The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Alberta Teachers’ Association president Jason Schilling issued the following statement in response to the government’s plan for the 2021/22 school year.

“The government’s 2021–2022 School Year Plan, quietly released last Friday, has Alberta schools, teachers and students returning to normal, pre-pandemic teaching and learning come this September, but as I have said before, we have an opportunity to re-imagine a better, stronger, more inclusive future for our students and public education in Alberta.

We will need time to review the government’s plan and consider our recommendations for a successful and supported return to school, which we will be forwarding to the minister of education as the situation becomes more clear.

We will still need to address many issues that arose during the pandemic, particularly around mental health.

Alberta needs to create a multi-ministry, comprehensive plan that addresses the needs not only of our students but also their families and the greater community.

We look forward to providing feedback to the minister throughout the summer to make sure the fall starts off the best it can. Our students and staff deserve that.”