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Information about bus cancellations and remote learning on inclement weather days

November 8, 2021

Please see below for important information regarding bus cancellations and inclement weather days in the Upper Grand District School Board for the 2021-22 school year. 

TRANSPORTATION DIVISIONS

Transportation for UGDSB students is provided by the Transportation Consortium, STWDSTS. STWDSTS defines four divisions across Upper Grand for transportation services and notifies the public of delays and cancellations by division:

STWDSTS posts the status of buses each morning on its website at https://stwdsts.ca/. It also posts bus cancellation notifications on its Twitter page at https://twitter.com/STWDSTS. 

Parents are strongly encouraged to sign up for STWDSTS notifications of bus route delays/cancellations through the STWDSTS website: https://stwdsts.ca/bus-subscription/ 

BUS CANCELLATION DAYS – ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY

With the exception of Centre Peel PS and Kenilworth PS*, when buses are cancelled in a Division, all UGDSB schools in that Division will remain open to students. 

*In following with the UGDSB’s pre-pandemic practice, in the event of bus cancellations affecting Centre Peel PS and Kenilworth PS bus routes, Centre Peel PS and Kenilworth PS will be closed to students. 

In all other UGDSB schools (elementary and secondary), schools will remain open for all students who can get there safely. 

Bus cancellation days have the potential to significantly impact student learning for students who are unable to attend in-person. Students affected by bus cancellations will be supported in their learning through activities provided by their teacher in their Google Classroom. 

EMERGENCY CLOSURE DAYS WHEN SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED TO STUDENTS AND STAFF – ELEMENTARY AND SECONDARY

On the rare occasions when schools and board sites are closed to staff and students (e.g. power outages, weather closures formerly known as “System Shutdown”), all students will pivot to remote learning for the day and will be supported by their teacher. This may include teachers posting activities to Google Classrooms, which can be accessed by students, or engaging in some synchronous learning activities. Teachers will plan for the possibility of emergency school closures and will be prepared to pivot to remote learning. Consideration will also be given to providing or assigning work and/or devices ahead of time that supports students who do not have internet access from home, where possible. 

If schools and board websites are closed to students and staff, this information will be posted on the board website, www.ugdsb.ca, and will be shared on the UGDSB’s Twitter account, https://twitter.com/ugdsb. 

BACKGROUND

Bus Cancellation Days: 

Last year when buses were cancelled in some areas of the board, schools were asked to switch to remote learning for students and schools were closed to students. This was primarily due to COVID-19 restrictions that prevented schools from combining students from different classes, resulting from possible staff shortages on inclement weather days. This school year, we are returning to previous expectations that all schools remain open to students when buses are cancelled, with the exception of Centre Peel PS and Kenilworth PS.

On days when buses are cancelled for Centre Peel PS and Kenilworth PS, these schools will be closed to students. The reason for this is due to the prevalence of road closures in those area on inclement weather days and that 100% of the student population at these schools rely on bus transportation. As Centre Peel PS and Kenilworth PS will be closed to students on bus cancellation days, educators will support students in remote learning for that day. 

Emergency Closures – When schools are closed to staff and students:

Emergency school closures, when schools are closed to staff and students, have the potential to significantly impact student learning. As such, when schools are closed to students, schools will pivot to remote learning and teachers will ensure that student learning continues through the Google Classroom environment. As a result of pandemic planning in the board, schools are much better equipped to pivot to remote learning as needed than in the past. 

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