Most Burnaby kids may still be off on an extended winter break thanks to Omicron, but the school district is reminding those who are back to prepare for a possible snow day.
Environment Canada has issued a winter storm warning for Metro Vancouver from Wednesday evening into Thursday, with “hazardous winter conditions expected” and up to 20 centimetres of snow.
The province has already postponed the start of school till Jan. 10 to slow the spread of the highly infectious Omicron variant of COVID-19, but local schools have remained open for some students, including students with special needs and children of essential workers.
About 420 students were back as of Wednesday, according to the district.
On Wednesday, school officials reminded them of what to do in case of a possible snow day.
“All schools will remain open unless there is heavy snowfall, damage, or other circumstances – such as a power outage – that make it impossible to open for instruction,” stated a notice on the district’s website. “The district will do its best to communicate school or district-wide closures on our website by 6:30 a.m. However, please keep in mind that there may be situations where this is not possible – again, such as a power outage.”
Parents can also check local news stations about school closures, the notice said.
If parents are unsure about a school closure, the district recommends walking kids to the school door to make sure it’s open before dropping them off.
Parents who don’t feel their children can travel safely should keep them at home and notify their school.
If the weather deteriorates during the school day and creates a concern for the safety of students returning home, schools may decide dismiss them early.
“This will be communicated to parents in the best way possible through the schools’ normal communications channels,” the district said.
As for adult education classes with Burnaby Community & Continuing Education, the district said it will post any decisions to cancel evening classes on the Burnaby CCE website by midday.
Follow Cornelia Naylor on Twitter @CorNaylor
Email cnaylor@burnabynow.com
