Memorandum to:

  • Chairs of District School Boards
  • School Board Supervisors
  • Chief Executive Officers
  • Directors of Education
  • Secretaries/Treasurers of School Authorities

From:

  • Honourable Paul Calandra 
    Minister of Education
  • Denise A. Cole
    Deputy Minister of Education

Date:

  • May 15, 2026

Subject: Mandatory Professional Activity Days for the 2026-27 School Year

As we prepare for the 2026-27 school year, we are issuing this memorandum pursuant to paragraph 28 of s. 8(1) of the Education Act which provides authority for the Minister of Education to establish policies and guidelines respecting the criteria and required topics for professional activity (PA) days prescribed by regulation (commonly referred to as “mandatory PA Days”).

The mandatory PA Day topics for the 2026-27 school year are set out below. School boards must ensure the mandatory PA Days are delivered using these topics, in accordance with the requirements set out in Appendix A.

  • Consistent Classroom Delivery and New Curriculum Updates
  • Special Education and Individual Education Plans
  • Keeping Schools Safe
  • Cyber Safety and Artificial Intelligence

The topics have been carefully selected to provide a balanced approach that deepens professional learning in ongoing priority areas while also introducing new and emerging priorities. This approach is intended to support evolving needs in teaching and learning across the province and ensure greater coherence, consistency, and impact.

Appendix A provides detailed descriptions of the mandatory PA Day topics, along with additional resources and key considerations to support school boards in planning for these days.

We appreciate your continued collaboration in supporting professional learning for educators and other staff across the province.

Sincerely,

The Hon. Paul Calandra
Minister of Education

Denise A. Cole
Deputy Minister of Education

Enc.

Appendix A - Mandatory PA Day Topics for 2026-27 with Detailed Descriptions, Resources and Considerations for Planning the Three Mandatory PA Days

c:

  • Association des conseils scolaires des écoles publiques de l'Ontario (ACÉPO)
  • Association franco-ontarienne des conseils scolaires catholiques (AFOCSC)
  • Ontario Catholic School Trustees' Association (OCSTA)
  • Ontario Public School Boards' Association (OPSBA)
  • Council of Ontario Directors of Education (CODE)
  • Conseil ontarien des directions de l’éducation de langue française (CODELF)
  • Association des enseignantes et des enseignants franco-ontariens (AEFO)
  • Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA)
  • Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO)
  • Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
  • Ontario Council of Educational Workers (OCEW)
  • Education Workers’ Alliance of Ontario (EWAO)
  • Canadian Union of Public Employees – Ontario (CUPE-ON)
  • Association des directions et directions adjointes des écoles franco-ontariennes (ADFO)
  • Catholic Principals' Council of Ontario (CPCO)
  • Ontario Principals' Council (OPC)
  • Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF)

Appendix A - Detailed Descriptions, Resources and Considerations for Planning the 2026-27 Mandatory PA Days

Requirements of School Boards: 

School boards are required to comply with applicable legislative and regulatory requirements and with ministry directed requirements related to PA Days.

Legislative and Regulatory Requirements

School boards are required to:

  • Comply with applicable legislative and regulatory requirements under the Education Act, including Regulation 304.
  • Submit a general outline of PA Day activities through the Ontario School Year Calendar (OSYC) application by August 15, 2026.
  • Submit to the ministry, through the OSYC application, a detailed summary of PA Day activities at least 14 days before each scheduled PA Day, and make the summary publicly available in accordance with s. 4.1(2)(b)(ii) of Regulation 304. A template is available in the OSYC application.

Ministry Directed Requirements for Professional Learning

School boards are also required to:

  • Determine how professional learning is aligned to each educator’s teaching practice; principals and boards retain responsibility for local professional learning decisions.
  • Support professional learning using the ministry’s available resources, including the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and the ministry’s Curriculum and Resources website.
  • Provide additional professional learning opportunities, where needed, that build on the topics for the three mandatory PA Days and align with existing board or school-based learning structures.
  • Engage local Indigenous Education partners, where appropriate, in planning and delivering professional learning related to Indigenous Education topics.
  • Include other educators, as appropriate, in PA Days. For example, educational assistants and early childhood educators may participate where this aligns with local context and needs.
  • Review their applicable collective agreements (including both central and local terms) and ensure compliance with any professional learning requirements that may continue to apply beyond August 31, 2026.
  • Embed support for students with special education needs and inclusive practices for all learners, across all professional learning topics.

