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ATA Strike Commencing on Monday; School Closures Starting Oct 6th

As a result of the Alberta Teachers Association (ATA) rejecting a proposed deal from the Teachers’ Employer Bargaining Association (TEBA), all FMPSD schools will be closed to students starting Monday, October 6, 2025, unless a new agreement is reached or strike action is otherwise averted. Additionally, all yellow school bus routes will be suspended for the duration of the strike.

In light of the ongoing strike, all extracurricular activities, including sports, clubs, and after-school programs, will be temporarily suspended.

As there is no definitive end date for the strike, FMPSD is unable to provide a timeline for when normal operations will resume. We will continue to provide timely updates as we receive them from the Ministry of Education and Child Care.

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General Administration AP 130: School Year

Board

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Background

The Board expects the Superintendent to prepare an annual calendar of school operational and instructional days and present it to the Board for approval no later than March 31.

Definitions

Instructional Day means a day on which students are present in school and attendance is recorded.

Operational Day means a day on which teachers are required to be at work.

Procedures

  1. Operational days shall include:
    1. Teachers’ Convention – Two days;
    2. Teachers’ Institute – one day
  2. Operational days may include:
    1. Preparation – two(or more) days prior to the first day of school;
      – one half day (or more) at the end of the school year;
    2. In-service day – at least one day at Division level;
    3. Parent-Teacher Interviews – at least one day.
  3. An attempt will be made to incorporate an extended Christmas period (2 weeks) to begin no later than December 23.
  4. Spring Break will include up to five school days and will normally be the week preceding or following Good Friday.
  5. Schools will not operate on statutory holidays.
  6. In preparing the calendar, the Superintendent or designate shall consult with locally elected officials of the Alberta Teachers’ Association and the Canadian Union of Public Employees No. 2545, the Administration of Fort McMurray Roman Catholic Separate School Division, and Fort McMurray Public School Division Administrators.
  7. Individual school operational calendars shall follow the division calendar and will be submitted by the Principal with the School Education Plan to the Superintendent for approval. Requests for deviation from the division calendar are to be avoided and requests for an alternate calendar must be sent to the Superintendent a year in advance.
  8. The minimum length of the school year for instructional hours is 5 to 10 hours greater than the below requirements of the Ministry of Education:
    Early Childhood Development Program (ECDP)     475 hours per year
    ECS Full-Day 950 hours per year
    ECS Half Day 475 hours per year
    Grades 1 – 9 950 hours per year
    Grades 10 – 12 1000 hours per year

 

Adopted:

February 6, 1995, February 2, 1993

Amended:

March 23, 2010, April 9, 2001, November 25, 2013, September 21, 2016, February 19, 2020, January 25, 2023, July 11, 2023

Reference:

Sections 18, 19, 52, 53, 60, 205, 222 Education Act
Section 25 Employment Standards Code
Collective Agreements
Guide to Education ECS to Grade 12

Cross References:

Policy 8 Board Committees

AP 130 Appendix Staff Training and Development Opportunities

AP 210 Early Childhood Services

AP 430 Role of the Principal