Every winter, Ontario is often known for extreme cold, but have you ever wondered how boards like the TDSB or Peel decide sometimes as early as 6 a.m. whether schools should remain open or be closed?
How Ontario School Boards Decide Snow Days? The decision to close schools becomes a difficult decision that Toronto District School Board administrators struggle with while most families are asleep. Team leaders analyze forecasted weather conditions and road conditions before 6 a.m. to decide how long it will take to clear roadways.
What many people don’t realize is that bus cancellations operate independently from actual school closures. Because of this, situations arise where schools remain open, but “all school buses cancelled” messages appear across the board’s website. This forces parents to make split-second judgment calls about whether holding school during a weather event justifies the risk.
The decision made by organizations like PDSB, DDSB, YRDSB, and HDSB is not only about snowfall timing or wind chill dropping below negative 35 degrees. Instead, it is a multi-layered assessment in which transportation agencies, National Weather Service data, and community tolerance for inclement weather all collide during the pre-dawn hours.
Unlike districts in Maine or Virginia, where even one inch of snow triggers very different responses, Ontario school boards must balance student safety risk with instructional hours requirements. During this process, superintendents and school staff personally drive around to test whether roads are passable, fully aware that their decision impacts 239,000 students in TDSB alone.
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How Snow Days Are Decided by Ontario School Boards
If the temperature drops to -35°C with wind, or lower, school boards cancel classes because at this temperature, skin can freeze in just 10 to 15 minutes, which makes it dangerous for children standing at bus stops. The decision for school closure in Ontario is complex. If you want to check today’s prediction, use the Snow Day Predictor Ontario tool, which analyzes real-time weather data.
Ontario GTA District School Boards: Closure Process & Timing
Before snow even begins to fall, district leaders review multiple severe weather event indicators and begin conferring with officials across neighboring districts as early as 4:30 a.m., working together on timing strategies.
The decision-making process starts a day earlier, when school district leaders, including the district’s transportation supervisor and school superintendent, begin monitoring the forecast. They often communicate with local highway departments to determine whether roads are passable and what conditions will be like on critical bus routes to and from school.
Administrators must consider different possible outcomes as they consult with weather experts from AccuWeather and Environment Canada. At the same time, they closely monitor the weather to decide whether students can travel to and from school safely, and ultimately make the call that will trigger school closures or suspend bus service across the Ontario GTA (Greater Toronto Area).
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Key Considerations for School Closures
In the winter season, school closure decisions aren’t based solely on snowfall; other factors like road conditions, temperature, transportation logistics and community safety are also very important.
When school buses face extreme cold or severe inclement weather, transportation logistics become extremely important, since in some districts approximately 93 per cent of students rely on buses to reach class. School closures rarely happen in isolation in some cases, bus cancellations affect only specific zones, while schools remain open for students who walk or arrive by other means.
However, guardians always have the authority to keep their children at home and report their absence. The decision making process becomes most intense during the early morning hours, often around 4:30 a.m. meetings, when administrators evaluate current road conditions, temperature forecasts and whether weather conditions allow school buses to operate safely.
This requires balancing instructional hours requirements against genuine safety threats. Board locations consult with transportation company partners and Durham Student Transportation Services (or equivalent providers), who ultimately determine if bus routes can function. This information is posted to the respective board’s website and social media channels around 6:15 a.m. or 6:30 a.m., depending on the jurisdiction.
This policy recognizes that cancellation decisions are not taken lightly families, staff and students need sufficient time to arrange alternative care. However, in rare circumstances, such as rapidly deteriorating weather, early dismissals may become necessary, even though such changes create stress for families.
School Closures Vs Bus Cancellations
Many parents misunderstand that when bus service is suspended, the school is automatically closed. However, that’s not the case, and this situation can cause significant stress for families when roads are clear and the weather is fine, but transportation is cancelled. The Durham District School Board (DDSB) serves as an example, where their policy states that when school buses are cancelled, schools remain open.
This means that parents have to decide whether their children can safely attend school, depending on their individual circumstances and location. This dual-track system is used by many school districts, such as TDSB, Peel District School Board, and York Region District School Board, where parents need to check both the DDSB transportation website and official communications in the morning to understand if it’s just transportation issues or if the entire school has been closed.
A spokesperson explained to CTV News that this separation exists because, while buses may struggle due to extreme cold or icy roads, school staff and educators can still reach the facilities safely. Therefore, the decision to cancel transportation versus closing all schools depends on whether the infrastructure can still function even without full student attendance. HDSB and Durham Student Transportation Services operate similarly, where if a specific bus route in one weather zone is cancelled, schools in that zone remain open, and families must decide if it is prudent to keep children at home or if alternative arrangements can be made.
