On September 12th, Northern Lights Public Schools, along with other school boards across the province, received notice that the Alberta Teachers’ Association would begin a province-wide strike on Monday, October 6th if a settlement was not reached between the ATA and Teacher Employers’ Bargaining Association (TEBA). As a proposed agreement has now been rejected by the ATA, and we have had no indication that they plan to rescind their strike notice, we are enacting our strike contingency plan.
Classes will continue as scheduled until the end of the day on Friday, October 3. Schools will be closed starting on Monday, October 6 and continuing for the duration of the strike. Over the next couple of days, parents and students are encouraged to take home any items that will be needed at home while classes are cancelled as access to schools will be restricted once the strike starts. Teachers will not be providing students with new learning material or assignments during the strike. All school events and extracurricular activities, including tournaments, will also be cancelled for the duration of the strike, starting Monday, October 6.
Yesterday (September 30th), the Government of Alberta announced that it will be providing families with financial assistance and educational resources during the strike. Alberta Education and Childcare has created a toolkit for parents to support their child’s learning. The toolkit provides resources that follow the Kindergarten to Grade 12 curriculum and focus on the core subjects of language arts, social studies, math and sciences. The resources will be updated weekly. Download the toolkits at new.learnalberta.ca.
Parents and guardians with students aged 12 and under are eligible to receive $30 per day, or $150 per week, per student for the duration of the labour action. Applications will be available through the Alberta.ca platform. Further details, including an instructional video on the parent support payment, will be coming soon.
For more information, updates, and answers to frequently asked questions, visit the Labour Action page on our website.
Once we receive notification that an agreement has been reached, we will communicate with families about when schools will re-open and classes will resume.