Many parents across Manitoba were left with a tricky decision Monday after hundreds of school buses were canceled — drive your children to school, or have them miss class.
Roads were described as dangerous almost everywhere in southern Manitoba, but many divisions still decided to proceed with school.
READ MORE: Winter storm causes multiple road closures across Manitoba
That meant parents with bused-in children had to stay home with their kids or get behind the wheel themselves to face roads that were consider “too tricky” for bus drivers.
Katherine Bialek gave her son Jack a snow day.
“We had a doctor appointment this morning and we were going to drop him off at school afterwards,” Bialek said. “But he wouldn’t get bused home.
“The roads are bad and if he’s far away enough to bus, then it’s hard for us to pick him up and drop him off too.”
Grade 6 student Jack was happy to hang out in his backyard and build a snow castle, but many of his peers had parents that made the journey to school.
READ MORE: School cancellations and closures for March 5
Seven Oaks School Division canceled all buses, but held classes everywhere. Of almost 12,000 students, 3,000 ride the bus.
Superintendent Brian O’Leary said Monday it was a tough decision to make, but having his schools open helped out some parents.
“A nurse at the hospital needs to get to work rather than phone in and say ‘I have to stay with my kids,'” O’Leary said. “The likelihood of buses being stuck en route was fairly high.”
That meant lower-than-usual attendance, but the superintendent wasn’t bothered.
“Safety first,” O’Leary said. “Do the safe thing and stay home for the day.”
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