Although the weather is sunny and there is less falling snow, all schools and board offices are closed because of safety concerns since not all sidewalks have been plowed on students' routes to schools.
The Upper Grand District School Board (UGDSB) and Wellington Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) put out alerts online Tuesday explaining all schools and board offices are closed due inclement weather and the ongoing effects of the accumulated snowfall.
One of the challenges has been that not all sidewalks have been cleared so students who walk to school, parents who use strollers or people who use mobility assistive devices can’t use the sidewalks.
“We just didn't want to have students walking on roads to try and get to schools,” said Heather Loney, UGDSB communications manager.
UGDSB has been in communication with the city and it's been providing updates on what areas have been plowed. The focus over the weekend was on main roads and residential streets.
WCDSB along with the city, other school boards and the transportation consortium monitored weather systems, advisories and road and sidewalk conditions during the weekend and Tuesday morning. "The decision to close schools today was made with student and staff safety in mind," said Ali Lupal, WCDSB communications lead, via email.
“With the amount of snow too the visibility is also not great, the height of the snow banks, and we've also continued to have some blowing snow conditions too,” said Loney.
Some of the parking lots at schools aren’t completely plowed either.
Now city crews are focusing on sidewalks, specifically ones near schools. It’s the volume of snow that continues to be a challenge, she said.
UGDSB expects to have an update from the city later today on what has been cleared and where. It expects the routes will be in better shape on Wednesday. If schools are closed again an update will be posted on its website, its app UG Connect and a phone call and email will be sent to families and staff.
“It's not super common to have a full system shut down. But sometimes there can be a couple in one school year. Sometimes you go a school year without,” said Loney. Conditions change and the board looks at weather conditions in the mornings.