Bill 3, The Education Act

ASCA has been asked to forward the following message from the Minister of Education to all parents and school councils.


Today, Bill 3, The Education Act, was introduced in the Alberta Legislature. You can view the news release here.

Alberta’s new Education Act brings to life the vision for a 21st century education that thousands of Albertans shared through Inspiring Education and subsequent consultations. The government has listened and their input is reflected in this legislation.

The Act contains some of the toughest anti-bullying measures of any jurisdiction in Canada. The legislation makes it clear bullying and other inappropriate behaviour is not acceptable under any circumstances – not by students, teachers or anyone else in the school community.  It sets out the expectation that schools must be welcoming, caring, respectful, safe and free from physical and emotional harm in order for children and youth to be successful.

Bill 3 is also the first legislation in Canada to formally recognize the role of parents as a child's first and most important teacher and maintains Alberta’s commitment to choice in education, whether it is public, separate, francophone, private, charter or home education. Under the new legislation, School Boards will also be given more flexibility to meet local needs.

As Premier Alison Redford recently said, “Education is the key to responsible citizenship. It is how young Albertans understand who we are and connect with the values we share. It also gives them the skills they need to take an active role in society.”

The introduction of the new Education Act is not the end of the journey toward a transformed education system for Alberta. Once the Education Act is passed, corresponding regulations and policies will have to be aligned before it comes into force. The input of Albertans will be essential as we develop and revise these supporting regulations.

For more information, please visit www.education.alberta.ca/educationact.