Partners in Education
The board believes we are partners in education and have a responsibility to ensure welcoming, caring, respectful, inclusive and safe learning and working environments.
Sections 31-33 of the Education Act sets out the goals, roles and responsibilities of all partners in the Alberta education system, including students, parents, school boards and the Ministry of Education.
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Student responsibilities
Parent responsibilities
Board responsibilities
Student Responsibilities
Students are responsible for contributing to a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning and working environment that values diversity and fosters a sense of belonging. This is done through:
Welcoming
- Welcoming new people by greeting them with a smile and kind words
- Building positive relationships by including others and showing interest in others
Caring
- Showing care for self and others and the school
- Arriving on time and ready to learn
- Actively listening to others
- Sharing spaces and resources with others attending school everyday
Respectful
- Embracing similarities and differences of others
- Learning about the cultures and traditions of others
Inclusive
- Sharing your unique interests, gifts and talents to build connections
- Considering the needs, feelings and ideas of others
- Expressing your needs in a respectful way
- Accepting when something doesn’t go your way
Safe
- Following safety rules at school, home and in the community
- Fixing small problems on your own
- Asking for help if you have a “big” problem
- Taking responsibility for words and actions
- Seeking adult support if you and/or others are feeling unsafe
Parent Responsibilities
As parents or guardians, you have a responsibility to actively participate in your child’s educational success, including helping your child fulfill their responsibilities and contribute positively to the learning environment.
You can help your child meet their responsibilities in many ways, including:
- modelling kindness;
- paying attention to how you talk about other children and the school in front of your child;
- taking responsibility for your mistakes;
- modelling peaceful problem-solving when you have a conflict; and
- reporting any problems at the school based on our division’s 3-step communication path.
You also have the responsibility to ensure that your own conduct contributes to a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment by:
- cooperating and collaborating with school staff regarding the delivery of support and services to your child; and
- engaging in the school community when you can by attending school events and staying informed.
As parents or guardians, you have an important role to play, whether you are in the school regularly or not.
Some examples include:
- ensuring that your child attends school regularly;
- seeking to clarify a child’s version of events with the schools view in mind to bring about a peaceful solution to an issue or concern;
- speaking respectfully to and about school staff;
- speaking positively about the school, staff, other students and their families in front of your child; and
- making appointments to make sure the person you want to speak with has sufficient time to have a focused conversation. Drop-off and pick-up times are not ideal for you or for the teacher.
Note: Decisions regarding consequences imposed on one student cannot be shared with the parents or family of other students. While this can be frustrating, it is important and necessary to protect everyone’s privacy.
Board Responsibilities
School boards are responsible for ensuring that every student and staff member is provided with a welcoming, caring, respectful and safe learning environment that values diversity and fosters a sense of belonging. Additionally, boards are required to establish a student code of conduct that:
- is publicly available;
- is reviewed annually;
- is provided to all staff, students and parents;
- explains what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, whether or not it occurs within the school building during the school day or by electronic means;
- that addresses the prohibited grounds of discrimination;
- addresses possible consequences for unacceptable behaviour that consider a student’s age, maturity and individual circumstances. This means that consequences may be different for each student; and
- ensures that support is provided for the student(s) who are impacted by inappropriate behaviour, as well as for the student(s) who engaged in the inappropriate behaviour.
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