Inclement Weather Information
Winter is fast approaching and there may be times when
the weather or road conditions will disrupt school bus and special vehicle
transportation. The Upper Canada District School Board is working
cooperatively with Student Transportation of Eastern Ontario (STEO), local bus
companies, and with the Catholic District School Board of Eastern Ontario with
whom we share transportation services to ensure that our approach to
transportation during times of inclement weather is planned, coordinated and
communicated with the safety of students in mind.
STEO receives up-to-date information regarding
regional weather and road conditions from MeteoGroup – a global weather advisor.
Decisions concerning the cancellation of school bus and special vehicle
transportation are made cooperatively based upon this information and on the
input of a team of weather captains located across the region of service.
Unless otherwise announced, schools remain open for our students and
staff, even if transportation is
cancelled. If transportation services are cancelled in the morning,
transportation services will not operate in the afternoon.
Announcements regarding the cancellation of school bus
and special vehicle transportation will be broadcast by local media outlets,
starting no later than 6:15 a.m.
Alternatively, parents/guardians and students can
verify if buses are cancelled by accessing:
1.
STEO’s website at www.steo.ca and clicking on the link “Bus Delays or
Cancellations.”
2.
STEO’s free Bus Planner App for your Apple or Android
device. Use the access code STEO.
3.
STEO’s Parent Portal for email updates on delays and
cancellations specific to your child’s transportation. Visit www.steo.ca and scroll down to Parent Portal to create an account.
4.
STEO Facebook page or on Twitter @steo_news and
@steocancellations
5.
STEO’s inclement weather hotline at 866-629-0629
(updated by 6:15 a.m.)
6.
UCDSB Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UCDSB and Twitter feed @UCDSB.
7.
Parents registered with “My Family Room” will receive
bus cancellations through their preferred communication; email, text message,
or telephone. Parents simply need to contact their school(s) to register
for a UCDSB “My Family Room” account.
Please do not call the bus companies
directly for cancellation updates, as the STEO website will reflect the most
accurate information.
Winter weather conditions can change suddenly.
If roads become impassable during the school day, or if they are judged to be
too risky, students will be kept at school until either their parents/guardians
can pick them up or it becomes
safe to resume school vehicle
transportation.
Fog
Occasionally, regardless of the time of year, fog
patches occur. Fog greatly increases the risk that motorists may collide
with a stopped vehicle or with a student in the process of crossing a road to board the bus. Consequently, bus drivers have been instructed not to stop in fog patches where visibility is
significantly reduced. If students are not picked up due to foggy
conditions, the bus driver will call dispatch, who will contact the family, and
the driver will provide the names of those students to the school principal
upon arrival at the school. We recommend that you do not permit your child to wait for the bus if visibility is
significantly reduced by fog.
Blocked or Impassable Roads
Occasionally, a road may become blocked or impassable
and as a result, the bus may be unable to service sections of a route. If
this occurs, upon arrival at the school, the bus driver will communicate to the
school principal the name of each student who was not picked up. Please
be reminded that you are responsible for your child’s safety prior to boarding
the school bus and following drop off. You are encouraged to ensure that
your child has access to your home or to an approved alternative location where
she or he can go if the bus is unable to service your section of the route.
Mechanical Breakdown
The possibility of a mechanical breakdown of a school
vehicle always exists but can be of particular concern during the winter.
Please ensure that your child is dressed warmly enough to cope with the
potential loss of heat due to a mechanical breakdown on the bus. If mechanical failure occurs, alternative
transportation will be arranged as soon as possible. If this occurs, the
bus may be late picking up your child in the morning or returning him or her
home in the afternoon.
Parental Responsibility
and Discretion
On days of inclement weather or questionable road
conditions, STEO and the boards are tasked with making a challenging decision
around running or cancelling buses, with the safety of the entire student body
in mind. When you consider the significant number of students and the
vast geographic region in question, you can be sure that there will be days
when some of our families may disagree with the final decision made. On
those days, parental discretion and a family’s transportation contingency plan
are of utmost importance.
STEO and the boards understand the importance of
school transportation as it contributes to education and will do everything we
can to operate within the due bounds of safety. If buses are operating
but a parent feels that weather or road conditions are not conducive to travel,
they may ultimately decide to keep their children at home.
The process by which inclement weather decisions are
made is undertaken with great care and from an informed position, recognizing
that sometimes STEO and the two local school boards are working with
road-condition information and weather forecasts which may shift or
change. Our first priority throughout the year is to always provide safe
transport for our students to / from school while maintaining standards for
reliable service.