Some Edmonton Public Schools rotate online learning as support worker strike continues
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Some schools in Edmonton's public school division are having dozens of students alternate between learning from home and learning online, while the school support worker strike continues.
The move follows a recent ministerial order that requires schools to prioritize in-person learning during the labour dispute.
Thousands of support workers have been on strike since early January, demanding better wages. Their ranks include educational assistants who support children with disabilities or complex medical needs in the classroom.
Edmonton Public Schools was unable to provide the specific number of schools that will be rotating students between at-home and in-person learning.
"These decisions are made at the school level and will vary school-by-school, or even class-by-class," a spokesperson told CBC News.
"If parents have questions about their own individual circumstances, we encourage them to reach out to their child's school directly."
One of the schools rotating students is Michael Strembitsky School in the south Edmonton neighbourhood of Summerside.
According to a letter from the principal of the school, the changes will affect Grade 7 and 8 students, who will now participate in a weekly rotation of at-home learning until further notice.
In the letter, the principal acknowledged the difficulties the changes pose for families.
"We understand this change may raise questions," wrote principal Chad Sheppard. "The ministerial order prioritizes in-person learning for students with specialized needs. This rotation allows us to provide that, while still providing education to all students."
Rory Gill, president of the CUPE Alberta Division, says the rotating learning model is not a solution.
"There's no need for this. All the government needs to do is lift the wage mandates, lift the funding freezes on public education, and put more money in education," said Gill.
"Our folks, if they bargain freely and fairly we'll be back in the classroom very quickly. Schools cannot operate without CUPE education support workers."
Some parents expressed frustration with the new learning model, stating concerns over the long-term impact of this arrangement on student learning.
"This is not a permanent solution, this is a very damaging temporary solution," said Samar Al-Hajjaj, president of the Michael Strembitsky School Parent Foundation, a group that raises funds for events and programs to help the school
"The special needs kids suffered during the time when they were away, and thankfully they are back. But now they're adding another suffering to the Grade 7 and 8 [students]"
Al-Hajjaj said the recent changes were communicated with less than a day's notice, making it difficult for families to prepare or adjust. She expressed concern over the lack of effectiveness of at-home learning, referencing students' past struggles with remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Some people don't have flexible jobs, not everybody works from home and is able to make those arrangements," she said.
The Alberta Teachers' Association (ATA) also weighed in on the situation.
"Switching between in-person and online instruction disrupts student learning," said ATA president Jason Schilling in a statement. "This approach is not a solution. It's teachers and schools once again being forced to hold together a system broken by the missteps and poor decisions of the government."
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'I do think Canada, as the chair of the G7, has a leadership role to play.' The Bank of Canada is also changing the way it has conversations with Canadians and the kind of data it considers. A day after the June interest rate decision, deputy governor Sharon Kozicki told a Toronto business crowd how the central bank is using data more nimbly, relying heavily on surveys and more granular information to make monetary policy decisions in an uncertain time. These sources offer a faster way to see what's happening on the ground in the economy than traditional statistical models allow. Macklem said the central bank would previously have dismissed most supply shocks as transitory — likely to pass without the need for central bank adjustments, such as rising and falling oil prices. But he said the Bank of Canada needs to be running a more 'nuanced playbook' now to respond to some increasingly common shocks: supply chain disruptions, trade conflicts and extreme weather to name a few. An overheating economy running up against a supply disruption is the kind of inflationary fire Macklem is trying to avoid in this latest crisis. Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. 'The economy does not work well when inflation is high,' he said. 'And the primary role of the Bank of Canada is to ensure that Canadians maintain confidence in price stability. That's all we can do for the Canadian economy. That's what we can do for Canadians. And that's what we're focused on.' Later in the day on Wednesday, the Edmonton Oilers took Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. The Canadian team was down but roared back to win 4-3 in overtime. It's still early in the Bank of Canada's response to the latest global shock. But with any luck, Macklem's team might also get a leg up with lessons learned the last time they faced big odds. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 7, 2025.
