Alberta government says new bill intended to remove politics, ideology from schools

The Alberta government says new legislation would require teachers and school boards to be “neutral” and “impartial” when delivering lessons and crafting a school environment.

Bill 25, An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act, will also bar the display of any flags inside or outside schools, other than the flags of Alberta and Canada, with some exemptions to be revealed later.

Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides tabled the omnibus education bill in the legislature on Tuesday.

The legislation would give him more veto power over several decisions currently in the hands of Alberta school boards, such as naming schools, approving superintendent employment contracts, and the use of vacant school buildings.

“I firmly believe that it’s a professional responsibility of teachers to ensure that they are neutral and impartial in their own personal views,” Nicolaides said in an interview with CBC News on Monday.

He said when presenting a topic of historic or political significance, teachers must ensure “both sides of the debate are accurately represented” so students can formulate their own opinions.

Nicolaides pointed to a January incident where someone surreptitiously recorded a teacher at a Fort Saskatchewan school making disparaging remarks about conservative culture.

The bill seeks to update the Education Act to bar school divisions or employees from making statements on “political, social or ideological matters” outside the school division’s purview.

The changes would also protect employees who refuse to participate in an activity that conflicts with their conscience, unless they work in a religious school and it’s part of religious instruction.

Nicolaides said he believes the vast majority of teachers do act professionally, and that adhering to the new requirements shouldn’t be a problem for them.

Bill would ban political, ideological symbols

In November, United Conservative Party members attending an annual general meeting in Edmonton voted in favour of a resolution advocating the provincial government only allow Canadian and Alberta flags, or municipal flags, to be flown municipal or provincial buildings.

Bill 25 would compel schools to play the Canadian national anthem at least once a week, and limit the display of flags in schools to the Canada and Alberta flags.

“We want to ensure that, again, our schools are free from politics and ideology and, at the same time, that we’re taking additional steps to help strengthen and build civic pride and recognition,” Nicolaides said in the interview.

The government will create a regulation on school flag display that allows for exemptions, including flags representing heritage or history, or flags reflecting school culture or temporary events.

Nicolaides said the rules will apply to flags displayed inside and outside the schools. He said he did not yet know whether the government would grant exemptions for treaty or Métis flags, the Francophone flag, or Pride flags.

Nicolaides also wouldn’t say whether the flag limitation would apply to stickers or magnets or other imagery teachers might have in their classrooms, except to say they can’t have ideological or political symbols.

The bill will also develop principles to guide codes of conduct for school trustees, including protections for their freedom of expression.

Although the government has signalled a universal code of conduct is coming for all municipal councillors, Nicolaides said school boards can still craft their own codes.

Government officials also said during a technical briefing that legislation passed last fall to protect professionals from sanctions for expressing opinions when they are not on the job also applies to teachers.

Other changes proposed in the bill include:

• Adding provincial oversight for naming or renaming only public schools — Catholic and francophone schools would be excluded from this requirement.
• Requiring school trustees who run in a federal electoral nomination or as an electoral candidate take an unpaid leave of absence from the board (this rule already exists for provincial candidates).
• Require school boards to get ministerial approval for new or renewed superintendent contracts. The minister would have 60 days to review contracts.
• Language changes requiring schools to emphasize that responsible behaviours from students includes refraining from violence, including specifications in student codes of conduct.
• Allowing the education minister to set school authorities’ priorities.
• Requiring schools to meaningfully involve parents in extracurricular activities. The minister clarified this does not change the law around notifying parents about student participation in gay-straight alliances or similar clubs.

• Allowing the minister to waive renewal requirements for charter schools that meet certain criteria
• Putting into law that all provincial achievement tests and diploma exams would be conducted digitally, rather than on paper. Exemptions would be available.
• Requiring schools to provide additional help for students with identified deficits in literacy and numeracy screening tests

• Reversing a previous requirement for external presenters on sexual health education, gender identity and sexual orientation to be pre-approved by government – only for religious instruction

• Giving the minister the power to require a school authority to dispose of unused property to be used for another educational purpose. The minister says this policy will target vacant school buildings first.

Should the bill pass as drafted, all new requirements would take effect Sept. 1, with the exception of some professional standards for teachers to act neutrally, which are earmarked to take effect Jan. 4, 2027.