What Educators Need to Know About Alberta’s Gender Policy Legislation

May 22, 2025

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With Alberta enacting new legislation influencing gender identity policies in schools, educators find themselves navigating complex intersections between student well-being, parental rights, and professional responsibilities. These legislative changes emerge from a broader socio-political landscape shaped by the colonial imposition of the gender binary and shifting structures that define our education system and society.

Schools thrive when students feel safe, valued, and included, as these are foundations for both learning and cultivating healthy school communities. With Bills 27 and 29 taking effect in Fall 2025, educators are faced with pressing questions:

How can we continue to support students while adhering to these legislative requirements?
What strategies can help navigate these changes effectively while maintaining an inclusive and student-centered approach?

This article serves as a guide for educators to understand the new policies, their implications, and practical strategies to address these emerging questions. While compliance is necessary, the deeper purpose of these discussions is to foster care and a commitment to student well-being, ensuring that every student feels seen, empowered, and supported.

Key Legislative Changes

The Alberta Government has passed three bills with significant implications for all students, particularly gender-diverse youth. Bill 26: Health Statutes Amendments Act directly impacts transgender youth’s access to gender-affirming care, and Bill 29: Fairness and Safety in Sport Act introduces regulations affecting sports leagues and gender diverse athlete participation across the province. For this article, the focus will be on Bill 27: Education Amendment Act.

Under Bill 27: The Education Amendment Act (2024) and the Government of Alberta (2024):

Schools must notify parents if a 16-or-17-year-old student requests to be referred to by a new gender-related name or pronoun.
For students under 16, parental consent is required before educators can use a student's chosen name and pronouns.
School authorities must ensure that students receive counselling or other support before parental notification if there is a reasonable expectation of psychological or emotional harm or at the student's request.
The legislation mandates parental notification and an opt-in process for any subject matter primarily and explicitly related to gender identity, sexual orientation, or human sexuality, with at least 30 days’ notice. Additionally, the Minister of Education will oversee the approval of learning resources on these topics, though the definition of "primarily and explicitly" remains unclear.

While school jurisdictions must create or amend policies to comply with these laws, the core of inclusive education remains unchanged. Your role as educators continues to include creating welcoming learning environments and preventing discrimination in your classroom, even while grappling with the tension between the Education Amendment Act and the Alberta Human Rights Act. While there are procedures to implement, they do not override protected grounds. The Alberta Human Rights Act protects gender, gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation, and it takes precedence over conflicting legislation (Alberta Human Rights Act, 2024).

In the Ever Active Schools Alberta School Board Policy Clinic, Dr. Lee Airton highlighted the risk of over-compliance—where efforts to adhere to new legislation may result in unnecessary restrictions beyond requirements. To prevent overreach, educators must equip themselves with a clear understanding of both the legislative requirements and their school’s policies. Empowering yourself with knowledge strengthens your ability to support students in a way that aligns with human rights protections and inclusive education.

With a base understanding of the legislative changes, we can orient ourselves to how educators can mitigate harm through practical implementation strategies that help navigate these changes while centering student well-being.

Practical Implementation Strategies

1. Slow Down

When a student shares their gender identity with you, take a breath and engage in conversation. This disclosure likely indicates that they see you as a trusted adult, and your response can significantly impact their sense of safety and belonging. Your role at this moment is to provide a steady listening presence.

Do not overcorrect: the legislation indicates that parental notification or consent is required if a student requests to be referred to by a new gender identity-related name and pronouns. A student simply sharing their gender identity with you does not imply an obligation to notify parents; understanding this distinction is key to an affirming response.

If a student is requesting to be referred to by a new name or pronouns, then refer to your school’s policy to determine the process for parental contact, keeping the student’s voice central in the process.

You do not need to call the parents immediately, as there is no mandated timeline for parental notification. Effectively use this time to prioritize student well-being by connecting the student with counselling or other supports as stated in the legislation, which is to be done prior to parental notification if there is a risk of psychological or emotional harm or if the student requests it. Rather than placing the burden on the student to advocate for counselling, educators can offer this resource, recognizing that navigating gender identity in a predominantly cisnormative society can, in itself, be a source of emotional distress. Advocating for student access to resources is an approach that centers well-being in a strenuous time.

2. Student-Centered Process

Cultivating environments where students feel safe to lead their own journey begins with engaging in open dialogue through asking how they would like to navigate conversations about their identity and honouring their voice in decisions that impact them.

Student autonomy also extends to their right to use their chosen name and pronouns among their peers. While the legislation mandates that educators use the student's legal name and pronouns until parental processes are completed, there is no requirement to monitor how students address one another. Overcorrecting by discouraging peers from using a student’s affirmed name would create unnecessary harm.

If a student’s legal name is being misused to target them, this is bullying and needs to be addressed as such. In these cases, school staff should enforce their school’s anti-harassment policy to ensure a safe and respectful learning environment. Ultimately, addressing discrimination and bringing the student’s voice and experience to the center of the conversations will be vital to ensure that students feel cared for while navigating these regulations.

3. Be Proactive

As educators, you have the opportunity to foster an inclusive classroom culture, beginning with setting the stage early on and embedding strategies into all aspects of your teaching. Using gender-neutral language and avoiding gender-segregated activities are foundational steps to intentionally affirming student identities. Discussing clear anti-discrimination expectations when creating classroom culture is necessary. Establishing expectations for respect and consequences for discrimination will set the tone for how students engage with each other and their openness to sharing with you if the time comes.

Streamlining classroom processes early, like distributing opt-in parent consent forms at the start of the year, can give families more time to engage and respond. Another consideration is maintaining accurate records. Tracking relevant interactions, support provided, and emerging concerns will be valuable in reference to compliance and human rights obligations.

Being proactive is a practical way to bolster student well-being and fostering learning environments where students can be curious, learn, and grow.

4. Connection & Community

Educators do not have to navigate these changes alone. Collaboration through shared learning, ongoing conversations, and collective problem-solving is an empowering and necessary strategy. The insights in this article did not emerge in isolation but are the result of collective learning through the Ever Active Schools Alberta School Board Policy Clinic and deep engagement rooted in centering student well-being.

These conversations brought together legal experts from Parlee McLaws LLP, academic leaders such as Dr. Andre Grace and Dr. Lee Airton and members of the Ever Active Schools team. Additionally, the format of the policy clinic was inspired by Ophea. The intersection of valuable contributions to this dialogue highlights how the most powerful response to shifting policies and evolving challenges is community.

Through coming together, leveraging resources, and supporting one another, we create the strongest foundation for navigating these changes effectively. In times of uncertainty, connection can be a source of strength. As we move forward, let us continue to uphold student well-being at the heart of education and come together in a shared vision where all students have the space to be seen and thrive.