Council establishes new awards

Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held June 9 and 10, 2022, Barnett House, Edmonton.

1. Authorized the provincial Association, with the assistance of local presidents, to create a political rally in the fall of 2022.
2. Declared in effect an amendment to General Bylaw 70, as contained in Electoral Ballot 1 of 2021 and approved by the 2022 Annual Representative Assembly. The amendment removes the unnecessary step of having Council authorize prior to each election the processes for electronic voting for Council general elections and by-elections as the Administrative Guidelines already set out these processes.
3. Established a President’s Award of Merit and an Association Award of Merit and set the criteria for each award.
4. Approved in principle the Grievance Approval and Appeal Policy of the Alberta Teachers’ Association and authorized that the finalized policy be registered with the Alberta Labour Relations Board.
5. In accordance with section 31(2) of the Teaching Profession Act, approved an extension to the time period to commence a hearing.
6. Received the report of a hearing committee that rendered a decision of not guilty to a teacher accused of unprofessional conduct for speaking to a staff member loudly in an argumentative way.
7. Received the report of a hearing committee that found a teacher guilty of three counts of unprofessional conduct for purchasing and providing alcohol to students and consuming alcohol with students, for allowing students into the teacher’s home where inappropriate socializing occurred and for physically grabbing a student.
   The hearing committee imposed a penalty of a letter of severe reprimand to encompass all charges, a $3,000 fine and a one-year suspension of membership from the Association. The suspension shall be placed into abeyance for a period of five years under the condition the teacher meets a list of specified conditions. Failing to meet the conditions would result in a recommendation from the Association to the minister of education to suspend the teacher’s teaching certificate for one year. 
8. Received the report of a Professional Conduct Appeal Committee that upheld an appeal and quashed both the findings and the order of a hearing committee.
9. Approved costs of up to $1.2 million for implementation of the Election Readiness Plan 2023, with costs charged to the Special Emergency Fund or the Defence and Advocacy Fund as determined by Finance Committee.
10. Amended the frame of reference of the Communications, Advocacy and Public Education Committee to add one additional field member to its membership.