How Ontario school boards decide when to cancel school buses

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How Ontario school boards decide when to cancel school buses

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With winter approaching, many Ontario families may wake up wondering whether school buses will be cancelled during severe weather.

But the call to cancel transportation isn’t as simple as checking the forecast, and the process can vary widely from one school to another.

The Toronto District School Board (TDSB) — one of Canada’s largest school boards — says on its website the decision to cancel buses or close schools are made early in the morning by a team that includes the director, associate director, transportation staff and communications.

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The team reviews the weather forecast, road conditions and safety risks and posts cancellations on the TDSB website and social media by 6 a.m.

About 93 per cent of students don’t take the school bus, the TDSB said, adding the board often cancels transportation while keeping schools open; closing all schools would keep 239,000 students home and leave many families without childcare.

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Meanwhile, the York Region District School Board (YRDSB) said on its website bus cancellations are also decided by 6 a.m.

When school-provided transportation is cancelled, all buses and specialized vehicles are cancelled for both the morning and afternoon, YRDSB added. Students won’t be marked absent on these days, and families can decide whether it’s safe to send their children to school.

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The Ottawa Student Transportation Authority (OSTA), which manages transportation for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board, said told Global News it reviews forecast, checks radar, monitors conditions and consults neighboring transportation.

OSTA begins notifying families around 5:30 a.m. through its website and social media of cancellations.

As winter weather intensifies across Ontario, families are encouraged to monitor board websites and local forecasts closely. School boards say the priority is simple: keeping students and drivers safe when winter weather is at it’s worst.