As winter weather continues to bring snow, freezing rain, fog and fluctuating temperatures across the region, we reached out to Student Transportation Services of Brant Haldimand Norfolk (STSBHN) to ask how decisions around school bus cancellations and school closures are made.
Phil Kuckyt, Manager of Transportation Services with STSBHN, says there is no single factor that automatically triggers a cancellation.
Instead, decisions are based on whether buses can operate safely under current and forecasted conditions.
The region served by STSBHN is divided into four geographic zones — Norfolk County, Haldimand County, Brant County and the City of Brantford — meaning weather conditions can vary significantly from one area to another.
Lake-effect snow, temperature differences, and localized weather systems can impact one zone while leaving others largely unaffected.
Because of those differences, transportation may be cancelled in one zone while running in another.
In most cases, when school transportation is cancelled due to unsafe road conditions, schools are also closed.
Kuckyt says this “tethered” approach is designed to protect not just students on buses, but parents, guardians and school staff as well.
There is one notable exception — extreme cold.
Under STSBHN policy, transportation may be cancelled while schools remain open if temperatures reach dangerous thresholds, largely due to diesel buses struggling to start and the risk of children waiting outside in bitter cold.
Each morning, decisions are made through a collaborative process, meaning it is not up to one individual to decide if schools will remain open or be closed for a day.
Recommendations are made between 5 and 6 a.m., and it ultimately a join decision between Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, Grand Erie District School Board and Conseil Scholaire Catholique MonAvenir.
With that, if conditions feel unsafe, Kuckyt says families are encouraged to make the choice that’s right for them.
For the most up-to-date information on bus delays, cancellations, or school closures, STSBHN urges parents to check stsbhn.ca or use the Chipmunk app, which provides real-time bus tracking and alerts.