GUELPH –Due to COVID-19 restrictions and protocols, the Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) and Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) have made changes to their cancellation and inclement weather day policy for this year.
“This was out of necessity given COVID-19 protocols and requirements to not mix cohorts,” WCDSB director of education Michael Glazier said.
Elementary bus cancellations
When buses are cancelled in Division 1 (yellow – South Wellington/Guelph/Puslinch) or Division 2 (blue – Centre Wellington/Erin/Rockwood), elementary schools in those divisions will remain open to students as usual, with the exception of St. John Brebeuf Catholic school in Erin, which will close to students when Division 2 buses are cancelled.
When buses are cancelled in Division 3 (pink – North Wellington) or Division 4 (green – Dufferin County), all UGDSB elementary schools in the affected division(s), as well as St. Mary Catholic School in Mount Forest and St. John Catholic School in Arthur, will be closed to students.
“Historically, there have been numerous days where staff at those schools are unable to safely report to work due to road conditions, despite their best efforts,” UGDSB board officials stated in a press release.
“With COVID-19 restrictions around limiting contacts and gatherings, we are unable to combine classes or groups to provide for adequate and safe supervision of students on no-bus days.”
A WCDSB press release adds, “With COVID-19 and related public health guidance, we are no longer able to mix students and staff from different cohorts in this manner.”
Students will be expected to participate in remote learning for the day and will be supported by their teacher. Before and/or after school programs will be cancelled at Division 3 and 4 elementary schools on bus cancellation days.
Students in the Elementary Remote School will continue as usual.
Secondary schools
When buses are cancelled in Divisions 1, 2, 3, or 4, UGDSB secondary schools in the affected division(s) will be closed to students.
However, Erin District High School will close to students in the event of bus cancellations in either Division 2 or Division 4, due to the high number of buses.
All UGDSB students in affected schools will move to remote learning for the day and will be supported by their teacher.
“Under the current quadmester model, no-bus days have the potential to significantly impact student learning, especially when there are multiple no-bus days in a given region,” board officials explained.
“UGDSB secondary schools have a significant number of bused students, therefore a high percentage of the student body would be absent on a no-bus day.
“Under the quadmester model, these closures would impact the hours needed for secondary students to meet curriculum expectations and obtain a course credit.”
Students in the Secondary Remote School will continue as usual.
In the case of WCDSB, when buses are cancelled in Divisions 1, 2, 3, or 4 all four secondary schools located in Guelph will remain open to students.
Emergency closures
When schools are closed to staff and students due to severe inclement weather or power outages, all UGDSB students will move to remote learning for the day and be supported by their teacher.
“Teachers will plan for the possibility of emergency school closures and will be prepared to pivot to remote learning,” UGDSB officials say.
As a result of pandemic planning in the board, all schools are better equipped to move to online learning than in the past.
Students in the Elementary and Secondary Remote Schools will continue with instruction as usual.
For more information about inclement weather procedures in the UGDSB, visit https://www.ugdsb.ca/schools/inclement-weather-procedures.
Wellington Catholic, on the other hand is currently reviewing responses for emergency shutdowns.
“Certainly staff are in a better position to connect with students and families through online learning platforms; however inequities of access to learning continue to exist,” Glazier said.
“We will be focused on providing continuity of learning for our students; however the expectations need to be reasonable.
“For instance, we recently experienced two days of loss of hydro in Rockwood and the surrounding area.
“In that situation, not all of our students had access to the internet, electricity or, in some cases, technology in order to engage in online lessons.
“Thankfully these, like system closure days due to inclement weather, are rare occasions. The first priority in these situations is ensuring everyone is safe.”