Consistent Classroom Delivery and New Curriculum Updates

Professional activities shall include, as appropriate to teachers’ assignments:

  • A review of new and recently revised curriculum expectations, including:
    • A focus on the new Kindergarten curriculum, to support early learning in literacy, mathematics, and science and technology, and consistent instructional approaches across classrooms.
    • New learning in Grades 7 and 8 History on Black history in Canada and ensuring elementary educators understand new content and appropriate instructional approaches to support consistent curriculum delivery across classrooms.
    • New learning in Grade 10 History on Black history in Canada, the Holocaust and rising antisemitism, and the Holodomor famine in Ukraine, and ensuring secondary educators understand new content and appropriate instructional approaches to support consistent curriculum delivery across classrooms.
  • Orientation on using Supply Ontario’s VOR arrangement: Consistent Educational Resources to access consistent, high-quality, curriculum-aligned learning resources (forthcoming).
  • A review of Ontario’s secondary school evaluation policy updates (forthcoming) including:
    • Updates to final evaluation, including mandatory written exams, weightings, and designated exam period timing, to support consistency in evaluation and assessment practices across courses and schools.
    • Professional learning on attendance and participation, with an emphasis on understanding and applying the criteria for the determination of final grades related to attendance and participation.
  • At the elementary level, professional learning focused on consistent evaluation and assessment practices and supporting students’ transition to secondary school, including effective practices for developing positive learning habits.
  • An overview of the policy requirements and implementation supports related to the new Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement and financial literacy learning across the curriculum.

Resources and additional considerations: 

  • Training and resources are available to educators to support with implementation of revised curriculum through the Curriculum and Resources website.
    • This includes webinars for educators with an overview of revised curriculum. Registration details and further information are available through the Educator Webinars section of the Curriculum and Resources website. Past sessions are archived for future reference.
  • Supply Ontario will make resources available to school boards via a Vendor of Record (VOR) entitled: Consistent Educational Resources/Ressources pédagogiques standardisées.
    • The VOR is expected to be established by June 2026.
    • Guidance on accessing and using the VOR will be shared separately by the ministry on behalf of Supply Ontario.
  • TVO will provide implementation resources and supports directly to school boards and additional learning resources at Financial Literacy Graduation Requirement | TVO Learn in addition to the Curriculum and Resources website.

Special Education and Individual Education Plans

Professional activities shall include:

  • Understanding the standards and required components of Individual Education Plans (IEPs), including student strengths and needs, accommodations, modifications and/or alternative expectations, instructional strategies, and methods for reviewing student progress.
  • Strengthening educator understanding of how to develop clear and measurable annual learning goals and learning expectations to support the assessment and evaluation of student progress.
  • Reviewing how to develop, implement, update and monitor IEPs in classroom practice, including accommodations, teaching strategies, and assessment methods.
  • Enhancement of methods to communicate and consult families regarding special education programs and services in the development and review of IEPs.
  • Improving understanding of the role of educators on an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), including decision-making documentation of student strengths and needs and how to document the reasons for placement decisions, where applicable.

Resources and additional considerations:

  • Training and resources should support greater clarity and consistency in the development and implementation of IEPs across schools and boards.
  • Policy documents to support learning on this topic can be found at Special Education in Ontario, Kindergarten to Grade 12, Policy and Resource Guide.
  • Professional learning should emphasize the linkages between IEP development and IEP implementation, and student achievement focusing on the implementation of accommodations, modifications, alternative expectations, teaching strategies, assessment and evaluation methods.

Keeping Schools Safe

  • Violence and bullying prevention
  • School Resource Officer (SRO) Program

Professional activities shall include

Violence and Bullying Prevention:
  • Review of policy requirements and supports for safe schools regarding the Provincial Code of Conduct, violence prevention, bullying prevention and intervention, duty to report children in need of protection to a children's aid society, progressive discipline, violent incident reporting, gender-based violence, sex trafficking, and the Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol.
  • Information about child sexual abuse prevention and reporting, including available counselling and resources for children who are sexually abused, for all teachers and other staff in schools as outlined in section 170.0.1 of the Education Act.
School Resource Officer (SRO) Program:
  • For school boards that currently offer School Resource Officer (SRO) programs: provide a summary of the program's structure, objectives, and the roles and responsibilities of school administrators and SRO officers.
    • Boards who do not yet have an SRO program implemented with police partners do not have to cover this topic.
  • Information about the role of police in providing high-quality, age-appropriate educational public safety presentations to students on subjects such as cyber-crime, human trafficking, road safety and other areas of local importance. Information should also be provided about the role of police in the school community, to support trust building between educators, policing services, students, and parents/guardians.
  • A review and implementation of policy requirements with the police through the Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol.

