Weather Closures and Procedures

As winter approaches, the likelihood of school disruptions due to snowfall or power outages increases. As such, I would like to provide you with some important information about the district’s weather closure of schools procedures and announcements process.

The district aims to keep schools open on every regular instructional day, including those with snowfall. However, the final decision to send students to school resides with the parent or guardian since they are most familiar with the specific road and weather conditions around their home and community.

Weather Closure of Schools (Outside School Hours)

Any decision to close schools for the safety of children will be made by the Superintendent. Parents, students, and staff will be informed of the Superintendent’s decision via:

the school district website at www.westvancouverschools.ca and a School Messenger email

We endeavour to communicate this information to parents and staff by 6:00 a.m. on the day of closure.

Weather Closure of Schools (During School Hours)

If weather conditions create a concern for the safety of students returning home, the school principal can decide to dismiss school early after consulting with the Superintendent.

The decision will be communicated to parents and students using the school’s normal communication systems.

Student safety is our first priority. Every effort will be made to keep schools open, but parents are encouraged to establish a plan for their children in the event of early dismissal or school closure.

As always, please refer to this section of our website for the latest information.

School closures may also appear on several local news sources including:

News 1130          http://www.news1130.com/

CKNW 98             http://www.cknw.com/news/

Global TV             http://globalnews.ca/live/bc/

CBC                     http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia

Chris Kennedy
Superintendent of Schools
West Vancouver Schools