School boards express concern over province increasing its own powers

By ZOE MASON on April 8, 2026.

zmason@medicinehatnews.com

School boards and civil liberties advocacy groups are responding to amendments proposed to the Education Act under new legislation tabled last week that will give the province more control over ideology and operations in Alberta’s schools.

Bill 25 mandates neutrality in classrooms and imposes new restrictions on the kinds of statements allowed to be issued by school boards.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides says the legislation is designed to keep schools “focused on what matters most.”

“The proposed changes will help ensure education being delivered in the classroom is impartial and free from personal bias. This bill reflects that schools should teach students how to think, not what to think,” he told reporters at a press conference after the bill was tabled.

President of the Alberta Teachers Association Jason Schilling has called the legislation “concerning” and “unnecessary.”

“It appears more concerned with virtue-signalling and dog-whistling than focusing on the actual challenges facing Alberta teachers and students in their daily lives,” he told reporters.

“This bill does little to address the real issues facing public education, other than adding more administrative duties to teachers and school leaders in several areas. It’s also unclear what problems this legislation is actually trying to solve.”

Schilling says the ATA was not consulted in the formulation of the bill.

He worries about the impact the new mandate to remove ideology from the classroom might have on teaching certain subjects and materials. He pointed to the book Night, a memoir of Holocaust survival by Elie Wiesel, which he taught to his English classes.

“If you have to try to take a neutral, non-biased approach to something like genocide – I’m not quite sure how the government expects topics like that to be taught and addressed.”

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association called the policy “censorship under the guise of neutrality” in a statement released last week.

“Last year Alberta tried to ban books in schools, now they are trying to limit what can be taught in schools,” said Howard Sapers, executive director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

“Schools should be places where students learn how to think critically, not what to think. When governments label certain topics, books, or symbols as ‘ideological,’ the result is not neutrality – it is censorship.”

The Medicine Hat Public School Division says the board is focused on understanding the full scope of the legislation, and remains committed to supporting student success within a safe and caring public education system.

“While details are still emerging, the board of trustees is concerned about the potential impact of the proposed legislation on student learning, schools and local governance,” said MHPSD in a statement Tuesday.

Other aspects of Bill 25 propose relocating powers regarding school names, the use of school buildings and the extension of superintendent contracts from school boards to the province.

MHPSD says that as locally elected trustees, the board is committed to ensuring local perspectives are reflected in provincial decisions that affect public education.

Other boards across the province have also expressed concerns about the legislation.

In a statement released last week, the Calgary Board of Education expressed a similar sentiment.

“As elected trustees, we are deeply committed to the communities we serve and believe that strong public education is best supported through local decision making,” read the statement.

The Alberta School Boards Association says the changes to school board governance and operations “require thoughtful consideration.”

“ABSA will continue monitoring the proposed legislation and forthcoming regulations while engaging with Public, Catholic and Francophone school boards,” wrote ASBA president Shali Baziuk in a statement issued Wednesday.

Prairie Rose Public School Division told the News on Tuesday it is waiting further details about guidelines and implementation before responding to Bill 25.

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