The Alberta Teachers’ Association

Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held April 12–13, 2021, via Zoom, and electronic decision of April 15, 2021

1. Unanimously authorized the Association to express to the minister of education its lack of confidence in the content and design of the Draft K–6 Curriculum, as released on March 29, and the deeply flawed and opaque curriculum consultation and development processes implemented by the government after August 2019 that gave rise to the draft.

2. Unanimously approved for submission to the 2021 Annual Representative Assembly a resolution that the teachers of Alberta express to Education Minister Adriana LaGrange their collective lack of confidence in the content and design of the Draft K–6 Curriculum and the deeply flawed consultation and development processes that gave rise to the draft.

3. Unanimously authorized the Association to call upon the Government of Alberta to place a moratorium on the piloting and implementation of the Draft K–6 Curriculum until such time as the draft has been submitted to an independent, full and open review and rewriting process led by and involving a broad cross-section of certificated Alberta teachers and faculty members from Alberta postsecondary faculties and schools of education and is properly inclusive of francophone, First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives; is developmentally, structurally and pedagogically sound; and enjoys the broad support of Albertans.

4. Unanimously approved for submission to the 2021 Annual Representative Assembly a resolution that the Association call upon the Government of Alberta to place a moratorium on the piloting and implementation of the Draft K–6 Curriculum, until such time as the draft has been submitted to an independent, full and open review and rewriting process led by and involving a broad cross-section of certificated Alberta teachers and faculty members from Alberta postsecondary faculties and schools of education and is properly inclusive of francophone, First Nations, Métis and Inuit perspectives; is developmentally, structurally and pedagogically sound; and enjoys the broad support of Albertans.

5. Unanimously authorized the Association to call upon school authorities to refrain from participating in or directing or otherwise exerting pressure upon or incenting the teachers they employ to participate in piloting the draft curriculum.

6. Unanimously approved for submission to the 2021 Annual Representative Assembly a resolution that the teachers of Alberta call upon school authorities to refrain from participating in or directing or otherwise exerting pressure upon or incenting the teachers they employ to participate in piloting the draft curriculum.

7. Unanimously authorized the Association to affirm the professional responsibility and moral right of teachers to refuse to participate in the voluntary piloting of the new draft K–6 curriculum should they believe that curriculum to be structurally and developmentally unsound and potentially damaging to student learning.

8. Unanimously approved for submission to the 2021 Annual Representative Assembly a resolution that the Association affirm the professional responsibility and moral right of teachers to refuse to participate in the voluntary piloting of the new draft K–6 curriculum should they believe that curriculum to be structurally and developmentally unsound and potentially damaging to student learning.

9. Unanimously authorized the Association to affirm and support elements of The Guiding Framework for the Design and Development of Kindergarten to Grade 12 Provincial Curriculum, published by Alberta Education in December 2020, and expect that any programs of studies proposed for adoption will meet the minimal criteria set out therein.

10. Unanimously approved for submission to the 2021 Annual Representative Assembly a resolution that the Association affirm and support The Guiding Framework for the Design and Development of Kindergarten to Grade 12 Provincial Curriculum, published by Alberta Education in December 2020, and expect that any programs of studies proposed for adoption will meet the criteria set out therein.

11. Unanimously approved for submission to the 2021 Annual Representative Assembly a resolution that the Government of Alberta delegate responsibility for the development, renewal and revision of the K–12 programs of studies to an independent and apolitical provincial curriculum development authority supported by subject-based program managers from Alberta Education and consisting of subject-matter experts from Alberta’s universities, representatives from the Alberta Teachers’ Association, active teachers from the field, and representatives from the Alberta School Councils’ Association, whose recommendations concerning the content, design and implementation of programs of study would be publicly disclosed at the time they are conveyed to the minister of education for potential implementation.

12. Unanimously authorized an overexpenditure of $5,000 for the purpose of adding two questions concerning the draft curriculum to the Association’s public opinion survey.

13. Unanimously authorized the Association to call upon the minister of education to restore the partnership on curriculum development that was initiated in the 2016 memorandum of agreement between the Government of Alberta and the Association.

14. Unanimously approved for submission to the 2021 Annual Representative Assembly a resolution that calls upon the minister of education to restore the partnership on curriculum development that was initiated in the 2016 memorandum of agreement between the Government of Alberta and the Association.

15. Authorized the Association to incur expenses of up to $150,000 in order to place advertisements calling for a moratorium on the draft K–6 curriculum.

16. Approved the proposed timeline and appointed members of Council to a selection committee for recruitment of the position of Associate Executive Secretary.

17. Unanimously endorsed the candidacy of Jenny Regal for the position of vice-president of the Canadian Teachers’ Federation.

18. Authorized a financial contribution in the amount of $2,500 to the Education International Solidarity Fund, through the Canadian Teachers’ Federation, to assist in their struggle to defend the values of democracy, rule of law and union rights in Kenya.

19. Amended the 2021/22 proposed budget resulting in a revised net budget position of negative $39,300.

20. Authorized a $1 million transfer from the main operating account to the Special Emergency Fund (SEF) investment, as partial restitution for monies withdrawn from the SEF in 2019.

21. Amended the administrative guidelines pertaining to the Teacher Education and Certification Committee awards and awarded the Alberta Teachers’ Association Doctoral Fellowships in Education and the Nadene M Thomas Graduate Research Bursary.

22. Discontinued the Diversity, Equity and Human Rights award program and replaced it with a communications program that showcases outstanding local diversity, equity and human rights work.

23. Approved for submission to the 2021 Annual Representative Assembly a resolution that the Government of Alberta provide stable funding to institutions that offer teacher preparation programs for bridging programs designed to help internationally educated teachers meet Alberta’s teacher certification requirements.

24. Approved that the Association create and provide district-specific posters with pictures of elected ATA officials to each school.

25. Received the report of a hearing committee that found a teacher guilty of five charges of unprofessional conduct. The charges stem from the teacher meeting with an associate superintendent and making critical comments about several colleagues’ professional performance without informing those colleagues first, engaging in conversations that were critical of the professional performance of a principal without informing the principal first, sending an email to colleagues encouraging them to bring forward complaints against a principal without providing the email to the principal, engaging in conversations with people who were not the proper officials that were critical of the professional performance of a principal, without the knowledge of the principal and failing to protest an administrative decision through the proper channels.

The hearing committee imposed a penalty of a letter of severe reprimand and a fine of $500. Failure to pay the fine will result in the suspension of the teacher’s membership in the Association.

26. Received the report of a hearing committee that found a teacher guilty of two charges of unprofessional conduct for making a derogatory comment to a male student dressed as a female for Halloween and refusing to take responsibility for the derogatory comment. The hearing committee imposed a penalty of two $2,000 fines and two letters of severe reprimand (incorporated into one letter).

27. Received the report of a hearing committee that found a teacher guilty of one charge of unprofessional conduct for placing a hot cupcake on a student’s cheek. The hearing committee imposed a penalty of a fine of $750 and a letter of severe reprimand.

28. Authorized staff to undertake a process to examine how to rename Edmonton District and Calgary District with Indigenous names. ❚