Inclement Weather

The decision to close schools due to accumulating snowfall is ultimately the responsibility of the superintendent, who must balance the safety of students, staff and parents with the need to provide learning. The decision is not taken lightly and is the result of a carefully thought out process that is reviewed after each experience and refined if necessary.

The decision to close schools is made by 6 a.m. Details are:

• posted on the SD42 Twitter feed (@sd42news);
• posted on the SD42 Facebook feed (SD42Facebook);
• shared with News 1130, CKNW, and CBC 690 radio stations;
• posted on the SD42 Website (www.sd42.ca).

Please note: The district supports individual and family decisions regarding safety. Parents/guardians have primary responsibility for their children’s safe travel to school. If, for any reason, there are personal concerns about the ability to travel safely to school, other arrangements should be made.

Unlike a steadily accumulating snowfall, the occurrence and duration of power outages can be more difficult to predict. For this reason, the decision to close a school due to a power outage is made on a case-by-case basis, taking all factors into careful consideration.

 

POWER OUTAGES BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS

In cases where building conditions prevent instruction but otherwise pose no safety concerns, the school district will try to keep the school open for students, but will ask parents/guardians to make alternate arrangements for their children where possible and return them to school once power is restored.

In cases where building conditions prevent instruction and also raise safety concerns, the superintendent will request that the school be closed.

The decision to close schools is made in as timely manner as circumstances allow. Details and updates will be:

• posted on the SD42 Twitter feed (@sd42news);
• posted on the SD42 Facebook feed (SD42Facebook);
• shared with News 1130, CKNW, and CBC 690 radio stations;
• posted on the SD42 Website (www.sd42.ca).

 

POWER OUTAGES WHILE SCHOOL IS IN SESSION

In cases where building conditions prevent instruction but otherwise pose no safety concerns, the school district will keep the school open for students until the end of the school day.

In cases where building conditions prevent instruction and also raise safety concerns, the superintendent may authorize early dismissal, depending on the time of the day the outage occurs. The school will contact parents directly. Details will also be posted to:

• the SD42 Twitter feed (@sd42news);
• the SD42 Facebook feed (SD42Facebook);
• the SD42 Website (www.sd42.ca).

For the most up to date information on power outages, visit the BC Hydro Outage website at https://www.bchydro.com/power-outages/app/outage-map.html