Winter storms and snow squalls have made life challenging for students, staff and school bus operators in Simcoe County, not to mention parents and guardians.
The decision to cancel school buses rests with the Simcoe County Student Transportation Consortium (SCSTC) rather than the Simcoe County District School Board and the Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board.
While some decisions to cancel school buses may leave a few people scratching their heads, road conditions in rural areas of the county can be dramatically different than in built-up areas like Barrie and Orillia.
School bussing in Simcoe County is divided into four weather zones - north, south, east and west - and the number of days the buses are cancelled due to severe weather will vary from place to place.
According to both school boards, as of December, the north weather zone, which includes the Midland, Penetanguishene, Elmvale and Orillia areas, leads the school bus cancellation standings with 17 snow days.
The west zone, which includes Collingwood, Wasaga Beach and Stayner, has had 14 snow days, the central zone, which includes Barrie, Innisfil and Angus, has had 11 days when the school buses have been cancelled, and the south zone, that covers Alliston, Beeton, Tottenham, Bradford and Cookstown, has had 10 days when the school buses have been parked.
On Feb. 13, for the first time this winter, all public and catholic schools in Simcoe County were closed because of severe weather.
"On inclement weather days when buses are cancelled, schools remain open for student learning," according to the SCDSB. "When school transportation is cancelled, school staff is expected to plan for such emergencies in order to transition students who are unable to attend due to inclement weather to their online platforms (Google Classroom and/or SCDSBhub [Brightspace by D2L]) and continue with academic programming. Information about accessing learning through online platforms has been communicated with families since the fall, and students have also been encouraged to access their digital platforms to continue with their learning. Students who walk to school are encouraged to attend on inclement weather days, where possible."
HOW IS THE DECISION MADE TO CANCEL SCHOOL VEHICLE TRANSPORTATION
Student safety is always the priority.
Early morning assessments of road and weather conditions are reviewed during a 5:30 am conference call between the SCSTC and School Vehicle Operators.
Factors for cancellations include:
- assessment of road conditions;
- assessment of current and forecasted weather information;
- assessment of visibility as it relates to the safe operation of school vehicles;
- assessment of current and forecasted precipitation in the form of snow accumulation and freezing rain as it relates to the safe operation of school vehicles;
- confirmation if snow plows have been out on the roads; and
- gathering additional information on road conditions from available local services and resources.
School Vehicle cancellations may:
- be specific to a single weather zone;
- include multiple weather zones; or
- comprise of a total Simcoe County cancellation.
WHO MAKES THE DECISION TO CANCEL SCHOOL VEHICLE TRANSPORTATION
Weather related school vehicle cancellations are the responsibility of School Vehicle Operators, in consultation with SCSTC.
On days where inclement weather is forecast the School Vehicle Operators in Simcoe County have their local employees’ review local weather and road conditions throughout the County prior to 5:30 am. A combination of School Vehicle Operator Management, Safety Personnel and Senior Drivers undertake a number of processes to review current local road and weather condition, including but not limited to:
- drive their local areas to determine current road and visibility conditions;
- consult local townships to confirm plows are out clearing roads;
- consult other available local services and resources regarding local road conditions.
Source: https://main.simcoecountyschoolbus.ca/
