No Cancellations
The Halifax Regional Centre for Education takes great care when making the decision to alter the normal operations of schools and school busses in the event of severe or inclement weather. You can find more information below or by viewing (and printing) our guidelines, here.
HRCE staff gather information from a variety of sources beginning at 4:30 am, including:
- Weather forecasts from Wood Group consulting service which provides radar and satellite imagery, real time road conditions and any weather warnings;
- Consulting with a meteorologist to discuss details of forecast, level and type of precipitation and impact on road conditions;
- HRCE Transportation which consults with our service providers' bus drivers to determine local road conditions throughout the municipality;
- Municipal and provincial transportation staff; and
- Other local weather services, including Environment Canada and the Weather Network.
By 5:30 am, staff make recommendations to the Regional Executive Director of Education (or a designate), based on the information gathered and assessments of each area. The Regional Executive Director of Education makes the final decision based on this information.
It is our goal to make the decision as close to 6:00 am as possible. A 6:00 am announcement could be:
- All schools are delayed in opening by two hours and bus pickups are delayed by two hours; or
- All schools are open, but some or all buses are not operating for the day; or
- Some schools (either individually or by family) are closed for the day; or
- All schools are closed for the day.
What if the weather deteriorates throughout the day?
If the weather deteriorates, the HRCE can decide to dismiss students early. In the event of an early dismissal, the decision will be communicated to all schools as close to 11:00 a.m. as possible.
- Bused students will be picked up two hours earlier than their regular dismissal time; and
- Non-bused students will be dismissed at their regularly scheduled lunch hour.
In the event of an early dismissal, students in grades primary to 6 will not be released from school unless parents/guardians or designates have been notified by the school.
Information will be shared in the following ways:
To learn more, click here.