Transportation

Inclement Weather Procedure

There may be times when the weather will cause school bus and special vehicle transportation to be disrupted. The Upper Canada District School Board is working cooperatively with bus contractors to ensure that our approach to transportation during inclement weather is coordinated and designed with the safety of students in mind. We have designed systems with Pelmorex/The Weather Network and bus contractors in order to receive the most up-to-date information about local weather and road conditions. Decisions concerning the cancellation of school bus and special vehicle transportation are made cooperatively based upon this information. Unless otherwise announced, schools will remain open for students and staff even if transportation is cancelled.

We have 18 zones, each with an Area Captain (who is a Bus Contractor for the UCDSB), who assesses the road conditions and reports to the Transportation Manager. As you know, it is not unusual for the weather to be inclement in one portion of our Board but clear in other areas of our Board. In those situations we cancel buses only in the zones where the weather is inclement or is expected to become inclement by the time the buses transport students home in the afternoon.

We have three types of recommendations that may be made when weather conditions/forecasts are fog, freezing rain, snow, blowing snow and/or continuous cold. Recommendations can include the following: a) buses cancelled for one zone; b) buses cancelled for more than one zone; c) or buses cancelled for the entire area.

Announcements regarding the cancellation of school bus and special vehicle transportation will be broadcasted starting at 6:15 a.m. on your local radio station. You can also access the Upper Canada District School Board's Transportation Web site at www.ucdsb.on.ca/transportation, click on Bus Cancellation Status and this will take you to the Bus Cancellation screen. The information on this screen is updated by 6:15 a.m. If transportation is cancelled in the morning, afternoon transportation will not operate. Please do not call the bus operators.

Winter weather conditions can change rapidly and unpredictably. If roads become impassable during the school day or are judged to be risky, rather than closing schools early, students will be kept at school until either their parents come to pick them up or it becomes safe to resume school bus transportation once again.

Fog

Occasionally 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 a student is not picked up due to foggy conditions, the bus 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 Roads

It is each parent's responsibility to ensure that their child is safely aboard the school bus. Occasionally a road may become blocked and, as a result, the bus may be unable to service sections of a route. If this occurs, the bus driver will communicate the name of each student who was not picked up, to the School Principal, upon arrival at the school.

Parental work schedules in some families may require parents to be away from home before their child leaves for school in the morning and/or when their child arrives home in the afternoon. If this is the case in your family, please ensure that your child has access to your home or to an approved alternative home where he/she can go in the event of the bus being unable to service your section of the route.

Mechanical Breakdown

The possibility of a mechanical breakdown of a school bus or special vehicle always exists. This is a 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. In this circumstance, however, the bus may be late picking up your child in the morning or returning him/her home in the afternoon. Again, in the event that parental work schedules require parents to be away from home before or after school, please ensure that your child has access to your home or an approved alternative home.

Parental Responsibility

The Upper Canada District School Board strives to ensure the safe transportation of children. Ultimately, each parent has the right and legal obligation to protect their child. You may decide to keep your child at home at any time if you feel that it is too risky to have him/her transported to school.

The decision to cancel or alter transportation services shall be broadcasted on the following radio/TV stations: