Emergency Early School Closing
 

In the event that we have severe weather or other emergency conditions causing the school to close early, your child will not be sent to an empty house. A team of volunteers will call the three names in the order that you list them on information update sheets filled in by yourself at the beginning of the year. Arrangements will be made via the telephone to bus your child safely to your requested location, or for someone to come to the school for your child, Please discuss this situation with your child(ren) so that they will know precisely where to go, and where to get off the bus.

RENFREW COUNTY CATHOLIC DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD/ RENFREW COUNTY DISTRICT SCHOOL BOARD
JOINT TRANSPORTATION POLICY

Section 190, 2002 Ontario Education Statutes and Regulations states: "A Board may provide for a pupil who is enrolled in a school that the Board operates ... transportation to and from the school that the pupil attends."

The Joint Transportation Policy is reviewed regularly to keep it current. A committee was formed, comprising of trustees, principals, administration and bus operators. From the recommendations of the committee the Boards have revised the regulations. The main issues that affect the students, parents and caregivers directly are described in the following, and took effect in September 2003.

  • 1 . Home to School Transportation

    In order to ensure the safe and manageable transportation and control costs the Boards will provide basic home to school transportation only. Basic transportation may be provided on a permanent (5 days a week) basis from an in-zone residence or in-zone caregiver. The Board may consider a permanent (5 days a week) arrangement from home to school AM or PM and permanent (5 days a week) caregiver AM or PM.

    The Boards will no longer provide transportation for an out-of-zone sitter, out-of-zone separated custodian parent, or any kind of variable schedule (e.g., John gets picked up/dropped off at home on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and on Tuesdays and Thursdays he goes to/from the sitter; parents are expected to arrange transportation to/from the sitter), unless the variables involved are manageable and the service can be provided on a permanent basis, with minimum of risk to the pupil and at no additional cost to the Board. If the service is granted, the pupil will be assigned to an existing route at a designated bus stop.

    In case of an emergency, parents can use the emergency bus pass procedure to acquire transportation for their children.

    2. Walking Distances JK/SK

    In the past there was inconsistency in applying the walking distance for JK/SK pupils. A survey was conducted of surrounding Boards that indicated the walking distances were in a range of 0.5 to 1.6 km. In order to provide clear guidelines, the Boards have determined that pupils within 0.5 km of the school or established bus stop shall be required to walk to the school or walk to the bus stop. In determining eligibility the Boards will take into account any safety hazards.

    This means that some kindergarten students previously picked up in front of their house may have to walk 0.5 km to the nearest stop or 0.5 km to school.

    3. Safe Arrival

    In reviewing the Joint Transportation Policy and at the request of the operators/driver the article dealing with unsafe/unclear stops was re-defined.
    To assist the driver and guide the parents/caregiver the Boards redefined the following procedure to be followed in dealing with an occasional unclear, unusual or unsafe stop or destination.
     

  • First, return the pupil to the school before 4:00 p.m., if time permits, and the parents shall be responsible for transportation;

  • If not, then contact the school bus operator and request assistance;

  • If not, then contact the Board's Transportation Departments and request assistance;

  • If not, then contact the principal and/or Transportation Managers at home and request assistance;

  • If not, then contact the Police and request assistance.