Children First Act
The Children First Act (CFA) supports the health, safety, education, security and well-being of children by providing collection, use and disclosure authorities in addition to those that are currently in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) and the Health Information Act (HIA).
Educators can learn more about how and when it is appropriate to share and collect students' personal and health information: take the Information Sharing Under the Children First Act eCourse. The course will help meet the following learning objectives:
- Understand how the act works with privacy and health legislation.
- Apply information sharing rules from the act to common scenarios.
- Learn why collaboration is important to the information sharing process.
- Recognize how sharing the right kind of information in the right way can lead to better outcomes for Alberta's children and families.
For more courses, seminars and resources to enhance information management and sharing skills for government and service provers, go to the information management and sharing education page.
Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act
The Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act imposes the duty to report on a person who believes a child is in need of intervention. Section 4 of the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act states the following:
Reporting child in need
4(1) Any person who has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a child is in need of intervention shall forthwith report the matter to
- (a) a director, or
- (b) a police officer.
- (1.1) A referral received pursuant to section 35 of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (Canada) is deemed to be a report made under subsection (1).
- (1.2) A police officer who receives a report pursuant to subsection (1)(b) shall report the matter to a director as soon as practicable.
(2) Subsection (1) applies notwithstanding that the information on which the belief is founded is confidential and its disclosure is prohibited under any other Act.
(3) This section does not apply to information that is privileged as a result of a solicitor-client relationship.
(4) No action lies against a person reporting pursuant to this section, including a person who reports information referred to in subsection (3), unless the reporting is done maliciously or without reasonable and probable grounds for the belief.
(5) Notwithstanding and in addition to any other penalty provided by this Act, if a director has reasonable and probable grounds to believe that a person has not complied with subsection (1) and that person is registered under an Act regulating a profession or occupation prescribed in the regulations, the director shall advise the appropriate governing body of that profession or occupation of the failure to comply.
(6) Any person who fails to comply with subsection (1) is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of not more than $10 000 or to imprisonment for a term of not more than 6 months, or to both a fine and imprisonment.
For more information, see the Duty to Report section or contact System Support and Policy. For contact information, see Appendix 1.
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) sets out the requirements that school jurisdictions must follow to provide a right of access to records and to protect the privacy of individuals by controlling the manner in which personal information is collected, used and disclosed. For more information, visit the FOIP website.
Personal Information Protection Act
The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) governs the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by private schools and private ECS operators and the right of an individual to have access to their own personal information. For more information, visit the PIPA website.
Protection of Students with Life-threatening Allergies Act
The Protection of Students with Life-threatening Allergies Act came into force on January 1, 2020 and contains requirements for how schools can support students with life-threatening allergies at school.
The Act applies to public and separate school divisions, francophone regional authorities, private schools and public charter schools. For more information, visit Students with medical needs.
Public Health Act
The Public Health Act regulates Alberta’s public health policy practices.
Provision of information by Minister of Education
18.2 (1) The Minister may require the Minister of Education to provide to the Minister, in the form and manner and within the time specified, the information set out in subsection (2) that is in the custody or under the control of the Department of Education, for the purpose of contacting a parent or guardian of a student, or contacting an independent student, respecting voluntary health programs, including immunization, hearing, vision, speech and dental health programs, and for the purpose of communicable diseases control.
(2) For the purposes of subsection (1), the Minister may require the following information to be provided:
- (a) a student’s name, address, postal code, date of birth, sex, grade level and school;
- (b) the name, address, postal code, telephone number and electronic address
- (i) of the parent or guardian of a student other than an independent student, or
- (ii) of an independent student;
- (c) any other information prescribed in the regulations.
Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act
The Public Interest Disclosure (Whistleblower Protection) Act (PIDA) facilitates the disclosure of wrongdoing and protects those who make disclosures from reprisals. The act applies to public entities in Alberta, including public, separate, francophone, public charter and accredited-funded private school authorities. For more information, visit Alberta’s Public Interest Commissioner website.
Remembrance Day Act
The Remembrance Day Act outlines the requirements for the observance of Remembrance Day in schools.
School remembrance ceremony
1(1) A board, as defined in the Education Act, shall on Remembrance Day, with respect to each of its schools,
- (a) arrange for a remembrance ceremony that will encompass at least the time period from 11:00 a.m. to 11:05 a.m., or
- (b) ensure the observance of 2 minutes’ silence from 11:00 a.m. to 11:02 a.m.
(2) If a ceremony referred to in subsection (1)(a) is held at a school, all pupils shall either attend the ceremony or remain in the school, silent, during the ceremony.
(3) If Remembrance Day falls on a day on which the school is not open, the board shall comply with subsection (1) on the school day immediately preceding Remembrance Day.
Teaching Profession Act
Introduction
The Teaching Profession Act establishes The Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) as a corporation that advances education in Alberta, including improvements in the teaching profession and increasing public interest in, and awareness of, important education matters. The Act identifies the ATA’s responsibilities, as well as outlines ATA membership requirements and governance of the Association.
Effective January 1, 2023, under the Teaching Profession Act, the Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) no longer oversees complaints of alleged unprofessional conduct or professional practice made against their active members.
The ATA Code of Professional Conduct is also no longer in effect.
The Alberta Teaching Profession Commission now oversees all conduct or competency complaints made against Alberta certificated teachers or teacher leaders. Further details regarding the new professional discipline model and the single code of professional conduct now in effect can be found in the Education Act section as well as the Regulations section of this guide.