COVID-19 Updates: Taking steps to return to normal.
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COVID-19 Updates: Taking steps to return to normal.
Taking steps to improve the safety and wellbeing of Kindergarten to Grade 12 students.
We are continuing to put students first by taking steps to fix Kindergarten to Grade 12 teacher and teacher leader disciplinary processes in Alberta.
Our actions will improve the education system by providing greater accountability, transparency and timeliness while ensuring legislation and related regulations that oversee these processes do not present a conflict of interest.
We will consider any area of the discipline process for the teaching profession that needs improvements in legislation, related regulations and provincial policies.
On March 31, 2022, we introduced Bill 15, the Education (Reforming Teacher Profession Discipline) Amendment Act, to create the Alberta Teaching Profession Commission and appoint an arm’s-length commissioner to oversee teacher and teacher leader conduct and competency complaints for the profession.
Alberta is the only Canadian province where a teachers’ union has the sole responsibility for overseeing complaints of alleged unprofessional conduct and professional competence filed against their union members.
Almost all other Canadian provinces and territories, except Ontario and Saskatchewan, have models where the provincial government:
Other professions within Alberta have professional regulatory organizations that oversee matters of professional discipline for their members such as nurses, some doctors, and social workers. These organizations are self-regulated and are not part of the union, where one might exist.
Very few teachers in Alberta experience the teacher discipline process. When this process does take place, it must be fair, effective, and transparent.
Alberta is the only Canadian province where the teachers’ union assumes full responsibility for overseeing complaints of alleged unprofessional conduct and professional competence filed against their union members that questions a teacher’s suitability to hold a teaching certificate.
The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) represents about 46,000 practicing teachers in the union.
The Registrar’s Office at Alberta Education oversees the remaining 7,000 practicing teachers and teacher leaders not part of the union. This includes teachers and teacher leaders employed in independent (private), charter, and First Nation schools, as well as superintendents and other central office teacher leaders.
Our goal is to ensure the new governance structure addresses matters of unprofessional conduct and professional competence in the teaching profession by putting student safety and the public interest first.
As a union, the ATA is tasked with representing the best interests of their members. If the same union or association also oversees discipline processes of these same members it presents a clear conflict of interest.
Bill 15, the Education (Reforming Teacher Discipline) Amendment Act, 2022 would create the Alberta Teaching Profession Commission, and appoint an arm’s-length commissioner, to oversee teacher and teacher leader conduct and competency complaints for the profession. This process would apply equally to all teachers and teacher leaders, whether they are members of the Alberta Teachers Association or not.