The Halifax region was hit with another mix of messy weather on Wednesday, but for students in the Halifax Regional School Board (HRSB), it was business as usual.
The decision to keep schools open Wednesday, when they were closed the day before, didn’t sit well with some Haligonians.
“I think the doors should have remained closed,” said parent Denise Burchall. “I don’t think you can be too cautious, not when it’s children’s lives.”
The board received more than 100 comments on their Twitter feed, after they announced school would be going ahead as planned. Many people were upset with the decision not to cancel schools after the area had received freezing rain.
Parent Jane Barteaux said regardless what decision the board made regarding school closures, not everyone is going to agree with it.
“They can’t win,” Barteaux said.
“Parents have the option to keep their kids home if they feel it’s unsafe.”
A Global News Twitter poll shows the majority of people who responded felt HRSB made the wrong decision.
How does HRSB decide when to open and close schools?
The Halifax Regional School Board says the decision to cancel schools is never made lightly.
HRSB communications coordinator Doug Hadley said there are many conversations that happen before the decision is made.
“We talk to a meteorologist. We get road and sidewalk reports from HRM (Halifax Regional Municipality) and the provincial Transportation department. We also consult with Stock Transportation who have drivers located in various parts of HRM,” said Hadley.
“We recognize that altering our operations can be an inconvenience for many but we make all of the decisions with the safety of our students and staff in mind.”
HRSB said staff make recommendations to the superintendent based on the information gathered and assessments of each area. The superintendent makes the final decision.
The board says if it is safe to have students and staff on the roads and sidewalks, then schools will be open. If not, classes will be cancelled.
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Have HRSB students really missed more days this year then most?
The following statistics show the number of school closures there have been in the HRSB from 2012 to 2017.
According to the statistics from the HRSB, there have been almost as many school closures during the 2016-17 school year then the previous two years combined.
- 2016-17: 9 ½
- 2015-16: 5
- 2014-15: 5 ½
- 2013-14: 4
- 2012-13: 4
Consultant says society has changed
Paul Bennett, the director of Schoolhouse Consulting, said society has changed and there are double the number of snow days now than there were a decade ago.
“I think there’s more of a focus on family. There’s a heightened degree of anxiety around the danger to kids,” he said. “There’s a society which is more litigious than it was, in other wards, people tend to be fearful of lawsuits.”
Bennett said no one would advocate opening schools if there was a serious danger but says across the province. But points out that Halifax has the least amount of missed days in the province and that the average number of storm days in Nova Scotia now sits at 12.75.
“We have got a school community here that closes school on a whim and does so to such a degree and frequency that people expect the school to be closed when there is the least sign of bad weather. We’ve gone from the assumption that school is open to the assumption is it’s closed.”
READ MORE: Number of snow days in Nova Scotia schools amounts to a crisis: expert
Nova Scotia Education Minister
As the number of storm days continues to climb, Nova Scotia’s Education Minister said she is encouraged to see some school boards in the province are looking at progressive moves.
“Weather issues are things that we can’t control,” said Karen Casey.
“I was pleased to see that some boards are looking at delayed start up or early dismissal or not closing all schools in their district on a certain snow day.”
Casey said teachers will look at their curriculum and recognize that they may need to compress some of their instruction into a shorter period of time to address and respond to the most critical, essential learning outcomes in their subjects.
“It’s winter in Nova Scotia,” said Casey. “I think teachers do a very good job at trying to make the best of the instructional time that they have.”
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