740,000 Alberta students resume school amid red shirts, red-rimmed eyes following ATA strike

Red shirts and red-rimmed eyes mark end of ATA strike in Alberta. (Getty Images)

Alberta’s classrooms reopened on Wednesday as more than 740,000 students returned to schools after a 16-day provincewide teachers strike. The strike, the largest in Alberta’s history, ended after Premier Danielle Smith invoked the Charter’s notwithstanding clause to compel 51,000 teachers back to work at public, separate, and francophone schools, the Toronto Star reported.Across Calgary and Edmonton, parents and students gathered to greet teachers. Many wore red shirts, a symbol of support for the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA), while children carried colourful signs and messages of appreciation. “We love teachers!” shouted supporters at Colonel Walker Elementary School in Calgary, the Toronto Star noted.Cheering crowds welcome teachers backIn Calgary, about two dozen parents and children applauded as teachers arrived at the school. Sidewalks displayed messages such as “Thank you teachers” in chalk. Teachers were seen taking photos, wiping away tears, and greeting students, the Toronto Star reported.Colin Mitchell, who dropped off his nine-year-old son, Bennett, said in conversation with the Toronto Star, “It feels good. I’m glad that they’re back in the classroom.” Mitchell added, “It’s just too bad that it had to come to this. I think it’s kind of an elephant in the room still where the problem wasn’t necessarily dealt with fully.”Bennett said he was happy to return after three weeks at home, telling the Toronto Star, “I’m so excited to see my teacher again.”Parents show support and voice concernsErin O’Dorn and her partner, Phil Grace, carried signs expressing gratitude. “We wanted to let teachers know that we love them, that we support them and that we are eternally grateful for everything they did to stand up for public education here in Alberta,” O’Dorn told the Toronto Star. Grace added that the uncertainty over the three-week strike was particularly difficult for children.Erin Stanten, whose daughter is in Grade 1, encouraged other parents to complete a survey about their strike experiences. She told the Toronto Star, “My child missed her teacher this whole time. It was pretty heartbreaking.”Classroom challenges remainIn Edmonton, Grade 11 student Nyla Ahmadzai described mixed feelings upon returning to McNally School. “I’m happy to be back, so I can show my teachers my support. But I’m not happy, because we’re coming back to the same thing – overcrowded classes,” she said in conversation with the Toronto Star. Ahmadzai added that her first social studies class, with 37 students, began chaotically, with questions about the labour dispute often overlapping.The ATA confirmed teachers would not work to rule but criticised the use of the notwithstanding clause as a violation of rights, the Toronto Star reported. Alberta unions announced plans to contest the clause, warning that such measures could reduce bargaining power in future labour disputes.School boards have advised parents that classes are operating but warned of potential delays or adjustments to diploma exams and extracurricular activities, the Toronto Star noted.