Bus Suspension Due to Inclement Weather
Elk Island Public Schools’ (EIPS) Administrative Procedure 131: Inclement Weather forms the basis to suspend busing services as necessary when weather and/or road conditions represent a potential hazard for students. Bus service may be suspended on a region-by-region or route-by-route basis.
- Schools will remain open to students should school bus service be suspended for the day.
EIPS is effectively divided into four regions, each having a distinct location within the region to determine temperature and wind chill factor. When considering bus suspension due to inclement weather or region-specific, adverse conditions, EIPS defines regions in the jurisdiction as:
- Strathcona Region (excluding the Hamlet of Sherwood Park and the City of Fort Saskatchewan)
- Urban Region - Hamlet of Sherwood Park and the City of Fort Saskatchewan
- Lamont Region
- Minburn Region
Weather and Road Conditions
School bus service, including all Payride bus services, may be suspended when:
- A temperature of -40° C including wind chill factor is measured by Environment Canada at
5:00 a.m. in one or more region.
In the event conditions are extreme, bus service may be suspended in any or all regions of EIPS when weather or road conditions warrant. In this instance, EIPS will advise parents using various communications tools, including:
- automated telephone messages,
- details posted on the division home page,
- in the Bus Status section of our division and school websites,
- on our main switchboard (780-464-3477),
- Twitter updates, and
- through local radio stations.
We strive to share all information by 6:30 a.m.
EIPS believes it is the parents’ right and responsibility to make choices for their children based on their beliefs and perceptions of safety during inclement weather conditions. Parents must use their discretion when sending their children to school during inclement weather, even when buses are running and schools are open.
For the safety of the students, it is the responsibility of the parents to ensure that their children are suitably dressed for coping with weather conditions and arrangements have been made for alternate shelter for their child if no one is home.