SUBJECT:                            School Closure Due To Weather Conditions And/Or Hazardous Road Conditions

EFFECTIVE:             March 4, 2002

REVISED:                 August 19, 2013

PURPOSE:                           To provide a plan of action for the organized closure of schools in the event of hazardous road and/or weather conditions.

REGULATION:

For the purpose of this regulation, Anglophone North School District will be subdivided as follows:

Campbellton/Dalhousie – All Anglophone North schools located in Campbellton and Dalhousie.

Bathurst Area – All Anglophone North schools in the Bathurst area including Jacquet River.

Miramichi Area – All Anglophone North schools excluding those located in the Rexton/Kent County area.

Rexton Area – All Anglophone North schools located in Kent County as follows: Bonar Law Memorial School, Eleanor W. Graham Middle School, Rexton Elementary School and Harcourt School.

Individual schools may be closed separately under certain localized weather/road conditions.

A.        Parents have the right and responsibility regarding the attendance of their children at school when weather/road conditions are such that the parents believe their child/children may be subjected to unsafe or hazardous conditions.  The child will not be penalized academically for an absence of this nature.

B.        The decision to close schools/cancel bus transportation will be the responsibility of the Superintendent.  The transportation department will notify the Superintendent of the district of any school closures/cancellations.

C.        All decisions regarding school closures/cancellation of bus transportation will be made with the safety of the students and staff as the primary objective.

D.        Decisions will be made based on sound, factual information provided by various sources including, but not limited to the following:      

• Environment Canada Weather Forecasts                      
• Department of Transportation Personnel
• Actual Weather/Road Condition Observation
• School Principals in Some Locations
• School Bus Drivers in Some Locations

E.        Where Anglophone North School District shares transportation services with the Francophone districts, consultation with each district is required prior to any final decision regarding school closure.

F.        The decision to close the district or a part of the district will normally be made prior to 6:00 a.m.  The announcement of closure will be broadcasted via local public radio stations and the district recorded snowlines.

G.        In the event that a decision is made to delay the operation of buses, schools will open at the normal time.  Bus routes may be delayed for a specified period to allow time for conditions to improve.  The district reserves the right to cancel classes prior to the end of the delay period should road/weather conditions not improve. 

H. When schools are closed due to hazardous road/weather conditions, the principal of each school will be responsible for the cancellation of any scheduled co-curricular or extra-curricular activities.

I. Closure during the school day should be avoided if at all possible.  Should weather conditions and/or road conditions reach a hazardous state during the school day, the same procedure used for an early morning closure will be followed.  The announcement of closure should be made at least one hour prior to actual dismissal time.

J.         Should a school bus route or routes be cancelled, but the school served by the route remains open, parents transporting children to that school will also be responsible for transportation of those students after the afternoon dismissal.