Alberta has introduced legislation that would change how schools report student progress, require public information about professional development days and strengthen notification rules for serious incidents in licensed child care.
Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides introduced Bill 35, the Education and Childcare (Securing Parental Involvement) Statutes Amendment Act, 2026, in the legislature Thursday, October 29. It proposes changes to the Education Act and the Early Learning and Child Care Act. The measures are not yet law.
What could change in schools
The bill would authorize the minister to establish provincewide standards for what report cards communicate about student achievement. Public and separate boards and Francophone regional authorities would be covered. It would not impose a single report-card template or online platform, and the province has not finalized a uniform letter-grade or numerical grading system.
School authorities would also be required to publish information about activities during professional development days and other non-instructional operational days within 60 calendar days. This proposed requirement would apply to public, separate, Francophone, charter and accredited independent school authorities, a broader group than the report-card standards.
School authorities would have to establish clear processes for receiving and handling parent concerns unresolved at the school level. Families would still use existing school and school-board channels, while responsibility for resolving individual concerns would remain with those authorities. The government also plans an online tool to help parents navigate concerns and identify recurring provincewide issues.
A further proposed change would require public school boards to obtain the education minister's approval before beginning a process to name or rename a school building they own. Boards could still conduct local engagement once authorized.
What could change in licensed child care
For licensed child-care facilities and family day home agencies, Bill 35 would strengthen notifications about serious incidents, compliance violations, administrative penalties and ministry-approved safety plans. Providers would have to inform affected families as soon as possible and notify families more broadly where required. Licensing officials could notify families directly if a provider failed or refused to do so.
The proposal would give the province authority to require, approve and enforce safety plans after critical incidents such as serious injuries, abuse or neglect allegations, a missing child or police involvement. Plans would describe safety measures without identifying individuals. Not every critical incident would automatically be publicly disclosed, especially when privacy or active investigations are involved.
Licensing officials could consider an applicant's operating experience, finances and other regulatory compliance when reviewing licences, attach conditions or renewal requirements to early childhood educator certification and use limited virtual monitoring when an in-person visit is not immediately possible.
Responses to the proposals
The government says the bill is intended to make school reporting clearer and strengthen parental involvement and child safety. The Alberta School Councils' Association welcomed clearer communication about student progress, professional development and ways to resolve concerns.
NDP education critic Rakhi Pancholi argued the school measures give the provincial government too much influence over local boards while classroom size and supports remain pressing issues. The Alberta Teachers' Association questioned the need for a new school complaints tool and warned that extra professional-development reporting could add paperwork. Pancholi expressed support for stronger child-care incident notifications.
When would the changes take effect?
If passed, the school measures are expected to be proclaimed in time for the 2027–28 school year. Child-care amendments are expected to take effect March 1, 2027. Additional details, including report-card standards and requirements for information about non-instructional days, would be established through later ministerial orders.
The bill does not itself establish a single grading scale for all Alberta schools, make every child-care incident public or immediately change how report cards are issued.
Sources
Alberta government: proposed school reporting and parent communication changes.
Alberta government: proposed child-care safety and notification changes.
Alberta government: Bill 35 overview and planned timelines.
Alberta School Councils' Association: response to Bill 35.
Canadian Press: government, NDP and teacher association responses.