Division Office ~
New Board Leadership
Pembina Hills School Division is pleased to welcome Trustee Judy Lefebvre as the new Chair of the Board of Trustees, and Trustee David Truckey as the new Vice-Chair.
As Chair, Mrs. Lefebvre will preside over Board meetings, act as the Board’s official spokesperson on matters of governance, Board policy and Board decisions, and serve as the Board’s direct link to the Superintendent. As Vice-Chair, Mr. Truckey will support the Chair in that work, share responsibility for the Superintendent’s annual evaluation, and work with the Chair of the Council of School Councils to prepare agendas for those meetings. Both roles are set out in Board Policy 05 and Policy 06.
The Board also extends its sincere thanks to Trustee Victoria Kane for her service as Board Chair over the past year. Mrs. Kane led the Board through a demanding year of governance work, including a comprehensive review of Board policy to meet new provincial requirements. Her dedication, her steady leadership in the chair, and her generosity with her time have been of real benefit to students, families and staff across the Division.
Board Completes Policy Review to Meet New Provincial Legislation
The Board completed a broad review of its governance policies. An Act to Remove Politics and Ideology from Classrooms and Amend the Education Act (often referenced as “Bill 25”) has introduced several requirements that must be in place as of September 1, 2026.
One change is about language. The familiar phrase “welcoming, caring, respectful and safe” has been replaced throughout the Education Act with “a safe and caring environment that fosters and maintains respectful and responsible behaviours.” That wording now appears in Policies 02, 03, 12 and 19, and Policy 19 has been renamed to match.
Students also have a new responsibility. They must refrain from violence at school and at school activities and, where they can safely do so, help prevent it. The Division’s Student Code of Conduct will be updated to reflect this responsibility clearly.
The new rules set expectations for instruction and programming. Any programming outside of the approved curriculum must be delivered impartially, fairly and free of personal bias. Approved curriculum must encourage a range of perspectives, and the Division is now required to monitor how it is delivered, with attention to academic rigour.
There are also new limits on what the Board says publicly. The Board must not issue statements or take positions that are not relevant to its obligations under the Education Act. Going forward, each of the Board’s advocacy priorities will be tied to a specific duty it holds under the Act.
Staff gain protection. No employee can be required, directly or indirectly, to take part in an exercise or affirm a statement that conflicts with their conscientious, political, social or ideological beliefs.
Most of these changes take effect September 1, 2026, with the compliance date and the effective date the same. The environment language and the student code of conduct changes are due December 1, 2026. Requirements for flags, the national anthem, school naming and surplus property depend on regulations the province has not yet released; therefore, several policy updates are still to come.