Due to severe flooding in July, Barnett House will remain closed until early 2027.
The ATA Library is still open and providing resources to members.
Staff are working from home and continue to serve members online and by phone.
The Southern Alberta Regional Office (SARO) in Calgary is unaffected and conducts business per usual.
A recent wave of education-related legislation and regulations from the provincial government is an example of “flooding the zone,” a tactic that gives the appearance of action while failing to address the real concerns of teachers, school leaders, parents and students, says Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling.
“There seems to be a disconnect between the government’s priorities and the priorities of the profession right now,” Schilling said.
Among the government’s recent announcements are new regulations regarding the display of flags by school jurisdictions on school property. The flag regulations are a follow-up to Bill 25, An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms, which received royal assent last May. The regulations take effect Jan. 4, 2027.
The flag policy has drawn criticism from opposition politicians, advocacy groups and Schilling himself.
“It’s ironic. I could fly an Edmonton Oilers flag every single day in my classroom, but I need to ask permission to have an Indigenous flag or to have a flag that shows that I support queer children across the province,” Schilling said.
Schilling noted that Indigenous ways of knowing are part of the Teaching Quality Standard that Alberta teachers are expected to meet.
“We’ve signed on to the truth and reconciliation calls to action, so it seems like a step backwards that we’re not able to fly an Indigenous flag within our schools,” he said.
“The whole idea is that every student should feel welcomed at school. They should see themselves reflected in their schools. Flags are one of the things that the school uses to show that welcoming and that acceptance of individuals in their buildings.”
Another of the province’s recent announcements is Bill 35, the Education and Childcare (Securing Parental Involvement) Statutes Amendment Act, 2026. The legislation focuses largely on increasing government oversight and providing parents more information about incidents, safety concerns and compliance issues at daycares. However, the wide-sweeping bill also contains a number of education-related changes, such as standards for student report cards, public reporting on teachers’ professional development days, processes for addressing parental concerns and the naming of school buildings.
“We’re putting parents at the centre of their children’s education by providing clearer information, greater transparency and stronger opportunities for families to stay informed and involved,” said Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides.
Schilling said the legislation is out of touch with the concerns of teachers.
“This whole Bill 35 to me seems like a bunch of solutions looking for a problem,” Schilling said.
The issues that teachers are raising with him on a daily basis continue to be focused on class size, complexity, providing students the supports they need and implementing or piloting new curriculum without resources.
Finally, on Oct. 22, the government released the Student Support Policy Framework, a 15-page document that aims to establish a consistent provincial approach to student supports and services by providing common definitions, expectations and guidance for school authorities.
Schilling said the document is a follow-up to the aggression panel the government established in 2025 and the Association is still analyzing its contents in anticipation of participating in a consultation process that is to follow.
“We’ll have to wait and see how that consultation phase goes and then what the regulations look like after that,” Schilling said. “We have to ensure that the government does the consultation with the Association, but also make sure that consultation is genuine and authentic and not performative.”
Mandatory
School boards must fly the Canadian and Alberta flags outside school buildings during the school year.
Permitted without restriction
Permitted with restrictions
By permit only
Other flags will be permitted only if a written request is approved by the Ministry of Education and Childcare.
Report card standards
The Education Act will be amended to enable the education minister to establish standards for the issuance of report cards. The standards will provide school boards flexibility regarding the format and delivery method.
Teacher PD days
School jurisdictions will be required to publicly disclose what takes place during noninstructional operational days.
Unresolved parental concerns
School jurisdictions will be required to create processes to handle parent concerns that are unresolved after following existing school-based processes. The government is also developing an online, provincewide portal for parents to submit school-related concerns.
School naming
School jurisdictions will be required to obtain ministerial approval before starting a process to name or rename a school building. This will replace the current process, which allows the education minister to refuse a board’s choice of school name.
