Vancouver
School Board has procedures that are followed in situations where
severe weather, like heavy snowfall or very high winds, might be
affecting schools.
All schools in the Vancouver School District will remain open
if at all possible during severe weather events. Any district-wide
closure will be decided by 7:00 a.m. at the latest. Details of
district-wide or individual school closures will be announced through
the media and the district website front page.
Please
note that no announcement will be made stating that schools are open.
Only closures and delayed openings will be announced.
Information
about any district-wide closures will be sent to Metro Vancouver radio
and television stations. Please check the following stations for school
closure information (but do not call them):
Radio | Television |
CBC AM 690 radio, 88.1 FM | Global BC |
CKNW AM 980 radio | CBC TV |
News AM 1130 radio | CTV BC |
Fairchild AM 1470 radio | City TV |
Individual
school closures due to unique circumstances (e.g. power outages) will
be announced as early as possible on the district website as well as on
the affected schools’ websites. On occasion, schools may delay the start
of the school day. If this happens, specific details will be posted on
the school and district websites.
Student safety is the first
priority of Vancouver School Board. Schools will be kept open
except under extreme circumstances to provide the option of attendance
for all, but the decision to attend is the responsibility of each
family.
Parents/guardians are responsible for their children's
safe travel to and from school. If for any reason a parent/guardian
feels that a child cannot travel safely to school, then they should make
other arrangements.
During extreme weather conditions it is also
common for police and other authorities to advise citizens to avoid
unnecessary travel. Parents should take this advice as well. Students
will not be penalized for lack of attendance under such poor weather
conditions. Students are reminded to wear appropriate clothing for the
conditions. When sidewalks and roads are slippery, students walking to
school should take extra care.
We encourage you to review your
own preparations for severe weather conditions and ensure that you are
familiar with the city’s response procedures for those conditions. We
request that you strictly adhere to parking restrictions in and around
all Vancouver schools. Your child’s school will contact you about any
changes to driving routes that may be put into effect on streets
adjacent to the school.
Busing
VSB bus
transportation will attempt to operate on their normal schedule during
days with snow or other severe weather. Significant changes to the bus
schedule as a result of weather conditions will be reported on the
district website. Should the condition of side streets require a
cancellation or change to the operation of school buses for students
using the service, affected families will be informed.