Schools close as teacher strike officially begins

By Lethbridge Herald on October 4, 2025.

Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald

Students in public and separate schools across Alberta won’t be returning to school Monday after the Alberta Teachers Association announced Friday that they will follow through on their threat to walk off the job.

In a statement, the ATA said that after resuming exploratory conversations with the Government of Alberta about reaching a negotiated settlement, the strike has not been averted.

“Teachers will be commencing job action on Monday, Oct 6.”

The Lethbridge School Division shared the update with parents on Friday via email, confirming that there would be no school for the foreseeable future. 

“We are confirming that a strike involving members of the Alberta Teachers’ Association will begin on Monday Oct. 6, 2025,” reads the announcement.  

That means all classes are cancelled, students will not attend in person or online, and there will be no instruction, supervision or extracurricular activities.

They asked parents to not send their children to school as the doors will be locked, and not to drop them off at the school bus stop as the service will stop as well. 

“We know this is a very challenging time,” said the statement. “We don’t know how long this will last, but we do want you to know that when job action is resolved, we will be happy to welcome our students, staff, and community back.”

In regards of operations across the schools within the division during the job action, they informed parents that schools will have limited staff, doors will remain locked, and students will not be present at schools.

“If your child has forgotten something at school, please call the school office for assistance. We respectfully ask that you do not call schools for job action updates. We need to keep the phones clear for urgent matters.”

The Holy Spirit Catholic School Division also shared the strike notice with parents and reminded them that schools will be locked during the job action. 

Buses will not be operating and all curricular and extra-curricular activities, including sports, will be paused until classes resume. 

“Google Classrooms and Spaces will be suspended during the job action. This is to keep students safe and protect privacy, since teachers’ supervision is limited on these platforms.” 

“At this time, no learning resources will be sent home, but we will update families if this changes.” 

Hoy Spirit has created an online form for parents and guardians to submit questions about the labour action and its impact on students, while continuing to update the information on their Labour Updates webpage. 

“We understand this is a challenging time, and your patience and support are greatly appreciated. Please reassure your children that we look forward to welcoming them back to school as soon as it is possible,” Chantal Axani, superintendent of schools, said in the announcement.