PORRITT: Alberta’s Bill 25 isn’t removing politics from classrooms — it’s redefining them

Jennifer Porritt is an educational assistant and parent in Edmonton.A recent United Conservative Party (UCP) newsletter was sent to supporters in praise of Bill 25, An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms. Many of the items were ones that all parents and citizens would want, but what they left unsaid is worth examining.The government states that they are removing politics from schools, starting with removing flags. By allowing only the Alberta and Canadian flags, they will remove the Treaty 6 flag from every Edmonton Public School where it now flies. If politics is us deciding how we will live together, then there is no denying that they are making the political statement that being treaty people is not part of our identity, nor something that informs our decision-making. If they make an exception now, that exception itself will make clear that our treaty responsibilities are an afterthought. Even this innocuous statement in their newsletter that “the national anthem will play every week” hides the fact that the bill actually states that students require a signed note from a guardian in order to refrain from “standing, singing, or otherwise participating in the playing.” Somehow being patriotic in the most authoritarian way possible. Just like last summer’s ministerial order included a ban on hands touching buttocks in school books, which led to many unintended books being removed, I’m just not sure how well this amendment was thought through. I can imagine teachers feeling compelled to say, “I can’t hear you singing! Sing louder!” because the law states students must have a note if they don’t sing. Will this be another case of the Premier saying we should follow the spirit and not the letter of the law? Is that how laws work?.Not mentioned in the newsletter is the removal of the power of trustees to hire superintendents and the potential for forced removal of land set aside for public schools. Imagine children having to travel longer because their parents can’t afford the fees at the charter school that was built on their neighbourhood public land.The newsletter states that “teachers will be protected from being forced to take part in activities that go against their personal beliefs.” Will teachers be likewise protected when they follow their conscience by including those who don’t fit the majority? When school staff explicitly make space to welcome minorities based on “race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, gender identity, gender expression, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status or sexual orientation,” as named in Alberta’s Human Rights Act, will they also be protected?The heart of the issue is how often the phrase “striking out ‘welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment that respects diversity and fosters a sense of belonging’” is found. Eight times, in fact. All instances of the word “welcoming” are taken out of the Education Act, reinforcing that Alberta is no longer calling and we’re taking back the welcome mat. What is left in its place may seem like nuance, but in fact, “safe and caring environment that fosters and maintains respectful and responsible behaviours” is a colder version, which shifts from culture to behaviour. .Anyone who works with humans understands that behaviour flows from the heart, and a focus on obedience leads to deceit and cold hearts. When we are made to feel like our whole selves are welcome and we extend that whole-hearted welcome to others, reciprocity and intrinsically motivated good behaviour flourish.Bill 25 states schools must “ensure that the courses or programs of study offered at a school operated by the board are focused on academic rigour, intellectual integrity, and essential knowledge.” Who gets to decide what “essential knowledge” is? In a future world where it appears AI will take increasing prominence, the knowledge and skills that make us uniquely human will become essential. What are the things that AI will not be able to do? Will it be able to care for Grandma? Make strangers into friends? Be inquisitive? Negotiate for peace? Skills in welcoming and belonging are, in fact, essential for the twenty-first century.“To laugh often and much; to win the respect of the intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the beauty in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know that one life has breathed easier because you lived here. This is to have succeeded,” Ralph Waldo Emerson.Jennifer Porritt is an educational assistant and parent in Edmonton.

PORRITT: Alberta’s Bill 25 isn’t removing politics from classrooms — it’s redefining them

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