Catholic schools share school bus protocol when severe winter conditions persist

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on November 6, 2024.

As snow begins to fall in Medicine Hat the Catholic school division has sent parents a letter highlighting the process around possible school bus cancellations that may result following heavy overnight snowfall and ice on the roads.

The division says should these conditions exist, Soundland Transportation will assess the situation at 5:30 a.m. to determine if road conditions are safe enough for school bus travel.

Once notified of any closures the division will post updates on all social media platforms and their website, as well as sending messages via the Emergency Messaging App that works over email, text messaging and voicemail.

The division says its schools will remain open during inclement weather and will only be closed when the Medicine Hat Police Service advises no travel on city streets.

As a protocol, if temperatures dip below -20C with the windchill, students will be kept indoors during the lunch hour and scheduled breaks. Announcements of school closures will also be posted in a similar manner.

“All students should be well prepared for conditions caused by low temperatures and high windchills and should not be left unattended at bus stops or spend any extended period of time outdoors under any circumstance,” states a release from the division.

As winter approaches and temperatures drop, students are reminded to wear warm winter coats, snow pants, toques, gloves and winter boots while outside or walking to and from school.

Visit the division website at mhcbe.ab.ca to sign up for Southland Transportation’s ‘My School Bus Monitor’ for local updates.