Calgary school's Ramadan accommodation misrepresented as food ban

"Fairview school in Calgary Alberta has implemented bans all food from its cafeteria and lunchroom for Ramadan," claims a March 14, 2026 X post from the account "@Tablesalt13," which previously spread misinformation debunked by AFP.

The post appears to include a communication from the school explaining how the cafeteria and lunchroom will be designated as "no food spaces" for part or all of lunch during Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting practiced by people around the world.

Observing the Ramadan fast is one of the five pillars of Islam, requiring believers to abstain from eating and drinking during daylight hours. 

"The children who are NOT fasting have to find a spot to hideaway and eat!" the Tablesalt account claims.

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Screenshot of an X post taken March 17, 2026

Other posts alleging that the school in Alberta province had banned food during lunchtime spread across X, where it was shared by British far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and appeared on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

The "no food" zones at Fairview were also covered by the Daily Mail, the New York Post and Canadian alternative outlet Juno News, which has previously amplified misleading claims.

However, the CBE told AFP in a March 17 email that "students are still eating in designated lunch spaces."

"The school in the social media post always has different grades eating in different spaces in the building," said spokeswoman Joanne Anderson. "No changes have been made to these designated lunch areas."

CBE also posted about the Ramadan accommodations on its social media accounts (archived here).

The email seen in the misleading social media posts shows a schedule where the cafeteria will be a "no food space" for students in grades 4, 5 and 6. According to the Fairview School website, students in those grades usually eat in their homerooms, not the cafeteria (archived here).

While some claimed the school had implemented bans on "all food from the cafeteria and lunchroom," both Anderson and the Fairview website noted that the school no longer provides cafeteria services, a change that precedes the Ramadan accommodations implemented by the school.

The announcement also said grade 7, 8 and 9 students can find a "no food" area in the lunchroom. The Fairview website explains seventh graders eat in a "designated lunch space" while eighth and ninth graders have more mobility to eat in hallways, the cafeteria or even off-campus.

Local newspaper the Calgary Herald covered the online attention paid to the claims and published a column on the confusion over the notice on the food-free areas.

AFP has repeatedly debunked unsupported claims about Muslim residents "imposing" their culture on Canadians. One rumor claiming Alberta schools had banned pork products turned out to be similarly unfounded.

Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation spreading in Canada here.