Some caught off guard by Wednesday school closure notifications

Does virtual learning mean end of snow days? With the work done to allow students to learn at home, some boards are turning snow days into school days. CTV London's Reta Ismail reports.

Many parents woke up Wednesday morning to the news that their child’s school bus was cancelled due to inclement weather.

And depending on the school board, some parents received notification that ‘snow day’ might now mean ‘learn from home day.’

Ryan Readings, the administrative officer at Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services, says based on real-time information, some bus routes had to be cancelled due to icy road conditions.

The cancellations impacted several school boards in the region, including the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB), which sent out a letter to parents notifying them of a new ‘inclement weather update’ that has been issued for this year and will require students to pivot to online learning whenever buses are cancelled.

"From the start of the pandemic we have followed a "do no harm" policy, we are going to make sure no student is disadvantaged, they will not be marked absent. The learning will continue they will be provided work on their digital platforms, and we want to keep everybody as safe as possible," said Mark Fisher, director of education for TVDSB.

Fisher says they've already received feedback regarding the new change.

“We've heard from many parents that appreciate our enhanced safety procedure, but we know for some in the community it is an inconvenience, and we apologize and regret that inconvenience, but we do want to keep everybody safe and encourage those students to be vigilant in their learning remotely,” said Fisher.

Meantime, the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB) says staff remain committed to keeping schools open and are not considering remote learning on snow days at this time.

“The short turnaround time I think is the biggest challenge for families. In the event that we know we could continue to keep a school open, that is what we are committed to first, where remote learning would be a second option,” said Vince Romeo, director of education for LDCSB.

Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services (SOSTS) has spotters that go out in the morning combing through the city to ensure travel is safe, and if it's not, they notify the school boards of any bus cancellations

“Whether it’s weather, or it’s because of driver shortage, or they’re isolating, they have to let us know by 6:30 every morning, and that's when we communicate the information to the principle, to the boards, and to the parents,” said Ryan Readings, CWO of SOSTS.

Weather aside, Readings says they continue to deal with a driver shortage due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and can't just simply swap drivers from one region to another to accommodate sick calls, or weather related cancellations.