Policies

Inclement Weather Policy

Operational procedures

Communications

In order to effectively communicate the policies, regulations, administrative procedures, and parental expectations for Transportation, both the Lambton Kent District School Board and the St. Clair Catholic District School Board will cooperatively develop a comprehensive Transportation Services brochure. The brochure will be distributed to all parents and guardians at the beginning of each school year. This brochure will emphasize the zone in which the household resides, and the various media to be accessed for Transportation Services information.

Procedures Prior to Regular School Hours

In situations of inclement weather, the following process will be followed:

Each Zone Captain (a school bus operator), after consistent and thorough contact with all other school bus operators operating within that zone, will facilitate a recommendation for that zone regarding whether or not school buses will operate in that zone.

Zone Captains, together with school bus operators, will make recommendations regarding whether or not to operate school buses within a designated zone based on factors such as:

road conditions
contacts with various police services
contacts with other Zone Captains
the condition of the loading zones at schools
weather reports (including satellite imaging)
reports from road crews
spotters assigned to each zone
wind-chill factors (for example, extreme cold)

Each Zone Captain will communicate the transportation recommendation for each zone to the Manager of Transportation Services prior to 6:00 a.m.
The Manager of Transportation Services will coordinate and compile the zone recommendations and formulate a decision regarding whether or not to provide transportation services in each zone. The Manager of Transportation Services using a variety of communication technologies will communicate with designated media (mainly radio stations) prior to 6:20 a.m. Announcements will follow an established template format. Using the information supplied by the Manager of Transportation Services to the media, the Supervisor of Transportation/Information Technology will provide a daily update to the Transportation Services web site prior to 7:00 a.m. The Supervisor of Transportation/Information Technology will also provide backup to the Manager of Transportation Services for communication with the media, in the event that the Manager is unavailable to carry out this function.
Buses that have been cancelled in the morning, due to inclement weather, will not return students in the afternoon. If parents drive students to school in the morning, they are responsible to pick their children up and take them home in the afternoon.

Procedures Prior to Regular School Hours Involving Only Fog

In situations of inclement weather involving only fog, the following process will be followed:

Zone Captains, together with school bus operators, will make a recommendation whether or not to declare a Fog Cancellation within a designated zone.
Zone Captains and Transportation Services personnel will follow the procedures detailed in Section B, numbers 2 and 3, to communicate Fog Cancellation recommendations, and resulting decisions made by the Manager of Transportation Services.
Buses that have been cancelled in the morning due to fog will operate in the afternoon to return students to their homes.

Procedures for Situations Occurring During a Route

A driver should use the following procedures in the event he/she is unable to continue with the route:

Drive your bus slowly to the shoulder of the road, or off the traveled portion of the road to a safe location.
When necessary, advise your passengers to move to the front and shoulder side of the bus (as many as possible).
Ask for assistance, if necessary, to keep passengers calm and quiet.
Call dispatch to advise them of your location, your circumstances, and the last student picked up. Dispatch should then contact the school(s) and Transportation Services.
Under no circumstances should you return students to their homes (morning route). Procedures to return students to their homes should follow the process outlined in Section E, #2.
When it is safe to proceed, advise dispatch and proceed in accordance to road conditions. Dispatch should then advise the school(s) and Transportation Services.

Procedures for Situations Occurring During the School Day

If inclement weather necessitates the need to consider the early dismissal of students, or the cancellation of bussing, the following procedures will occur:

The school bus operator(s) will consult with the Zone Captain who will advise the Manager of Transportation Services of the recommendation for early dismissal or the cancellation of bussing in that zone. (Most schools require at least one and one-half hours to activate their parental contact system.) The Manager of Transportation Services will notify the appropriate principal(s).
It is the principal's responsibility to discuss the recommendation for early dismissal or the cancellation of bussing with the Director of Education, or designate, and, once the decision for early dismissal or the cancellation of bussing is made, to notify parents of the decision. In the event that a parent cannot be contacted, students shall not be released from school unless alternate arrangements are in place. Secondary school students may be released without parental notification.
The Manager of Transportation Services will notify the media of the early dismissal or the cancellation of bussing arrangements.
If inclement weather necessitates the early dismissal of students, the buses will only make one run home. The buses will not come back at the regular dismissal time or any other time to take any additional students home.

Procedures for Situations Necessitating the Cancellation of Late Buses

The school bus operator(s) will advise the school principal that late buses have been cancelled prior to the end of the daily lunch period at the school (to enable students to take the regular bus home).

Closure of Schools>>