With winter weather looming, Grand Erie reminding families of inclement-weather policies

THURSDAY, NOV. 25, 2021

As temperatures dip, Grand Erie District School Board is reminding families of its operational plans for when hazardous winter weather hits.

"Grand Erie's decision-making always prioritizes the safety and well-being of our students," said JoAnna Roberta, Director of Education. "When it comes to cancellations due to inclement weather, we want to be open with our school communities about how these decisions are made."

What you need to know:

• The decision to cancel school or student transportation services for the day is made by 6:30 a.m.
• There are two cancellation options: closure of all Grand Erie schools or closure by zone. If the cancellation is for a specific zone, the notifications will identify which zone(s).
• If there is a cancellation, it will be posted on the board’s website, and Twitter account (@GEDSB). Grand Erie will also share the information with local media.
• Student Transportation Services Brant Haldimand Norfolk will also communicate closures on Twitter (@STSBHN) and share information via its phone line (519-751-7532). 

Student Transportation Services Brant Haldimand Norfolk (STSBHN) provides transportation services for Grand Erie students as well as those from the local Catholic and French Catholic boards. During the winter months, STSBHN gathers information on road and weather conditions from various sources, including City and County road crews as well as weather specialists. These road and weather conditions are then discussed with the Superintendents of Business and Directors of Education at each of the three school boards to reach a decision.

Grand Erie’s Inclement Weather Policy also allows for the option to cancel transportation services when there is extreme cold weather. In this case, student transportation services would be cancelled; however, all Grand Erie schools would remain open to students and staff. Extreme cold weather is defined as -30 degrees Celsius (without wind-chill) at 5 a.m. or a high risk of frostbite (10 minutes or less) as of 5:45 a.m. 

For transportation purposes, Grand Erie is organized into four zones: Norfolk County (Zone 1), Haldimand County (Zone 2), Brant County (Zone 3) and City of Brantford (Zone 4). Grand Erie students from Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation are included in Zone 2. Information is being sent home through students to all families identifying what zone they are in.

This year, if schools are closed on inclement weather days, students will have the option of accessing asynchronous learning activities online through Brightspace, posted by their teacher.

"Given the incredible efforts by educators in delivering remote learning during the pandemic, Grand Erie is well positioned to offer an online option for students to learn during days where school facilities are not open," said Roberto, noting that work completed during these days would serve as a review, and not be evaluated. "This will provide students with meaningful opportunities to continue their learning, and bring balance to the day at home."

Grand Erie District School Board represents nearly 18,000 students in 58 elementary schools and more than 7,300 students in 14 secondary schools within the city of Brantford and the counties of Brant, Haldimand, and Norfolk as well as secondary students from Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

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Contact:
Grand Erie Communications
gedsb-communications@granderie.ca
Grand Erie District School Board
349 Erie Avenue, Brantford, Ontario, N3T 5V3
www.granderie.ca