The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Marv Hackman
ATA Executive Staff Officer

The long and winding road of law and education is full of pitfalls.

Navigating safe passage on this sometimes bumpy route is the focus of the Canadian Association for the Practical Study of Law in Education (CAPSLE). Fittingly, the theme of this year’s 21st annual conference, held April 25–27, in Calgary, was “The Rocky Road Ahead—Balancing Competing Interests.”

Conference participants—legal counsel for school districts or teacher organizations, school district administrators, staff officers from teacher organizations, school principals and university professors—discussed current legal issues in education from different perspectives, thereby providing new insights and invaluable ­national networking contacts.

Keynote speaker Madam Justice Myra Bielby, Court of Queen’s Bench of Alberta, set the conference tone as she highlighted situations involving the nexus of law and education. She spoke about the complexities of decision making and the ambiguity of tribunals, courts and laws, and emphasized the need for those with different perspectives to find solutions to the issues at hand. This encapsulates the forum that CAPSLE provides.

More than 40 sessions covered a range of topics. Of special interest were sessions on legal ­issues related to social networking technologies in educational institutions. Sessions looked at how corporations benefit from these media and whether educational institutions should similarly use such media. Also discussed was how much social media should be allowed in schools and privacy issues associated with student and staff use of social media at school and at home. A critical examination of the benefits and pratfalls of social networking sites used as instructional tools and the general “e-challenges” faced by educators were also discussed.

Another area of interest was educators’ engagement in social justice activities aimed at addressing the needs and issues of impoverished Canadians. The documentary Poor No More was shown as a springboard to ­generate discussion.

Next year’s conference will be held in St. John’s, Newfoundland. A fall regional conference will be held in Vancouver, November 10, in conjunction with the Education Law Association’s Annual Conference, November 11–13. Further details are available from Member Services, Barnett House.

About CAPSLE

The ATA is a founding member of CAPSLE and is represented on its board of directors. CAPSLE provides an invaluable opportunity for participants to think about issues from a variety of perspectives, to reflect by comparing and contrasting activities from province to province, and to dialogue with stakeholders in a ­climate of respect.