in the program, which runs at 75 schools across the city.