Lengthy cold snaps in January 2019 and February 2020 that produced a week or more of bone-chilling temperatures and piles of snow caused many parents and guardians of Rocky View School (RVS) students to ask a lot of questions.

According to Board of Trustees Chair Fiona Gilbert, questions brought up on social media, or asked at school council meetings focused on, 'why was school closed on this day, but not this day,' or, 'schools should never be closed.  How can you close a school when it's so important,' or, 'well, you know, it's really unsafe for kids to be outside when it's minus 42 so you really have to close the school.'  Other questions were also asked about what temperature source should be used, if buses were cancelled did that mean that schools were automatically closed and what happens if there is an emergency at the school during a cold weather day? 

Gilbert says that mixed bag of feedback prompted a review by trustees of Board Policy 20, Emergency Closure of Schools and School Programs at Off-Site Facilities to look for clarity on how best to make those kinds of decisions.

At a recent meeting, trustees sat down and hashed out a new policy, now known as the Inclement Weather Policy.  

Gilbert says trustees had some difficulty arriving at how the new policy would be worded as there is not a right or wrong answer and plenty of perspectives for the board to consider.  Several versions of the policy were presented, and several were voted down before coming up with an acceptable change to the policy.  Gilbert explains that the intent of the new policy is to provide clarity on why schools are closed. 

The old policy had, what appeared to be, a magic number that, at a certain temperature, schools would be closed.  Gilbert says there is much more than just the weather that has to be considered when making that decision to close one or more schools or cancel a bus route.  The new policy is meant to share with the public what the various factors are that are to be considered when making the decision.  Gilbert says the number one factor that should always be considered first is student safety.

"Whether it's safety of students on the school bus, whether it's safety of students in the building on a cold-weather day, and it clarifies who is actually making the decision.

That decision will ultimately be the responsibility of the superintendent.  The new policy states, "The decision to close one more schools will be made by 5:30 am by the Superintendent or designate after consultation with designated Principals or Trustees."  The consultation is to ensure that the Superintendent gets a different perspective of the community. 

Gilbert says the policy is broken down into three separate and distinct pieces around the closing of schools, cancellation of buses, and communication to RVS stakeholders.