You may feel there are too many "snow days" and bus cancellations in this area, but an education expert says it is "bizarre" how often Nova Scotia schools are closed because of weather — and the number of days lost this year amounts to a crisis.
Nipissing-Parry Sound Student Transportation Services Operations Manager, Dan Johnston, told BayToday that there have been nine cancellations this winter, and that's the same number as last year.
However, all schools remain open for students who can get there safely despite bus cancellations.
Paul Bennett, director of Schoolhouse Consulting in Halifax, said there has been an average of 12 lost days this school year in the province due to inclement weather.
Bennett compared that figure to places like Winnipeg, which in some years has not had a single snow day.
Many schools across Nova Scotia were closed today, raising eyebrows from some parents who felt the weather was not severe enough to cancel class.
The Halifax Regional School Board, which has closed its schools 9.5 days this year, says the decision to cancel classes is never made lightly and is done in consultation with many, including a meteorologist and a bus company.
Bennett says Nova Scotia should follow the lead of some school boards in snowy U.S. states, where lost days are turned into e-learning days, with students attending class online.
