The new legislation would create an Alberta online registry that would show whether teacher certificates have been suspended or canceled.

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Details on whether an Alberta teacher’s certificate has been suspended or revoked, and why, will be available to the public through an online registry if a new law becomes law.

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Bill 85: The Education Statutes Amendment (Students First) Act, introduced in the legislature on Tuesday, would create the registry that would also list the professional positions of other education officials, including principals and superintendents. The proposed legislation also makes changes to the way disciplinary hearings are conducted, which the government says will speed up the process and give the education minister the power to cancel certificates more quickly if someone has been convicted of a crime. crime that threatens the safety of students and the public interest. .

If passed, the bill is expected to go into effect in September 2022.

At a press conference, Education Minister Adriana LaGrange said the changes will ensure student safety, parental trust and teacher accountability.

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“This legislation would improve student safety, increase transparency through public reporting, and improve oversight and timeliness of disciplinary matters. It will also bring Alberta in line with other jurisdictions and the teaching profession in line with other professional organizations in the province, ”he said.

The online record will be searchable and will date back to 1954. It will include the type of certificates someone has, and whether any of those certificates have been suspended or canceled for unprofessional conduct or professional incompetence since 1990. It would also include a copy of the final decision which sets out the details.

The registrar already requires all applicants to become teachers to complete a criminal background check, but the new legislation would legally require school authorities to obtain criminal background checks and new ones to be conducted every five years.

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“While most Alberta school authorities typically require a criminal background check now, this legal requirement would make that practice consistent and mandatory across the province,” LaGrange said.

Changes to the complaint process

In addition to requiring the Alberta Teachers Association and Alberta College Superintendents to notify the Alberta Registrar of Education of all complaints filed against their members, the legislation would also change the process used to hear complaints.

Currently, under the disciplinary structure of the ATA, complaints are handled by six different panels with different approaches. Under the new legislation, that would be consolidated into a larger group of people who could be chosen to form hearing or appeal committees in charge of hearing a complaint. This means that the ATA rules will align with the rules set forth in the recently passed University of Alberta School Superintendents Act, which has yet to be proclaimed.

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The new legislation also gives the minister the power to unilaterally cancel someone’s certificate if they have been convicted of a serious criminal charge after giving them 15 days’ notice.

“I think most parents would agree, the moment someone is convicted in a court of law of a felony, they don’t have to teach in a classroom with our children,” LaGrange said.

“Speeding up this process would also ensure that victims are not re-traumatized by having to go through a longer hearing.”

Although the process for hearing complaints will change, the new panels can only make recommendations for punishment. The final decision to suspend or revoke a certificate still belongs to the minister.

According to the ATA’s annual report, 126 new requests for investigation of possible unprofessional conduct were received in 2020. In 39 cases, sufficient evidence was found to justify hearings. Twenty-four disciplinary hearings were held in 2020 and 24 members were found guilty of 83 counts of unprofessional conduct.

More to come …