Alberta introduces new flag rules and restrictions for all schools starting in 2027

Alberta’s government has announced new rules on when, how and what flags can be displayed at schools starting in 2027.

The government said in a news release Friday that the flags of Canada and Alberta must be flown outside schools during the school year.

“Let’s teach our children to celebrate our amazing country and province,” Premier Danielle Smith said in a social media post.

The new rules also permit some other flags — including the Franco-Albertan flag, municipal flags, flags related to sports teams and the Vatican City flag — to be displayed on school grounds.

Others, including First Nations and Métis Settlement flags, foreign national flags and the Royal Union Flag, can only be displayed on specified days or on official occasions and must not stay up for more than 14 consecutive days.

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1:46 Alberta delays new restrictions on flags in schools

The government said no other flags can be displayed without permission from the province.

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The rules say school boards can apply for exemptions but only for flags that don’t “constitute a political, social or ideological statement.”

Those flags must also meet other conditions, such as reflecting a school’s identity.

Asked whether the government was pre-emptively banning any flags, such as the Pride flag, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said in an email that any requests from school boards would be handled on a case-by-case basis.

The rules also apply to websites and social media accounts, but not to individuals or personal items.

Both the Edmonton Public School Board and the Calgary Board of Education said they were reviewing the new rules.

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Jason Schilling, the president of the provincial teachers union, said the government seemed to be creating an elaborate set of rules for a problem he doesn’t think exists.

“At a time when schools are struggling to meet increasingly complex student needs, adding another layer of bureaucracy is the last thing they need,” said Schilling, with the Alberta Teachers’ Association.

Schilling also questioned why sports team flags could be flown all year while First Nations flags were being restricted, saying Indigenous students and communities deserve recognition and respect year-round.

“The flags displayed in our schools can be important symbols of identity and belonging, and government policy should recognize that,” he said.

Nicolaides said in a statement that new policy was meant to provide a consistent approach to flags in schools, “while keeping the focus where it belongs: on student learning and success.”

The changes stem from a bill Smith’s government passed last year that seeks to remove “politics and ideology” from classrooms.

Opposition NDP education critic Amanda Chapman also criticized the rules Friday. She said Albertans want action on overcrowded classrooms, not flag policing.

“None of the (United Conservative Party’s) culture war nonsense helps a single student or teacher,” Chapman said in a statement.

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The new rules begin Jan. 4, 2027. They apply to public, separate, francophone, charter and accredited independent schools.