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Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council emergent meeting held Aug. 10, 2015, at the Banff Centre
1. Approved the concept of the fall multimedia campaign and authorized the development of advertisements consistent with the concept.
2. Directed the president to write a letter to the minister of education, expressing the Association’s disappointment in and concerns about the Student Learning Assessment program.
Highlights of the Provincial Executive Council meeting held September 24–25, 2015, at Barnett House in Edmonton
1. Approved, with amendments, recommendations on 117 expiring current directives for submission to the 2016 Annual Representative Assembly (ARA).
2. Approved a statement of Association program emphases for 2015/16.
3. Named three members of Council to each of three staff selection committees: the first for the two positions of executive staff officer, Professional Development; the second for the position of executive staff officer, Member Services; and the third for the position of executive staff officer, Teacher Welfare. The competitions, which result from an impending retirement and the addition of three executive staff officer positions at the 2015 ARA, close Oct. 13, 2015.
4. Appealed the order of a hearing committee on the grounds of insufficient penalty and the incorrect citation of a precedent case and, consistent with section 50(1) of the Teaching Profession Act, extended to March 31, 2016, the deadline for the commencement of the appeal hearing. The hearing committee had found a teacher guilty of four charges of unprofessional conduct for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student, thereby failing to treat the student with dignity and respect; for making comments of a romantic nature, inappropriate to an acceptable teacher-student relationship, in text messages to a student, thereby failing to treat the student with dignity and respect; for engaging in extensive communications by telephone to a student, where the frequency and/or hours of contact were inappropriate to an acceptable teacher-student relationship, thereby failing to treat the student with dignity and respect; and for engaging in an inappropriate relationship with a student, thereby failing to maintain the honour and dignity of the profession. The hearing committee had imposed the penalty of directing that a recommendation be made to the minister of education to cancel the teacher’s letter of authority, which serves as the teacher’s teaching certificate; directing that a recommendation be made to the minister of education to declare the teacher ineligible for certification for one year; declaring the teacher ineligible for membership in the Association for one year; declaring the teacher ineligible for reinstatement as a member of the Association until the teacher has provided the executive secretary of the Association with a letter from the teacher’s treating psychiatrist confirming that the psychiatrist has reviewed a copy of the hearing committee’s report, that to the best of the psychiatrist’s knowledge the teacher has been compliant with treatment recommendations and that the teacher is medically fit to return to practice as a teacher; and directing that any costs related to providing the required documentation in the order be the responsibility of the teacher.
5. Received the report of an appeal committee, which allowed Council’s appeal of the order of a hearing committee on the grounds of insufficient penalty and imposed a revised penalty of two separate letters of severe reprimand — one letter to address the first two charges and another letter to address the third charge — as well as a $300 fine payable within 60 days of the teacher’s receipt of the appeal committee’s written decision. The hearing committee had found a teacher guilty of three charges of unprofessional conduct for initiating a petition against the school administration of a school attended by the teacher’s child and circulating the said petition to parents in the school community, thereby failing to protest through proper channels administrative policies and practices that the teacher cannot in conscience accept; for sending e-mails critical of teachers to individuals who were not proper officials, thereby failing to protest through proper channels administrative policies and practices that the teacher cannot in conscience accept; and for initiating a petition against school administration and sending e-mails critical of teachers to improper individuals, thereby failing to maintain the honour and dignity of the profession. The hearing committee, which had imposed the penalty of one letter of severe reprimand to address the first two charges and another letter of severe reprimand to address the third charge, had directed that the reprimands be addressed in a single letter.
6. Approved the Association’s 2015/16 capital budget.
7. Approved an increase to the specialist council base operating grant.
8. Approved disbursement of the 2015/16 budget for regular international co-operation to 13 international projects, including Project Overseas.
9. Approved disbursement of the 2015/16 budget for periodic international co-operation to the Dominica Association of Teachers, through Education International, to help rebuild the education system in the wake of Tropical Storm Erika.
10. Directed staff to serve notice to terminate the Association’s partnership with Me to We Kenya.
11. Amended the terms of reference of the CTF (Canadian Teachers’ Federation) Committee.
12. Amended administrative guidelines regarding international co-operation.
13. Approved a frame of reference for Lakeland Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 150 teachers’ Economic Policy Committee.
14. Approved a donation to the University of Alberta Institute for Sexual Minority Studies and Services for its fourth annual Gay-Straight Alliance Conference, scheduled for Nov. 21 in Calgary.
15. Named field members to fill vacancies on Association and other external committees.
