Thursday’s cancellation of school bus services across the Sault and Algoma District due to weather conditions was certainly not the first in this current harsh winter.
In fact, it was a record-setting sixth school bus cancellation day since the winter began.
“This year has had the most school bus cancellations since the Algoma & Huron-Superior Transportation Service consortium formed in 2008,” Anthony Mannarino, AHSTS supervisor of transportation, told SooToday.
Mannarino described the winter of 2024-25 as a “very challenging year.”
Overseeing school bus service in the Sault and area is not an easy task.
The Algoma & Huron-Superior Transportation Service team coordinates school bus operations for the Sault and Algoma region’s four school boards; the Algoma District School Board (ADSB), the Huron-Superior Catholic District School Board (H-SCDSB), the Conseil scolaire de district du Grand Nord de l'Ontario and the Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario.
As a result, AHSTS covers a wide area.
“School bus cancellations can be area based or can impact the entire region," he said.
"AHSTS's region is vast, which requires our team to monitor weather and road conditions from Spanish to Hornepayne. The decision to cancel school bus transportation is made by the Supervisor of the Algoma & Huron-Superior Transportation Service in collaboration with our school bus operators from each area and forecasts from available weather-related technology.
"The safety of transporting students to and from school is paramount whenever a weather-related decision is made,” Mannarino said.
Mannarino stated that his day typically starts at 5 a.m.
Technology has made AHSTS's job a bit easier.
“When school bus cancellations occur, AHSTS utilizes a program called SchoolMessenger, which will send out phone calls and/or emails to the families affected. SchoolMessenger has been a very helpful tool for AHSTS,” Mannarino said.
Families can reference any school bus cancellations on the Algoma & Huron-Superior Transportation Services website.
Meanwhile, how does absence from the classroom due to the cancellation of school bus services affect students academically?
“Teachers monitor continuously where students are with respect to their learning, so following any missed time, they will evaluate what needs to be recapped, perhaps retaught and what might require less focus if students have grasped certain concepts well,” said Lucia Reece, Algoma District School Board director of education.
Because every school day is important, educators make the best adjustments possible when bad weather affects school bus services.
Learning online on school bus cancellation days, Reece said, “is not an equitable option.”
“Students are not required to be online when transportation is cancelled, given the low or poor internet connectivity in areas across our district.”
Students are encouraged to make the best use of their time by hitting the books at home on school bus cancellation days.
“Reviewing work they have with them and of course reading or doing some problem-solving activities are always great ways for students to use their time away from the classroom,” Reece said.