LAKELAND – The provincial government is seeking the public’s input via a survey to help develop a unified code of professional conduct for teachers and teacher leaders in the province. The new code of conduct is posed to be implemented at the beginning of next year, Jan. 1, 2023.
Jason Schilling, President, Alberta Teachers Association, told Lakeland This Week on Sept. 21 there are some concerns including on how the consultation will be done.
“We have some concerns about how this survey or this consultation with the public could be politicized,” said Schilling, explaining teachers take the code of conduct “extremely seriously” in terms of how they interact in their daily work. “It’s not something we want to see politicized.”
Schilling also said the Code of Conduct and competency should not be combined or mixed. Competency and code of conduct are two separate processes within the ATA, according to Schilling, and “the survey is mixing those things together.” Schilling further explained that conduct deals with a teacher’s conduct in and out of the classroom, while competency deals with how a teacher teaches.
Among the questions in the survey is the topic of teacher professional development training as part of the code of conduct, “which would be something that’s punishable,” according to Schilling. He said violation of the code of conduct can lead to potential punishments, including removal of a teaching certificate.
He explained teachers already must do a professional growth plan every year to ensure they are working on their own professional development. “It’s part of a policy that we have on growth and supervision,” said Schilling. For some teachers, they “might take some courses, research, reading,” for professional development, for example.
“I don’t understand why it would be part of a code of conduct, and then something the government could see potentially punish down the road when it’s never been in that capacity before,” he said.
According to information from the Government of Alberta, 85 per cent of teachers in Alberta follow the ATA’s code of conduct, so Schilling expects the provincial government to have “more meaningful consultations with the [ATA]” moving forward.
Background
In a Sept. 20 news release, Minister of Education Adriana LaGrange stated, “This is another step that improves the quality of classroom education in Alberta.”
“We’re building on our important work to enhance oversight of the teacher profession and ensure the safety and well-being of students so they can get the education we know they deserve,” stated LaGrange.
The College of Alberta School Superintendents and the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta also indicated in the news release that they welcome the step of public engagement in developing the single code of conduct.
According to the provincial government, the government also consulted with victim advocacy groups to ensure the new code of conduct will consider “important perspectives on student safety.”
“Teachers, like health professionals, psychologists and social workers, hold positions of power and authority with their students and families. We are pleased to provide input to help ensure the updated code of conduct specifically addresses protection for students against sexual abuse,” stated Debra Tomlinson, CEO, Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services in the news release.
The Government of Alberta stated they will also continue to engage with key education system stakeholders, which include the Alberta Teachers’ Association, the Association of Alberta Public Charter Schools, the Alberta School Boards Association, the College of Alberta School Superintendents, the Association of Independent Schools and Colleges in Alberta and the Association of Alberta Deans of Education.
The survey is available at the Government of Alberta website: alberta.ca
