EEA-P1 - School Closure Due to Adverse Weather Conditions

Parental information shared with schools via the Registration Form will be utilized for contacting families in the School Messenger app, if schools are closed or buses are not running. Parents who wish to adjust their contact information in Messenger should contact their school or the division office.

The safety of students and staff of the School Division is a prime concern of the Board of Trustees additionally, the objective of PSSD is to provide transportation to and from school every school day.  The Division acknowledges and respects that the parent or legal guardian has the discretion to decide if  the student(s) travel by school bus and/or attend school during inclement/hazardous weather and/or road conditions.

SCHOOL BUS SERVICE CANCELLATION

A number of factors and variables need to be considered when dealing with adverse weather conditions.  This regulation attempts to address the various situations which will from time to time arise.

Full Closure – Entire School Division

In specific circumstances where uniform factors affect all of the Division’s areas, a decision may be made to cancel bus transportation and to close all schools for the entire Division.  Such a decision will be taken by the Superintendent in consultation with the Transportation Supervisor.

Partial Closures

At certain times, conditions in specific areas will dictate that buses will not run and that schools will normally be closed in those areas only.  For purposes of this regulation, the following will be the School Catchment Areas of the Division.

Area 1 – Cartwright 

Schools: Cartwright, Willow Creek

Area 2 – Crystal City – Pilot Mound 

Schools: Crystal City, Thomas Greenway, Pilot Mound, Windy Bay

Area 3 –Manitou 

Schools: Manitou Elementary, Nellie McClung, West Valley

Area 4 – Baldur 

Schools: Baldur, Shamrock 

Note – Include: 

(a) Glenboro - Industrial Arts / Physics with Baldur shuttle bus.

Area 5 – Glenboro 

Schools: Glenboro, Sandy Bank, Whistling Wind 

Note – Include:

(a) Baldur Industrial Arts / Physics with Glenboro shuttle bus, Holland Industrial Arts shuttle bus 

Area 6 – Treherne – Holland 

Schools : Treherne Elementary, Treherne Collegiate, Holland, Shady Lane, Boyne Valley, Harmony

Area 7 – St. Claude

 Schools: St. Claude School Complex, Fairholme, New Rosedale

Area 8 – Swan Lake – Somerset 

Schools: Prairie Mountain Elementary School, Ste. Marie, Valleyview, Prairie Mountain High School, Kamsley, Evergreen

Note – Include:  

(a) Prairie Mountain High School shuttle bus 

(b) Prairie Mountain Elementary School shuttle bus

Decision – Making Process for Partial Closures

a.  The Area Captain of each school catchment area shall consider the following factors which, by themselves or in consideration with others, indicate that transportation may be hazardous.

• • • Weather reports and warnings

    • Current adverse weather, visibility, and road conditions (e.g. snow or ice accumulation) in relation to the knowledge of day to day operations.

    • Excessively low temperatures and/or high winds that render travel dangerous.

b.  Considering the criteria, the Area Captain(s) will contact and gather opinion from Drivers in the catchment area.  The decision for individual routes to run or not will be based on the opinion of the Drivers.

Notification Procedures

a.  Full closure – entire School Division:

All Staff and Families will be notified by School Messenger of the School closure.  Additionally the closure will be posted on the appropriate link of the Division’s website (www.prairiespirit.mb.ca)

b.  Partial closure of the Division:

Should the decision be made that buses for a particular catchment area not run, the schools in that particular catchment area will be closed for the day.  

This must be done as early as possible so Staff and Families can be notified.  Staff and Families affected by any school closures or Transportation cancellations may be contacted via School Messenger.  Additionally, any and all school and/or transportation cancellations will be posted on the appropriate link of the Division’s website (www.prairiespirit.mb.ca).

Note: Bus Drivers may be required to contact the parents/guardians on their individual routes that their bus will not be running as advised by the Transportation Supervisor or Superintendent’s Department.

Extra Curricular busing on School Closure Days

For full closures (entire School Division), all Extra Curricular bus trips will be cancelled on that day.  For partial closures, all extracurricular bus trips will be cancelled for the schools that are closed that day.

The Superintendent’s Department may allow travel by car to an event on school closure days with his/her permission. 

Afternoon runs (after school dismissal)

Buses will not be picking up students before regular dismissal time.  The decision to operate or not operate the afternoon runs shall be made using the same process as outlined above.  If the afternoon buses do not run, the individual school’s billeting system, as outlined in the Emergency Plan, shall be put into operation.  The School Division will utilize School Messenger to inform parents that buses will not be running or may call parents if individual routes are cancelled.

(See also JM-P1)

Communication of information

a.  Principal

The Principal of each school shall be responsible for advising parents/guardians of the details of this policy, for each school year.

 b.  Transportation Supervisor

Each year, it shall be the responsibility of the Transportation Supervisor to ensure that:

• • • • Drivers and parents/guardians are familiar with the cancellation of the school bus and resulting school closure procedures;

      • Area Captains are selected and appointed;

      • emergency homes are appropriately identified by the Principals;

      • Principals are provided with the following information:

        • Bus Driver names and telephone numbers;

        • Substitute Driver names and telephone numbers;

        • maps of routes and a list of pick-up and drop-off times for that Principal’s school.

Student Attendance

When the school is closed and classes are cancelled, students will not attend school.

School staff – Inclement weather

In the event that classes are cancelled due to inclement weather, all staff affected by that cancellation shall not be expected to attend school, and shall not suffer a reduction in salary.

If a school is open, but a staff member is unable to attend due to inclement weather, that staff member will be deducted substitute costs.  A Teacher may choose to use a personal day or an extra-curricular day in lieu of deducting substitute costs.

The above policy shall be changed only by mutual agreement of the Board of Trustees of the Prairie Spirit School Division or its representatives, and the Prairie Spirit Teachers’ Association of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society or its representatives.