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.
New regulations affecting the profession took effect this fall as part of An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act, 2026 (previously known as Bill 25), with the implementation on some requirements being delayed. Amendments and regulations taking effect Sept. 1 address a wide range of matters, including diverse student viewpoints, impartial education programming, parental involvement in a child’s schooling and superintendent contracts.
Bill 25 had been framed by the minister of education and childcare a way to strengthen accountability and ensure neutrality within Alberta classrooms.
“Parents expect schools to be safe, focused on learning and open to diverse perspectives,” said Minister of Education and Childcare Demetrios Nicolaides. “These changes strengthen accountability, reinforce neutrality and respect, and make it clear that politics and ideology have no place in Alberta classrooms.”
At a press conference held Sept. 1, Nicolaides added that Bill 25 would help ensure that school divisions do not enter or take sides in potentially divisive social and or political issues or causes. Addressing the effect on the classroom, he spoke on how curriculum encourages students to examine both sides of an issue.
“It’s critical and to ensure that our students are able to formulate their own opinions and not have a particular view or opinion imposed on them,” Nicolaides said.
Other changes are set for a compliance deadline of Dec. 1. These include revised language describing the environment schools are expected to provide. The legislation replaces “welcoming, caring, respectful” language with wording calling for “a safe and caring environment that fosters and maintains respectful and responsible behaviours.”
A new statement for student codes of conduct will also be introduced.
Critics of Bill 25 have questioned the need for the legislation, with NDP leader Naheed Nenshi challenging the argument that the legislation is focused on making schools safer.
“It’s about restricting freedom of speech. It’s about making sure that social studies teachers can’t actually teach current events,” Nenshi said. “It’s about dictating what flags can be flown, and it’s about naming schools because they don’t want schools named after people they don’t like.”
In August, a statement from Nicolaides shared that several regulations under Bill 25 have been delayed, including those relating to flags, the playing of the national anthem and school naming and renaming.
“We are taking a thoughtful and measured approach to implementation to ensure these changes are introduced effectively and that education partners have the support they need to successfully transition to the new requirements,” the statement from Nicolaides read. The statement added that the ministry remains committed, however, to fully implementing Bill 25.
On Aug. 22, Premier Danielle Smith addressed the delayed regulations on flags during her call-in radio show. She explained that the ministry is taking a few more months to implement restrictions on flags in Alberta schools to alleviate confusion.
“What we intend is we don’t want to have flags that are clearly trying to demonstrate some kind of ideology or some kind of political positioning on international conflicts,” she clarified. “We don’t want those creating discomfort in a classroom, and so that’s where we’re going.”
Since Bill 25 was announced, the ATA has raised concerns with the legislation and called for the profession to be consulted on wording and implementation. ATA president Jason Schilling hopes that the delay in certain regulations will allow the government to engage in meaningful consultations with education partners and to ensure that clear guidance is provided once the policy is ready.
“Any approach must recognize the importance of belonging in schools and respect the diversity of Alberta’s school communities,” Schilling added.
Teachers are encouraged to wait for clear direction from their employer regarding how to manage the changes coming into effect. For assistance or guidance, teachers may contact the ATA’s Teacher Employment Membership Support at 1-800-232-7208.
