PRPS Buses Cancelled for December 23rd

As we head into the final day before the winter break, we felt it was important to connect with parents about the challenges our province has faced this past week. While we always prepare for winter weather, this latest cold system is like none we have seen in many years. 

One of the primary goals of Prairie Rose Public Schools is to ensure a safe, warm space for students to come and learn. This is why, whenever possible, it is the responsibility of school divisions to keep the doors open for students. Much like other school divisions across the province, we have also been able to do that. It is also important to give our families choices regarding what is best for their family. We know from our many conversations this week several parents have kept their children home from school. We have also heard appreciation for keeping the doors open for our working parents. 

Together with our bus contractors, PRPS has done our best to keep buses running when possible. Our procedure states that bus cancellations can be made at the driver's discretion. From our perspective, our drivers are most familiar with their bus, the roads and their ability to drive in different weather conditions. While our drivers have done an excellent job all week, the extended cold snap is proving to be a bit too much for the bus fleets. Earlier today, Southland Transportation, which holds a majority 67 of the 83 PRPS bus routes, decided to cancel all routes for tomorrow, Friday, December 23rd. Based on this decision, our other six contractors have done the same. 

This means no buses will be running tomorrow (Friday, December 23rd) across the school division. 

Schools will remain open for those who can attend class unless you are otherwise notified. PRPS is committed to reviewing our bussing procedures in the new year to consider whether any changes are required to the current guidelines. 

We would like to wish everyone a wonderful holiday season. There have been many wonderful opportunities for our students to experience this fall, and it is great to see our parents back in school. Please enjoy a much-deserved break, and we look forward to seeing everyone back in class on January 9, 2023.

~ Prairie Rose Public Schools, Executive Team