Is the Alberta Teacher’s Association (ATA) a professional organization, a disciplinary body, or a union? The answer to all three questions is ‘yes’, and it has created a gross conflict of interest..The ATA is a union by every definition but name. It takes mandatory dues from teachers, it negotiates collective agreements, and has the ability to call a strike. It advocates on behalf of teachers to the government and the public..The ATA is also a professional organization. In that role, the ATA is responsible for broader oversight of the entire trade of teaching. According to the Alberta Teaching Profession Act the role of the ATA is to advance and improve the cause of education in Alberta and to improve the teaching profession..The ATA is empowered as a disciplinary body that forms a professional conduct committee stacked with 17 ATA members and 3 members of the public. The committee has the ability to impose fines and suspensions of certification of teachers under the oversight of the provincial education minister. This is where the most egregious conflict of interest exists..All three of these roles filled by the ATA need to be broken into independent bodies..The role of a professional organization is important. It needs to monitor and maintain the quality of the profession and educational outcomes. It needs to look at teaching practices with the interest of students in mind and needs to contribute to curriculum development with a clear eye. Curriculum development has become hopelessly politicized in Alberta as the ATA has put on its union hat. The ATA has been encouraging opposition to any proposals made by the UCP government, but had nary a word to say about proposals from the ideologically copasetic NDP when it was in power. There is no way for an association to give an unbiased review of the curriculum when it is embroiled in union-driven political battles with the government..When it comes to disciplinary actions, the ATA has consistently put the interests of the teachers ahead of those of the students. This puts students in danger and the practice has to stop. How could it? It’s also the teachers’ union after all..In 2014, Education Minister Jeff Johnson was forced to overturn 20% of the cases that came before him during his term..Here are three of the cases where Minister Johnson overruled ATA recommendations and imposed a lifetime ban for the teachers involved..The ATA recommended a two-year suspension for Darcy Robert Steele who had been found to have yelled at, kicked furniture at, and thrown things at his Grade 5 and 6 students. Steele also had been criminally convicted of assaulting children who were not his students in 2010..Faryn Schnapp was given a four-year suspension from the ATA for talking to students about penile and clitoral tattoos and piercing along with texting a student about masturbation..The ATA felt a three-year teaching suspension for Amanda Chilton was appropriate after she had a sexual affair with one of her students and attempted to cover it up..This was just in the period of two years. Each one of these teachers would still be teaching today if the ATA’s judgements were not overturned by the minister..During his four-year reign as education minister with the NDP government, David Eggen never overruled a single ATA ruling. The will of the union was more important than the interests of the students while the NDP was in power..In 2019, the ATA recommended a two-year suspension for a teacher who had been groping Grade 5 and Grade 6 students on a number of occasions. Eggen accepted the recommendation, but now UCP Education Minister Adriana LaGrange has overruled the ATA’s judgement and imposed a lifetime ban for the teacher in question..Not only does the ATA impose light penalties on teachers found to be abusive of students, but they also seem to be rather blind when abuses are in progress. The ATA recently imposed a $32,500 fine upon and recommended the cancelation of the teaching certificate of Southern Alberta teacher Frieda Anne Mennes. The problem is, Mennes’ acts of abuse went back over 36 years and she is 65 years old now. Banning a retiree from teaching isn’t much of a punishment and it has to be asked why it took decades for the ATA to take notice of her actions?.A class-action suit has now been filed against the Calgary Board of Education on behalf of a number of students who had allegedly been sexually assaulted by Michael Gregory. Gregory taught at John Ware Junior High school from 1986 until 2006. He took his own life when charged with 17 sexual offenses against his students. Lawyer for the plaintiffs, Jonathan Denis has said Gregory may have victimized upward of 200 students during his 20-year career..While the ATA did act and suspended Gregory’s license when his actions came to their attention, they also didn’t report the allegations to the police when they came to light..ATA representative Jonathan Teghtmeyer said the ATA is not under any obligation to report any potential criminal behaviour of teachers to the police. While there may not be a legal obligation to report, there should at least be a moral one. The ATA again was more concerned with the interests of the teacher rather than the students..The ATA can’t effectively juggle three roles under one umbrella. The union and professional body need to be separated from each other. While the union can and should represent its members when it comes to disciplinary hearings, it should not also be running the hearings. They cannot be trusted to be the judge, jury, executioner, and defence. An independent body needs to be created to deal with investigations and rulings when it comes to misconduct by teachers..The hybrid organization of the ATA is failing our children and it has to be dismantled..Cory Morgan is Assistant Opinion & Broadcast Editor for the Western Standard.cmorgan@westernstandardonline.com
