Back road school bus closures leave some rural N.S. students stuck at home

On top of nine snow days this school year, Whitney Hamm says she's missed an additional 19 days of classes because her school bus couldn’t make the trip down the rural back road where she lives.

“I think that’s just terrible because I think all students deserve to go to school every day,” the Grade 11 student said.

Hamm attends Forest Heights Community School in Chester Grant, N.S., where often during or following a winter storm, the South Shore Regional Centre for Education (SSRCE) implements its “back road closure plan.” 

That’s when school buses are pulled from “gravel and other unpaved roads" because they may be "unsafe for bus travel even when main roads are clear,” according to SSRCE spokesperson Ashley Dixon. 

Under the plan, designated bus stops are sometimes moved to different locations to ensure drivers can pick up students safely. 

For Hamm, that alternative spot is about five kilometres from her usual bus stop down a long road that she describes as having a lot of sharp turns. She said it would take her about an hour to walk there.

“A couple of cars, including my family’s cars, have gone off the road due to slippery roads,” she said. “So I don’t blame them for having back road closures, but don’t the buses have studded tires?” 

Hamm said she can’t get a drive to the alternative bus stop or to the school because both of her parents work full time and are gone well before classes begin. 

She said this leaves her stuck at home, missing out on important instructional time. 

Dixon, who declined an interview request, said in an email statement that student safety is a top priority for SSRCE when making decisions about transportation, which are typically finalized by around 6 a.m.

“Our goal is to keep schools open and students learning whenever it is safe to do so, while ensuring they can travel safely to and from school,” she wrote.

She added that transportation decisions are made by consulting weather forecasts and the province’s Public Works Department. 

She said back road closure plans are developed in advance with bus drivers to ensure families have information about alternative routes and schedules.

Dixon could not estimate off-hand roughly how many students are impacted by the closures.