General
How will I know if schools are closed?
Families will be notified using multiple methods, including an automated phone message, email and text message notification, alerts on the Division and school websites, and news media announcements.
What time are closure decisions made?
School closure decisions are made early in the morning, with communications issued between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m., once weather and road conditions have been fully assessed.
If schools are open, can I still keep my child home?
Yes. Parents and caregivers always have discretion to keep their child home if they feel conditions are unsafe. Please report absences following normal school procedures.
What about families impacted by closures and childcare needs?
The Division understands that school closures can have a significant impact on families, especially where daycare or alternate care is not available. Families may need to find alternate arrangements or take time off work. While closures are made for safety reasons, the Division recognizes these challenges and appreciates families’ understanding.
Are school events, rentals, and activities cancelled automatically?
Not always. Decisions about facility rentals, extracurricular activities, and events are made case by case, depending on the severity of the weather.
Closure Due to Extreme Hazardous Weather
What does Extreme Hazardous Weather Refer to?
Extreme Hazardous Weather refers to conditions such as blizzards, freezing rain, drifting snow, poor visibility, or icy roads that make it unsafe to transport students by bus.
Why might schools close even if city streets look clear?
Large portions of the Division are rural, and many students travel on gravel roads and secondary highways. These roads can be unsafe for buses even when city streets or main highways appear clear.
Why would schools close for everyone if only busing is unsafe?
The HSD Weather-Related School Closure Policy does not provide for partial or regional school closures due to hazardous driving conditions, nor for cancelling only bus service while keeping schools open.
Like many rural school divisions, a large percentage of the Division’s students rely on school transportation, and many staff also travel rural roads to get to work. When transportation and travel cannot be operated safely, student and staff safety become the primary and overriding concern, and the impact is division-wide. Many students and staff would be unable to travel to and from schools safely, and transportation cannot be provided without risk.
If large numbers of students and staff were unable to attend, it would be difficult to provide meaningful programming and to safely supervise students who are present. For these reasons, full school closures are necessary when safe travel cannot be assured across the Division.
How does the Division decide whether roads are safe?
The Division gathers information from multiple sources, including weather forecasts and warnings, and road condition reports.
On hazardous weather mornings, a Division employee is also out travelling a select number of roads at 5:30 a.m. to check whether it was safe for our buses to travel. Our road safety assessment includes early morning conversations with neighbouring school divisions, given that our bus routes may follow similar directional pathways on country roads.
What if severe weather is forecast for later in the day but conditions are acceptable in the morning?
School closure decisions are based primarily on conditions as of 6:00 a.m., when transportation and travel safety are assessed and decisions are made before buses and schools begin operating.
The Division also considers weather forecasts and storm tracking models, particularly when conditions are expected to deteriorate throughout the day. Weather conditions, however, can change rapidly and may develop differently than forecast.
In these situations, if the decision at 6:00 a.m. is to remain open, the Division will continue to monitor conditions throughout the day and will communicate with families as needed. Safety remains the priority in all cases.
If weather conditions worsen during the day, will buses be sent home early?
If weather conditions deteriorate and it becomes unsafe to run buses after students have arrived at school, students will remain at school. Buses will not be sent home early. The Division will communicate with families to make safe arrangements if needed.
Closure Due to Extreme Cold Weather
What is an Extreme Cold Weather closure?
An Extreme Cold Weather closure is a partial closure that occurs when conditions reach:
-35°C temperature OR -45°C windchill. Readings are based on the Environment Canada Kleefeld Weather Station at 6:00 a.m. If this data is unavailable, an alternate data source is used. During an extreme cold closure:
- Schools are closed to students
- Schools remain open to staff and visitors
Are extreme cold thresholds consistent with other divisions?
Yes. These thresholds are consistent with other rural school divisions in Manitoba. They reflect the realities of rural transportation and longer exposure times for students.
What is the primary concern during extreme cold?
The primary concern is student safety while travelling to and from school, particularly children walking to school/home and students waiting at bus stops. Extended exposure to severe cold creates significant health and safety risks.