Dear Parent/Guardian,

We want to follow-up with you on our decision to close schools on Tuesday and to thank you for your understanding of the decision. As you know, the TDSB typically only cancels school buses in inclement weather, however, on rare occasions, the weather makes it necessary to extend our actions to the closure of schools. All the weather information we had in the early hours of Tuesday morning led us to conclude that as the day progressed a combination of significant snowfall, ice pellets, freezing rain and high winds would create unsafe conditions for students and employees.

Our decision to close schools is not and was not taken lightly as we know the impact this decision has on thousands of families. We also know, based on past experience, that these decisions need to be made the morning of the weather event so that we are using the absolute latest available information. There have been cases in the past where severe weather warnings simply did not materialize or did to a much lesser degree.

Our decision on Tuesday was consistent with decisions of the Toronto Catholic District School Board, other GTA school boards and most Toronto universities and colleges.

We sincerely appreciate your understanding of our decision knowing that safety concerns for our school communities was the key consideration.

Going forward, during periods of active weather, we kindly remind you to always check the TDSB’s website, Twitter, and tune to local media outlets for the latest information on any possible cancellation or closure. We always aim to post any cancellation/closure by 6:00 a.m.

To learn more about our severe weather procedures please visit: https://www.tdsb.on.ca/About-Us/Severe-Weather/Snow-Cold-Weather

Sincerely,

John Malloy

Director of Education