Alberta Updates Education Act

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Alberta is updating its Education Act again. And just like the last update, which took steps to remove gender ideology from schools, this update is another step in the right direction.

Bill 51, the Education Amendment Act makes several changes, but two are notable to us.

Boards can’t expel elected trustees

First, Bill 51 prohibits a public school board from removing a trustee from their position for violating the school board’s code of conduct. The provincial government is basing that change on the principle that only voters – not other politicians – should be able to throw an elected trustee out of office. Voters can make this decision by either not re-electing that trustee in the next election or through a local recall initiative.

While the government didn’t cite a specific instance of a school board trustee being kicked off a school board, one high profile case in Alberta was the removal of Red Deer Catholic school board trustee Monique LaGrange for comparing LGBTQ+ ideologues with Nazis.

In other provinces there have also been issues with school boards calling for the removal of their fellow elected trustees. In 2024, we wrote about Durham (Ontario) school board trustee Linda Stone, who was banned from attending school board meetings after questioning puberty blockers for minors. Earlier this year, Abbotsford (BC) school trustees Jared White and Mike Rauch were censured for liking and sharing a post announcing President Trump’s executive order on reserving women’s sports for biological women only. Former Chilliwack (BC) school trustees Barry Neufeld and Heather Maahs were censured several times for standing up for a traditional view of gender and sexuality. Most of these censures were based on boards concluding that the trustees violated the code of conduct requirement to foster “inclusive” school environments.

From “private” to “independent” schools

Second, Alberta’s Bill 51 changes every reference to a “private” school to “independent” school in provincial legislation. In his remarks on the bill, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides explains:

“There can be a negative connotation associated with the term ‘private school.’ Unfortunately, many of our exemplary independent operators are unnecessarily viewed in a negative way as a result of some of this terminology. We have fantastic independent schools who serve in an incredible way students who need customized learning and specialized learning in many different circumstances… These are not elite institutions charging thousands and thousands of dollars in tuition fees. These are institutions that work to provide the very best education to individuals that require customized and tailored programming. I believe it’s important that we ensure our Education Act, our governing legislation here, is updated in accordance with these provisions and terminology to better reflect the very nature of schools operating and the work that they do.”

This is a semantic change, but an important one, because it affirms that independent schools serve the broader public good and help shape students into good citizens. Alberta’s Education Act states that education “is the foundation of a democratic and civil society” and education’s purpose “is to develop engaged thinkers who think critically and creatively and ethical citizens who demonstrate respect, teamwork and democratic ideals.”

The previous distinction between public and private schools suggests that public schools further the interests of society while private schools further only the private interests of a select few. Nothing could be further from the truth. Independent schools serve the public good as well. They too form citizens that will contribute to the public good, whether that be informed voters, regular volunteers, or hard-working employees. The entire country – not just the students themselves – benefits from having well-formed students.

And there is good evidence that independent schools do a better job than public schools of forming good public citizens. As we note in our policy report on educational diversity, graduates of independent schools tend to have better grades, higher graduation rates, greater charitable giving, and more volunteering than their public school counterparts. On top of such metrics is the critical importance of raising the next generation in the fear of the LORD (a key focus of many independent schools) and equipping them to be a salt and light (the greatest possible public good).

Referring to private schools as independent schools, then, refocuses on who is running the schools rather than who benefits from them. Public schools are operated by the government for the public good. Independent schools are not operated by the government but still promote the public good. British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba all refer to “independent schools”, so this change in Alberta brings them in line with the other western provinces.

Conclusion

These two changes – giving school trustees more freedom to speak out on topics like gender and updating the terminology around independent schools – are little steps in the right direction of having a more pluralistic education system. Please consider sending your MLA a note expressing your support for these changes in Bill 51.