Delegates - Alternate Professional Development Approval

Requests by a Teacher to the Employer

Alternate Professional Development Activities

• Teachers may request permission to attend alternate professional development activities. Requests must be submitted, in writing, to the appropriate Convention Attendance Committee. Such requests must be made at least six weeks prior to the convention. Teachers failing to request permission from their Convention Attendance Committee may be subject to investigation and sanctions under the Code of Professional Conduct.
• For approval of requests by a teacher to be absent from convention responsibilities, the following minimum criteria must be met:
• • an organized professional development activity that exceeds those provided at convention
  • an extraordinary professional development opportunity that could not be accessed by the teacher at another time
  • a relevant professional development session not included in the convention program that will enhance professional practice.
• The Convention Attendance Committee has the authority to grant permission for a teacher to be absent from convention. The Convention Attendance Committee will advise the teacher of its decision in writing. Teachers may appeal a decision of the committee to the Convention Board to render a final decision.
• An example of an appropriate request would include a one-time attendance at a national or international conference which addresses the emergent professional needs of the teacher.
• Although worthy enterprizes, school trips such as ski trips, field trips, voluntary participation in other activities (eg, coaching) and school board-facilitated activities (eg, job fairs) do not qualify as professional development activities. Any member in an educational context counselling and directing a colleague to be absent from convention is liable to sanctions under the Code of Professional Conduct.

Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA)

The Alberta Teachers’ Association is providing the Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association (ASAA) with a Letter of Accommodation regarding the release of teacher coaches from their convention attendance obligations. Such releases apply only to teacher coaches from the Northeast Teachers’ Convention Association (NETCA) involved with teams reaching the rural wrestling finals and teacher coaches from the Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention Association (GETCA) involved with teams reaching the provincial wrestling finals.

Procedure for Requesting to be Absent From the Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention

You need Adobe PDF Reader to view and print the ALTERNATE PD APPLICATION FORM (linked here).

If you meet the following policy criteria, you may request to be absent from the Greater Edmonton Teachers’ Convention by printing, filling in and faxing this pdf form ATTENDANCE.pdf (this will open using a pdf reader) to: Peter Eerkes, Chair of the GETCA Convention Attendance Committee, Fax: 780-438-1465.

Deadline for submission of this form is January 10th, 2010.

If you have a question about this form please email Peter Eerkes using this link.

If you wish to fill the form in using your computer you can download the ATTENDANCE.rtf form (this will open in any word processor), type in your information and fax it or send it as an email attachment to the above locations.