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Edmonton School Board Votes to Push Alberta to Amend Law to Enroll Undocumented Children

The motion follows months of advocacy highlighting a loophole that bars some children from accessing publicly funded schooling.

Elementary students coats and boots are seen in a school in Edmonton on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi
Edmonton Public Schools Centre For Education, 1 Kingsway, in Edmonton on June 24, 2020.

Overview

  • On May 27 the board voted unanimously to urge the provincial government to change the Education Act so undocumented children can attend public schools with appropriate funding.
  • Alberta’s Education Act currently limits free public education to legal residents with at least one resident parent, requiring non-resident or undocumented students to pay high tuition or face exclusion.
  • Advocates and young speakers like 13-year-old Areana Capata described peers who have missed up to two years of school and called for a sanctuary policy.
  • The Edmonton Catholic School Board has begun expelling students when their parents’ visas lapse, highlighting uneven enforcement across districts.
  • Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides said most foreign children qualify for public education except short-term visitors and emphasized that legal access does not guarantee tuition-free schooling, without committing to legislative changes.