The era of getting the day off of school after a snowstorm appears to be over, with the London-area public school board providing access to online-learning in the event of a school closure.
Over the last year and a half, schools across the province made the switch over to virtual learning methods as a way to continue classes safely from home in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. As a result of schools adopting online learning technology, the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) has announced that classes should be able to go on regardless of inclement weather, power outages or watermain breaks at school buildings.
"In the event of a school closure, access to learning will be available to students if they have access to their Google Classroom or Brightspace platform," read a statement to families from the school board. "Your child's teacher will communicate how students can access this information."
While snowy weather does not always close a school down, school bus cancellations often times result in kids staying home for the day if alternative transportation cannot be arranged, or if families opt to keep their children at home.
The board is assuring families that it is not an expectation for parents to transport their children to school on such days and it will not negatively affect students' attendance if they do not come to school on days where weather conditions make travelling dangerous.
With that in mind, the materials provided on such days do not fall under the synchronous learning models required to be fulfilled by students whose families chose to continue online learning this fall or whose schools were temporarily closed due to a COVID-19 outbreak.
The TVDSB appears to be the only school board in the southwest region offering a virtual learning model on snow days for now. The school board is the largest in southwestern Ontario with 160 schools in London-Middlesex, Elgin, and Oxford counties.
