Alberta Students Plan Walkouts for Teachers — and for Their Future

This week, a wave of student walkouts is sweeping across Alberta, led by a new generation unwilling to stay silent as their teachers’ rights — and their own futures — hang in the balance.

Owl News sat down with three of the organizers: Kai, KT, and Mary — students who helped grow what began as a single Reddit post and a handful of Instagram pages into a province-wide movement. Together, they now lead the Alberta Student Association, representing over 50 schools from Calgary to Grand Prairie.

“It’s turned into a movement that’s going to last a long time after this walkout,” said KT. “We just wanted to support our teachers — and it became something way bigger than we expected.”

In Sherwood Park alone, more than 150 students have pledged to participate. For Kai, who coordinates the group, the reason is simple.

“Teachers have stood up for us their entire careers,” he said. “Now that their voices have been taken away, it’s our turn to stand up for them.”

These students have been careful and deliberate in their planning. They hold online meetings, keep detailed agendas, and have set up safety measures for every rally — including med kits, water, and teacher communication.

“We’re not trying to cause chaos,” KT explained. “We just want to be heard — peacefully and safely.”

Their movement is about more than education contracts. It’s about democracy, the Constitution, and the right to dissent.

“We’ve seen the government use the notwithstanding clause to take away people’s rights,” Kai said. “It makes us fear for our future — because what they’re doing is unconstitutional.”

For Mary, the issue is deeply personal. Her voice softened as she shared how a single teacher once changed her life.

“My Grade 5 teacher made me want to be a teacher,” she said. “But after seeing how easily all their rights and support were stripped away by the government — it’s made me rethink my whole career path. If I can’t trust my employer to be good, why would I become a teacher?”

All three students described overcrowded classrooms, where some of Alberta’s youngest learners share desks or go without proper support. KT recalled an English class with 42 students — so packed that “some kids didn’t even get desks.” During a lockdown earlier this year, she said, “You can’t safely hide 40 students in one classroom. It’s not just a learning issue — it’s a safety issue.”

Despite the pressure, they insist this isn’t a partisan protest. “We live in a conservative town,” KT said, “but this isn’t about politics anymore. It’s about education — and it’s kind of hard to argue against kids learning.”

Organizers say community members across Alberta have reached out offering support — some asking which schools they can attend to show solidarity, others offering to bring snacks or sponsor events. The group is even exploring nonprofit status to continue advocacy beyond the walkout.

“We just want people to stand with us,” Kai said.

Tomorrow, students across the province will walk out wearing red — the same color their teachers wore on the picket lines. “It’s a symbol of urgency and unity,” Mary explained. “We’re showing them we’re fighting for the same things they were fighting for.”

From Sherwood Park to Canmore, these students are discovering what it means to take a stand — balancing sports, jobs, and homework while defending the Charter rights most adults take for granted.

“We have to use the rights we still have — while we still can,” KT said before rushing back to her shift at work.

Tomorrow’s walkout isn’t just a protest. It’s a statement — a reminder from Alberta’s youth that education matters, democracy matters, and silence is no longer an option.

Watch the full interviews and coverage — only on Owl News Live.