November 1,
2011
Dear
Parents/Guardians:
With the
winter season fast approaching, there may be times when bus routes will not be
operating.
The most likely reason for cancellation will be for severe
winter weather conditions, in which case one or more bus routes in the district
may be cancelled. After consultation with Transportation staff who (after
severe weather warnings) go out to assess road conditions between 3:30AM and 5:30AM,
I will determine by 5:45AM whether or not to cancel one or more bus routes, and
will advise local radio stations. It is very important that parents have taken
note of what routes their child rides on.
The local
radio stations assist us by announcing on the radio when there are
cancellations. Usually, these announcements begin after 6:00AM. The radio
station will report any routes that are not operating.
Local radio
stations are:
CKKQ (100.3)
CBC (90.5)
SUN-FM (89.7)
CFAX (1070)
A Channel News will also be notified.
Information
about a school or district closure will also be posted on the district website:
www.sd79.bc.ca.
WHEN BUSES ARE OPERATING DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER:
Drivers may
opt not to go down some of the less travelled and more dangerous roads (ie,
winding, hilly). If families live down such roads, it would be a good idea to
plan now with their driver, for a location at a safer, more-travelled stop.
If buses
are running more than fifteen minutes late, drivers will radio in to notify the
Transportation Office. Then the Transportation Office will send an email to the
principals and vice principals of the affected schools. You can also sign up to get Transportation
Department updates on Twitter @TransportSD79. (https://twitter.com/#!/TransportSD79).
We will post route cancellation on Twitter as well.
In all cases, the safety of students will be the first
priority.
Yours sincerely,
Joe Rhodes
Superintendent
of Schools