Crowsnest Pass schools will be required to follow new provincial rules governing which flags can be displayed on school property beginning Jan. 4.
Alberta’s new Flag Display Regulation requires the Canadian and Alberta flags to be flown outside every school building during the school year. Each flag must be flown from a separate flagpole and displayed according to federal and provincial protocols.
The requirements will apply to public, separate, francophone, charter and accredited independent schools across the province.
In the Crowsnest Pass, the rules will apply to Livingstone Range School Division facilities including Horace Allen School, Isabelle Sellon School and Crowsnest Consolidated High School.
The division’s existing flag protocol already requires Canadian and Alberta flags to be displayed at every school during each school day.
However, the existing procedure allows both flags to be flown from the same flagpole, with the Canadian flag in the position of honour above the Alberta flag. The new provincial regulation requires separate flagpoles.
Livingstone Range’s published procedure, last updated in January 2020, will have to be brought into line with that requirement.
Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said the regulation is intended to establish a consistent approach throughout Alberta.
“The Canadian and Alberta flags are symbols that unite us and reflect the values we share,” Nicolaides said. “These changes will provide a clear and consistent approach to flag displays in schools.”
The regulation also limits the other flags school authorities may display without receiving permission from the Ministry of Education and Childcare.
Permitted displays include the Franco-Albertan flag, Alberta municipal flags, sports team and competition flags, the Vatican City flag and flags depicting official Alberta symbols. That means the Municipality of Crowsnest Pass flag may continue to be displayed on local school property.
First Nations, Métis Settlements General Council and Métis settlement flags may be displayed inside schools for National Indigenous Peoples Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation and Louis Riel Day.
Those flags may also be displayed during visits by Indigenous leaders, ceremonies, celebrations and lessons connected to an approved course. Some displays connected to a visit or course may remain in place for up to 14 consecutive school days.
Foreign national flags may be displayed temporarily during official visits, ceremonies, celebrations and approved classroom instruction. The Royal Union Flag may be displayed for Commonwealth Day and Victoria Day.
Pride flags are not included among the flags automatically permitted by the regulation.
A school board seeking to display a flag that is not covered by one of the exemptions must submit a written request to the ministry.
To receive permission, the proposed display must not constitute a political, social or ideological statement by the school board. It must also represent the school population or community, reflect the school’s identity, be part of existing infrastructure or be connected to a commemorative observance or school event.
The regulation defines a flag broadly. The restrictions apply to traditional fabric flags as well as stickers, printouts and digital reproductions that retain the proportions and elements of the original flag design.
School property includes classrooms, hallways, grounds, equipment, furnishings and other property controlled by a school board. The rules also apply to school and division websites and social media accounts.
They do not apply to flags displayed by individuals or on personal belongings. Students and staff may continue wearing clothing, pins or carrying personal items displaying a flag.
The Alberta Teachers’ Association criticized the regulation, saying it creates additional administrative work without improving classroom conditions.
“What problem is the government trying to solve here?” ATA president Jason Schilling said in an Oct. 23 statement.
Schilling said the association is also concerned that sports team flags may be displayed throughout the year while First Nations and Métis flags are limited to designated occasions.
“Indigenous students, families and communities deserve recognition and respect every day of the year, not just on designated occasions,” he said.
Opposition education critic Amanda Chapman said Albertans are more concerned about overcrowded classrooms and increasingly complex student needs than “policing flags.”
The regulation follows amendments made through An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act, which received royal assent May 14.
The flag provisions were initially expected to take effect in September but were delayed while the province developed the exemptions and implementation rules.
School authorities have until Jan. 4 to comply. The regulation is scheduled to expire May 29, 2029, unless it is renewed or replaced following a provincial review.