WRDSB and WCDSB schools closed due to cold weather
Posted Feb 20, 2015 11:41:38 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was a snow day…without the snow for most kids in Waterloo Region Friday.
All WRDSB and WCDSB schools were closed due to extreme cold.
A procedure updated this past autumn, states that if the windchill or temperature is forecast to be -35°C at 7 a.m. the schools will close.
Lila Read, Superintendent of education with the WRDSB tells 570 News that their decision to close the school was all based on a warning from Environment Canada that says exposed skin at these temperatures is at risk of frostbite in only ten minutes.
“We have a number of students that walk to school and the walk is longer than ten minutes and kids that wait for buses would wait for more than ten minutes.”
Benoit Bourgault, General Manager of Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region adds it’s not just about how cold it is, but how often we see temperatures that frigid.
“If you’re further north, -35°C is a regular occurrence and people will have the clothing for it…whereas here, the risk is greatly increased because we have limited exposure to that temperature.”
He adds many children may not have the appropriate clothing to keep warm. Crossing guards are also at risk of getting frostbite.
The last time the schools were closed due to the cold was back in January last year when students were just returning from Christmas Break.
Many regions in Southern Ontario had bus cancellations Friday, but very few schools were closed. All schools remained open in Guelph, North, South and Centre Wellington.
