Blowing snow closes Grand Erie schools for two straight days last week

J.P. Antonacci

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

School boards apologize for last minute notice

Students in Haldimand-Norfolk and Brantford-Brant welcomed two snow days last week resulting from poor weather conditions. 

With ice coating the roads and blowing snow causing near-whiteout conditions on rural bus routes, the Grand Erie District School Board and the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District Board pulled the plug on in-school programming Jan. 27, including night school and after-school activities. Classes were also cancelled on Jan. 26, but that decision was made public on Sunday.

The Catholic board announced Tuesday’s closure on social media at 7:15  a.m., with the public board following suit 15 minutes later.

Parents commenting online were generally supportive of the move in the name of safety but irked at late notice, which left some scrambling to find childcare.

Some parents bemoaned the decision being made after some children had been driven to school or put on the bus, meaning parents had to venture out again to pick up their kids.

The Grand Erie board blamed the closure on “significantly reduced visibility across the region” while the Catholic board said officials “were just made aware of an unexpected inclement weather front.”

But some parents argued online the weather was already bad at 6:30 a.m. and that the board could have made an earlier decision — allowing for more time to arrange daycare or take time off work.

Both school boards apologized for the late notice.

The second straight snow day meant high school exams were bumped again, with some students now preparing to write multiple exams on Wednesday.

Parent Maria Iozzo said the roads near her Dunnville home were impassable.

“The wind picks up every other minute and blows the snow all over,” she said on Facebook.

“My son has had his exam pushed twice now, and I know it’s an inconvenience and hardship for child care for some people, but this is a good call.”

The public board cancelled its regular meeting of trustees last Monday evening due to the weather, and a “Women in Trades” workshop for Grade 7 and 8 students at Paris District High School scheduled for Wednesday evening were postponed.

In the wake of dozens of collisions on area roadways, OPP Sgt. Ed Sanchuk pleaded with residents to drive according to the road conditions and not  the posted speed limit.

“Did you really want to end up in a ditch today or be involved in a crash? I didn’t think so,” Sanchuk said in a video posted to social media.

Despite the dangerous road conditions, he continued, “we still have drivers operating like it’s warm summer day.”