Prairie Rose Public Schools Administrative Procedure T201 - School Closures and Bus Cancellations (formerly T-201 Inclement Weather) was recently updated to reflect current criteria related to decisions around closing schools or cancelling school buses. Key changes pertaining to cold weather and/or poor road conditions include the following:
When will schools close?
✔️ All PRPS schools will remain open, unless an actual (ambient) temperature of -36°C or colder is reported by the Weather Network. The Weather Network was chosen as the primary data source for temperature, as it reports temperatures for all areas of the school division.
✔️ Unlike in previous years, wind chill will no longer be considered when making decisions about school closures.
✔️ Should the decision be made to close a school, notifications will be sent to parents via School Messenger starting at 6:15 a.m. Updates will also be posted on the Transportation Status page of the division website.
Will a school still be open if buses aren't running?
✔️ YES. Schools will remain open even when some or all buses to the school may not be running.
✔️ Schools will have designated staff at the school to greet students and plan for an instructional day.
✔️ Bus drivers are expected to use their own discretion in deciding whether or not to operate their bus route.
The responsibility and final decision to send children on the bus in the morning belongs to the parent(s), even if the buses are operating and the school is open. PRPS takes responsibility for the safety of students upon the point of boarding a school bus.
