Snow day or no snow day - How are you supposed to know if your kids should go to school?

Schools were closed on rainy Thursday in London, Ont., but kids were trekking to class in knee-deep snow on Friday, after an overnight storm.

That's left many parents scratching their heads about what, exactly, the snow day policy is in the region's two English-language school boards, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) and the London District Catholic School Board (LDCSB). 

Both boards have schools in London as well as Elgin, Oxford and Middlesex counties. The counties often get more snow than the city, and hazardous driving conditions sometimes force busing cancellations, which are decided by an independent consortium of bus companies. 

Before the pandemic, if buses were cancelled, kids could still get dropped off at school, if parents could get them there safely. At the public board, that's now changed because COVID-19 has put a strain on staffing, with teachers not able to get to schools combined with teachers sick with the virus. 

At Thames Valley, the region's largest school board, schools designated as "bussed schools" — those that rely on transportation to bring kids to and from school — get closed if school buses are cancelled. 

CBC's calculations show that 138 of the board's 161 schools, or almost 86 per cent of schools, close when buses are cancelled. The policy also means that a school such as Northbrae Public School in the heart of London will be open during inclement weather, but Louise Arbour French Immersion Public School, which is next door, would be closed. 

Sometimes, such as on Thursday, all schools are closed, regardless of whether kids are bussed or not. Such a system-wide closure is done with consultation with the Catholic board. 

Catholic policy different

"This is a temporary change in our protocols for the remainder of this winter season only as a result of significant staff shortages which increase on inclement weather days as well as our preference to not combine students from multiple classes together in one room which was a strategy we regularly implemented on inclement weather days prior to the pandemic," said Riley Culhane, Thames Valley's associate director of education. 

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At the London District Catholic School Board, the policy is different — it's similar to what it was before the pandemic. 

"All LDCSB schools will normally remain open even if school transportation is delayed or cancelled. It is very rare for LDCSB schools to close. If schools are to close, the decision will usually be made by 6:30 am and communicated widely," a spokesperson said in a statement. 

"If transportation is cancelled and schools remain open, learning will continue at the school. Students are encouraged to try to get to school, if it is safe to do so."

Decisions about whether to delay or cancel school buses is made by Southwestern Ontario Student Transportation Services (STS), which runs the My Big Yellow Bus website, where parents can get information about school bus delays or cancellations. 

Both school boards say online learning is available on days when in-person school is cancelled. 

Protocols at other school boards: 

• The Avon Maitland District School Board, which covers Huron and Perth Counties, as well as Stratford, is returning to its pre-pandemic inclement weather policy as of Tuesday because elementary schools are now able to group cohorts together in emergency situations, a spokesperson said. Prior to that, schools closed if buses were cancelled. Each school has its own plan depending on several factors, including the number of bused students and where staff live in relation to the school. 
• At the Greater Essex County School Board, in Windsor, schools remain open for in-person learning and kids who are able to get to and from school will get in-person instruction from their teacher or support staff even if buses are cancelled, both in the city and Essex County. 
• The Waterloo Catholic District School Board is going to be reviewing its policy because it was put in place during the pandemic. Right now, if buses are cancelled, schools get closed, so that classes don't need to be combined, as was often the case pre-pandemic during snow days. The review will look at whether this policy should be kept or if the pre-pandemic policy of keeping buildings open will return.