Today, May 16, marks one month since Albertans elected a majority UCP government.

While dangerous education laws created under the NDP still remain on the books, hope is on the horizon.  

Page 59 of the UCP election platform includes the promise to proclaim the Education Act, taking effect on September 1, 2019.

Notably, this change would result in the removal of all amendments made by the NDP’s passage of Bill 24.

Time is of the essence as we look forward to this promise being kept.

New governments are busy governments, and busy governments must prioritize.

Let Education Minister Adriana LaGrange know that keeping this promise must be a top priority.

It is up to us, the citizens of Alberta, to ensure our new education minister understands the devastating effects we have already witnessed as a result of the poorly-written laws currently impacting K-12 education in Alberta:

• A student with autism almost died from suicide after living a double life as a boy at school and a girl at home, leaving the parents “pleading with Rachel Notley’s NDP government to ‘not shut parents out of their children’s lives’ and ‘to bring some nuance’ into Bill 24”. (Calgary Herald, May 7, 2018)

• A student, taken off school property during school hours, was told that “his mother would not know if he attended a GSA conference and miss all of his classes” and he was provided with materials including 153 condoms and a graphic sexual flip book that explicitly showed step by step illustrations for various forms of sexual activity. (Calgary Herald, Dec. 4, 2018)

• A principal of a Catholic Francophone school was abruptly suspended from his position when students made allegations against him regarding how he had dealt with their GSA.  The legal fees for the school board are over half a million dollars so far. (Edmonton Journal, March 14, 2019)  Additionally, concerns have been expressed that students were removed from school property without parental knowledge or consent. (St. Paul Journal, May 9, 2018)

Any law that isolates vulnerable children, forbids communication with parents, provides a free pass for sexual content to be provided to K-12 children in clubs and activities, strips school autonomy and destroys the freedom of faith-based schools to operate according to their beliefs is not a good law.

TIME-SENSITIVE

With a new legislative session starting in just a few days, on Tuesday May 21, time is of the essence to communicate the importance of prioritizing this campaign promise.

Today take a few minutes to send a short message to Education Minister Adriana LaGrange:

• Respectfully welcoming her to her new role.
• Encouraging her to prioritize the proclamation of the Education Act to take effect on September 1, 2019, as promised. 

You can also cc Premier Jason Kenney in that same message. 

Alternatively, feel free to also phone the education minister's office using the number provided below.

E-mail addresses: [email protected], [email protected] 

Phone number for office of education minister: 780 427 5010

Thank you for investing time toward ensuring the safety and care of children in Alberta schools as we advocate together for excellence in education through maximum parental choice.