Both Rocky View Schools (RVS) and Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) say they are preparing for an Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) strike to begin Oct. 6. In an Oct. 2 update, RVS said, “We are preparing for no school or buses beginning Oct. 6.” In a follow-up notice on Oct. 3, the division clarified that students will continue to have access to RVS learning platforms, but use will be at the discretion of parents and guardians. “There is no expectation students are engaging in at-home learning during the strike. There will be no teacher supervision, guidance or instructional support during the strike or expectation for teachers to review or grade work submitted during that time.” The division said all RVS schools and programs will close Oct. 6. “Do not send your child to school.” “No buses run when schools are closed. Do not send your child to a bus stop.” Schools will be closed to students and families. School offices will respond to school-based questions by email. They will not have access to teacher or administrator-specific information during the strike. Students are encouraged to take personal belongings home by the end of the school day on Oct. 3. Parents and guardians can access optional Parent Toolkits and Supplementary Resources provided by the government. There is no expectation for parents/guardians and students to engage in at-home learning during the strike. Funding may also be available for parents/guardians. All school sports, extracurricular activities and trips are cancelled until further notice. Fees paid for school activities that have been cancelled may be adjusted once an agreement has been reached and no further labour action will happen. Bus service will not operate. The Transportation Office remains open for registration and services. Families will be contacted directly by their third-party childcare provider regarding any service changes. Please reach out to your childcare provider directly. Community use of schools outside of school hours remains available. The RVS Education Centre remains open. CCSD also issued an update on October 2. “Alberta teachers are scheduled to begin labour action on Monday, October 6. We continue to pray for a positive and timely resolution. Our priority remains supporting students and staff and keeping our school communities informed during this challenging time.” “As of now, there is no school beginning on Monday, October 6. All classes at all schools will be cancelled until further notice.” “Students may feel free to take home any personal belongings, learning materials and items they may need on October 2 and 3, prior to the start of labour action on October 6.” “School buildings will remain open for CUPE, Unifor and Exempt staff, who will continue to work.” “If a child is dropped off at a school or playground during labour action, Unifor staff will contact parents/guardians to arrange pick-up.” “There will be no transportation. Please do not send children to the bus stop.” “All extracurricular activities and field trips are suspended during labour action.” “All high school athletic practices, competitions and tournaments are cancelled October 6–31. This may extend depending on labour action.” “All junior high athletic practices, competitions and tournaments are cancelled temporarily. More information will be communicated once a return date is determined.” “All Work Experience, Dual-Credit and Hockey Canada Skills Academy (HCSA) programs will be suspended effective October 6.” “The School Council Executive Orientation planned for October 7 at St. Francis High School has been postponed.” “Before and After School programs may continue, depending on the individual provider.” “District preschools will continue to operate.” “Facility rentals will continue.” “Homework will not be assigned or reviewed by teachers. CCSD has compiled links to some optional, age-appropriate online learning resources: Supporting Parents and Students in Learning.” “Students can log in to their school accounts and access platforms like Brightspace by D2L and Google Classroom. Please note that these platforms will not be supervised by teachers.” “Parents/guardians are asked to pay the 2025/26 school fees as usual. Depending upon the length of the labour action, some fees may be adjusted accordingly.” “Updates will continue to be posted to the CCSD website and/or sent via email directly to parents/guardians.” On Sept. 29, the ATA announced its members voted 89.5 per cent against accepting the agreement presented in provincial negotiations. “This allows a strike to proceed on Oct. 6, 2025,” RVS said. The division said then that a general strike would require teachers and school administrators to stop all services and leave RVS facilities, closing all schools and programs including online. It said the Education Centre would remain open, bus service would not operate, childcare providers would contact families directly, and community use of schools would continue as scheduled. The ATA also issued a Sept. 29 media release. “Alberta’s public education teachers have rejected the memorandum of agreement by 89.5 per cent. Teachers will go on strike on October 6,” the association said. “The overwhelming rejection of the tentative agreement highlights the gap between teachers’ lived realities in the classroom and the government’s perception of public education in Alberta.” “The proposed agreement failed to meet the needs of teachers, failed to improve student classroom conditions in a concrete and meaningful way, and failed to show teachers the respect they deserve,” said ATA president Jason Schilling. “The government’s job is to provide the necessities to Alberta’s public education system. Instead of simply doing its job, the government has forced teachers to bargain for basic classroom needs, which is both inappropriate and embarrassing.” “When oversized classes and growing student complexities combine to create learning environments that no longer meet students’ needs and push teachers far past their limits, the government must be held accountable,” Schilling said. “By rejecting this agreement, teachers have signaled that classroom complexities have not been adequately addressed and an increase of 12 per cent is insufficient.” “Over the last decade, teachers have received a total salary increase of less than six per cent, while being promised that they would be fairly compensated in their next collective agreement.” “Teachers are now taking action and standing united for an agreement that immediately addresses deteriorating conditions in classrooms across Alberta and gives them the pay increase they deserve,” the association said. “More than 43,000 teachers cast ballots online between September 27 and 29.” “The Alberta Teachers’ Association, as the professional organization of teachers, promotes and advances public education, supports teachers’ professional practice and serves as the advocate for its 51,000 members.” Sign up to get the latest local news headlines delivered directly to your inbox every afternoon. 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