Mother Nature gave rural students a chilly break from classes Tuesday.
Wolf Creek Public Schools, which encompasses Ponoka and Lacombe counties, closed its 33 schools and halted its bus routes due to severe temperatures and wind conditions.
The mercury dipped to a low of -36C with a windchill of -41C on the first day of March, according to Environment Canada.
Superintendent Larry Jacobs said the decision was made around 6 a.m. after the district’s transportation supervisor gave a reading of temperatures and wind conditions gathered around the jurisdiction.
At 6 a.m. the temperature was a brisk -35C.
“We knew we would be working in temperatures in excess of -40 by the time our buses start to roll,” said Jacobs.
This is the second time this winter the Lacombe and Ponoka area schools were closed because of the frigid conditions.
“I would say we’re about average,” said Jacobs. “Going through the winter, I probably close the schools two or three times because of the cold. It is more likely I run into problems in Wolf Creek anyway because of fog. That’s one of the more problematic areas. Sometimes it is more blowing snow in the winter. This year it has been primarily about cold.”
School closures do not affect instructional time for students. Alberta Education mandates a minimum of instructional hours for students in kindergarten to Grade 9 and high school, Jacobs said the division meets these targets.
Chinook’s Edge School Division’s 41 schools (Red Deer county and the rural area around Olds) remained open but the buses didn’t run. The division cancels buses if the temperature is -35C or if there is a windchill factor more than -40C.
“The schools are never cancelled on the days they are supposed to be open in our calendar,” said Shawn Russell, assistant superintendent.
“Even though buses may not be running, schools are always open.”
Russell could not say how many times the routes were cancelled this year but said it seems like a typical winter for cancellations.
Red Deer city school districts follow a slightly different policy when it comes to keeping the schools open during severe weather. Jeanne Davis, communications manager for Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools, said only under rare circumstances will the division’s 17 schools be closed.
“And it would only be if the school couldn’t house the students safely then we would call for a school to be closed but we don’t close schools for inclement weather.”
The division does cancel its bus routes during inclement weather and it is dictated by student safety. On Tuesday, the Catholic rural routes were cancelled. Red Deer Catholic operates two rural schools in Sylvan Lake, two in Rocky Mountain House, one in Innisfail and one in Olds.
The transportation supervisor can direct a division-wide suspension of school bus service where the temperature is -30C and a wind chill factor results in -60C or colder. As well, rural drivers can cancel their individual routes or portions of the route when they feel it is unsafe to drive the bus.
“Those are the schools impacted by the bus cancellation because of the cold in the winter time,” she said.
Red Deer Public Schools has a similar policy to the Catholic schools.
Bruce Buruma, director of Community Relations, has been with the district for 23 years, and recalls the schools closing less than a handful of times.
“In terms of make-up time, while we may cancel buses, our schools will almost always remain open so lost time is not an issue,” he said. “Since I have been with the district, I believe we have cancelled school twice. As schools plan their yearly schedules, we are above the required hours of instruction so this is not an issue.”
crhyno@www.reddeeradvocate.com