School/Bus Cancellations and Delayed Openings due to Inclement Weather

It’s that time of year again. Attached for your information is an infographic that explains the process used when making decisions regarding school operations during inclement weather. It is being shared as a pdf and as a picture so that it can be used in various formats (website, newsletters, twitter, etc.). If you haven’t already, please ensure the information is shared with families so they are knowledgeable about the HRCE’s policy and procedures for cancellations and delayed openings. Also, it is important to remind families and your staff of what a delayed opening would look like at your school. Below is a write-up that can be used in school newsletters and Swift K12 messages. This is meant to be a template. You may wish to include school-specific information (highlighted) or remove information that is not relevant to your school (i.e. Pre-Primary and EXCEL). If you have any questions, please connect with your School Administration Supervisor.

School/Bus Cancellations and Delayed Openings

The Halifax Regional Centre for Education takes great care when making the decision to cancel schools and/or buses, or delay the opening of school, in the event of severe or inclement weather. When these situations occur, the information is posted on the HRCE’s website at www.hrce.ca , on Twitter at www.twitter.com/HRCE_NS , recorded at 902-464-INFO (4636) and communicated to all local radio stations. Families can also subscribe to receive notice of cancellations and delayed openings by e-mail or text message by following the link on the front page (left side) of the HRCE website.

If weather conditions warrant, the HRCE could implement a delayed opening. Delayed openings would be considered when a severe weather event has concluded but snow clearing or other operations require additional time. Delayed opening may also be considered when the physical plant is experiencing an issue such as a power outage or loss of water and additional time is required to prepare the school to open. If this was to occur, school and Pre-Primary would be delayed by two hours. In our school, this means school would start at [Insert time]. Pre-Primary would start at [Insert time]. If Stock Transportation is operating, the expectation will be that students are picked up two hours later than their regularly assigned time pending any weather-related delays. Our lunch and dismissal times will remain at their regularly scheduled times. [Any additional information regarding alterations to class schedules to address timetable].The EXCEL program will be cancelled for the morning only

The weather in Nova Scotia is unpredictable so it’s always a good idea for families to have a back-up plan for child care when school is cancelled. To learn more about the process on how decisions regarding closures and cancellations are made, visit: https://www.hrce.ca/about-our-schools/parents/inclement-weather .