Extracurricular Activities

Extracurricular Activities - From October 26, 2025
​Extracurricular activities can be a great way to work with students in a noninstructional setting and a rewarding experience for teachers as they watch students develop new skills and have fun. For this and a host of other reasons, many teachers choose to help organize and facilitate extracurricular activities for students each school year. Although many teachers do so on a voluntary basis, sometimes they are pressured or directed to do so. What are a teacher’s obligations in such a situation?

​To determine a teacher’s obligations regarding mandated extracurricular activities, it is necessary to review several areas. One is the teacher’s individual contract of employment. Although many contracts are silent on extracurricular activities, some may include a clause stating that the teacher agrees to perform “any extracurricular duties as may be required by the Division, through its administrators, from time to time, and as may be reasonably required.” It is recommended that teachers review their individual contract of employment to see if such a clause exists.

​The second area concerns the Education Act. Even if a teacher’s individual contract of employment is silent on extracurricular activities, a principal has the authority to direct a teacher to perform certain tasks. This right of a principal is set out in section 197 of the Education Act:
​A principal of a school must . . .
(e) direct the management of the school.

​Although this is a general clause, it does give the principal the statutory right to direct teachers, which could include a directive to perform an extracurricular activity. However, such a directive is not without limits. Any such directive must be reasonable in the circumstances and cannot be contrary to any rights of a teacher under the collective agreement, which is the third area to review.

​Collective agreements across Alberta vary widely in their treatment of teachers’ rights and obligations regarding extracurricular activities. Some collective agreements include language that clearly articulates that a teacher’s involvement in such activities is strictly voluntary, while others state that the extent of staff involvement in extracurricular activities “shall be determined by the principal and the principal’s staff.” In some cases, although a division may state that extracurricular involvement is voluntary, the division also holds the belief that it is not without consequence. This likely refers to the “willingness” of an employer to grant discretionary requests, such as transfers, or the weight the employer places on teacher involvement with respect to possible promotions. However, extracurricular involvement cannot be used to access provisions in the collective agreement.

​Another important consideration in the collective agreement is the assignment of time. All collective agreements for public, Catholic and francophone teachers include a clause that limits the amount of time, called assignable time, that a classroom teacher can be assigned to perform tasks. If a teacher is directed to perform extracurricular activities, and the teacher’s collective agreement permits, such activities can be assigned to the teacher—but only to the extent allowed by any existing assignable time clause in the collective agreement and within a reasonable workday.

​It is important to note that teachers have always had the ability, within contractual limitations, to decide for themselves which extracurricular activities they are willing to take on. As a teacher progresses through their career, their ability to donate their time and talents may change. This may be the result of many factors, such as family commitments, the birth of a child or general workload. Teachers must find a balance that allows them to meet their commitments, both professional and personal. Give your best, not your all.

​Given the wide variation possible in teachers’ contracts of employment, the clauses in their collective agreements and potential directives from their principals, a teacher’s rights and obligations regarding extracurricular activities can be highly contextual. It is recommended that teachers call Teacher Employment Membership Support (TEMS) for advice specific to their individual circumstances.

WORTH SHARING
​Many teachers in Alberta choose to voluntarily organize and facilitate extracurricular activities for students, but what about when a teacher is directed to do so? The answer is specific to a teacher’s circumstances and can be found by reviewing their individual contract of employment and their collective agreement. For contextual advice, call Teacher Employment Membership Support (TEMS) at 1-800-232-7208.
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