Hants West MLA Chuck Porter says he is pleased with recommendations of a report examining storm day policies in Nova Scotia. Better communication with parents, and contingency plans to make up for lost instructional time from snow days are among the issues brought forward in the report. School Storm Days in Nova Scotia: A Discussion Paper, released last week, makes six recommendations to keep school boards as prepared as possible for poor weather conditions.
 
They are:
-- improving communication so parents and media better understanding how storm day decisions are made
-- developing consistent language and terminology for school cancellations
-- sharing government and board resources, such as hourly weather forecasts and highway webcams
-- developing contingency plans for when a critical number of days are lost to storms, such as sending home learning packages or opening schools later in the day if weather improves
-- opening discussion with teachers to use snow days as a time to collaborate professionally for the benefit of students
-- addressing concerns of other board employee groups affected by school cancellations
 
The discussion paper, written by former school board superintendent Jim Gunn, was prompted by the higher-than-normal number of school cancellations during last year's unusually poor winter weather.Nova Scotia school boards were not alone in cancelling classes more frequently than in past winters, according to the paper.
Storms carrying a sometimes dangerous mixture of snow, ice pellets and freezing rain caused system-wide shutdowns in many parts of the Atlantic provinces.
 
"The weather in all of Atlantic Canada was abnormal," said Mr. Gunn. "Temperatures that hover around the freezing point in the first daylight hours, when a storm system is crossing Nova Scotia, make things more difficult for meterologists, student-transportation decision-makers, and those clearing the roads." System-wide storm days were above the average for six of seven boards, since boards amalgamated in 1996.They ranged from a low of three days in Tri-County Regional School Board to a high of 12 in Chignecto-Central. Elsewhere in Atlantic Canada, western P.E.I. lost 13 school days, the Burin Peninsula, N.L., lost 12, and Moncton, N.B., lost eight.
 
Porter understands decisions to close schools are never easy and must be made with the safety of students and staff in mind.  This report will provide boards with information that will be helpful when they are updating their storm policies."
 
The discussion paper can be viewed at www.ednet.ns.ca