Resources and additional considerations:

Keeping Schools Safe:
School Board/Police partnerships:
  • To support enhanced school board / police partnerships administrators should be familiar with legislative amendments to the Education Act (s. 170.0.2) and the Provincial Model for a Local Police/School Board Protocol including the:
    • Requirement to work with local police services, in the prescribed circumstances, to implement school resource officer programs, where such programs are available.
    • Requirement that school boards provide training on the local police/school board protocol to their staff (including part-time, itinerant, and occasional staff) on an annual basis. Where possible, the training should be delivered jointly by police and school board personnel.
    • Requirement that schools conduct two lockdown drills annually and that school personnel should work cooperatively with police partners on drills.
    • Recommendation that schools should establish a method to conduct lockdown and bomb threat training and review annually for all staff and students during each school year, and that where possible police partners should be present to assist with the training of staff and students.
    • Recommendation that schools consider adding a bomb threat drill as part of their emergency evacuation drills and that school personnel should work cooperatively with police partners on these drills.
  • Educators should be familiar with the role of police in delivering age-appropriate public safety education on topics such as cybercrime, human trafficking, and road safety.

Cyber Safety and Artificial Intelligence

Professional activities shall include:

Cyber Safety and Artificial Intelligence (AI):
  • Learning activities to become familiar with the LUMI AI tool in the Virtual Learning Environment and the board’s approved AI tools, as well as how to effectively and safely use those tools with students
  • Exploring mandatory learning in the Ontario curriculum on AI and digital literacy, including learning on cyber security.
  • Providing educators with targeted training on cyber safety, cyber security, and online privacy to address technology-related risks and ensure student safety.

Resources and additional considerations: 

Cyber Safety and Artificial Intelligence:
  • All educators should receive cyber awareness training on responsible use of digital technology and AI on the following:
    • Cyber security best practices - recognize and prevent cyber threats, such as phishing, malware, and unauthorized access, especially in the context of school networks, devices, applications, and AI tools.
    • Educators should know how to facilitate responsible use of digital and AI tools, ensuring compliance with acceptable use of board policies and procedures for identifying and responding to cyber security, cyber safety and privacy incidents, including those involving AI tools, and understand how to help mitigate potential harm effectively.
    • Educators must understand their responsibilities under privacy and other applicable legislation, including safeguarding student data when using educational technologies and AI tools.
    • Educators should be familiar with cyber safety risks to students such as cyberbullying, scams, deep fakes, and harmful content, and promote awareness of technology and AI ethics, as well as their appropriate use in the classroom, in alignment with curriculum.
    • Reviewing the Strengthening Cyber Security and Building Trust in the Public Sector Act, 2024, and the Enhancing Digital Security and Trust Act , 2024 (EDSTA), specifically the regulations under the EDSTA related to: Cyber Security, and Digital Technology Affecting Individuals under age 18
    • Professional learning on the safe and responsible use of AI including:
      • Democratic principles and fundamental rights, in alignment with the Ontario Trustworthy AI Framework;
      • The use of AI systems in a responsible, transparent, accountable, and secure manner that benefits while protecting privacy; and
      • Ensuring digital information and technology related to children warrants special protection.
  • Cyber safety resources for professional development are available from the Cyber Safety Learning Resources (Tender_21112) VOR arrangement established by Supply Ontario.
    • Webinars, workshops, and downloadable guides are available on the VOR to support educator training and implementation
  • K-12-focused cyber awareness resources are available through:
    • The K-12 Cyber Awareness Month (CAM) campaign website, with resources for the annual campaign in October and year-round resources. (Resources for the 2026 K-12 CAM campaign will be available on the website in late-September 2026.)
    • Cyber Security Ontario's K-12 Zone, with resources designed for students, parents, guardians, and educators. (As part of the 2026 CAM campaign, new resources for the K-12 Zone will be available on the website on October 1, 2026).
  • Educators must consider digital literacy while creating and managing the learning environment for all subjects and disciplines from Grades 1 to 12.