A fast-moving winter storm continues to blanket the city of Toronto and has triggered widespread school bus cancellations and school closures across the GTA.
While school boards and bus services across much of the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area shut down for the day due to Thursday’s snowstorm, schools in one region didn’t follow suit.
All schools in Durham Region were open for the day, with all staff expected to report for duty.
Decision based on ‘local weather assessments’: DCDSB
In a statement, Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) said while Durham Student Transportation Services cancelled all buses in the region due to the significant snowfall overnight and in accordance with inclement weather procedures, schools were open.
“We recognize that some school boards to the west closed schools based on their local weather assessments, while boards in Durham Region and to the east opted to keep schools open,” DCDSB wrote in an email to CP24.
“Decisions are made using real-time information, recognizing that weather and road conditions can vary significantly across the province.”
The board went on to say that as per “Board procedures,” staff are expected to “make ongoing and reasonable efforts to safely attend their regularly scheduled work location, taking local conditions into account.” Any staff with questions were “encouraged” to speak with their supervisor, the board said.
As for children’s attendance at school during inclement weather, DCDSB said it’s a “family’s decision.”
“If a student will be absent, we ask that the family notifies the school,” it said.
Families, staff encouraged to ‘make reasonable, safety-based decisions’
Durham District School Board (DDSB), meanwhile, said its decision was “based on local conditions in Durham Region and followed our established inclement weather procedures.”
“Due to the significant overnight snowfall, all student transportation was cancelled across Durham Region as a safety measure. Outside of extraordinary weather events, DDSB schools remain open during inclement weather, and today’s local assessment supported that approach,” the board said in a statement.
“While many boards in the GTA closed based on their local conditions, many boards in our region and to the east and north made similar decisions to remain open.”
Durham District School Board went on to say that families and staff are “encouraged to assess their own circumstances and make reasonable, safety-based decisions regarding travel.”
Snowstorm Ajax Jan. 15 Heavy snow is seen in one Ajax neighbourhood on Jan. 15.
Steve Lapierre, a spokesperson for Conseil Scolaire Viamonde, the local French-language public school board, said they made their decision to stay open today “based on the day’s weather forecasts, road conditions, and we strive to remain consistent with the neighbouring English school boards.”
Conseil Scholaire MonAvenir, the French-language Catholic board in the region, provided a similar response to CP24.
“Having taken into account the status of neighbouring school boards, which remain open today in the Durham, Peterborough, and Simcoe-Muskoka regions, Csc MonAvenir schools remain open in these areas,” spokesperson Marion Denonfoux wrote in an email.
‘Orange alert’ in effect in Durham
Late this morning, Environment Canada issued an “orange alert” for most of southern Ontario, advising of significant snowfall and dangerous travel conditions.
Durham was included in that alert, which is issued by the national weather agency when severe weather is likely to result in significant damage, disruption, or health impacts can be major, widespread, or last a few days.
Snowstorm Ajax jan. 15 A man shovels snow in Ajax on Jan. 15. ‘Absolutely ridiculous’
CP24 heard from a number of area residents, including staff members and teachers at local schools, who raised concerns about the decision to keep Durham Region them open.
Several others took to social media on Thursday to express their frustrations, calling it “absolutely ridiculous.”