Students and parents expressed frustration earlier this week after a dump of snow made it difficult to get kids to school, but wasn't serious enough (in the eyes of the Vancouver School Board) to warrant calling a snow day. They even started a petition over it.
One of the primary complaints about the lack of snow day was the pile-up of snow and ice on sidewalks and roads surrounding certain schools in the district.
Parents took to social media to ask who's responsible for clearing snow from school sidewalks; some even took their concerns to the mayor, while others went so far as to clear it themselves.
According to the City of Vancouver, school boards are considered to be property owners and are responsible for clearing the snow and ice from sidewalks around their properties.
Both public and private schools are subject to the same regulations, the city notes in an email to V.I.A. So in theory they should be reprimanded if they fail to remove the snow but the city says, "this very rarely happens."
Residential side streets and laneways are not included in the city's winter maintenance program with the exception of priority hills and access routes to schools and hospitals so if people see a blocked roadway they should call 311.
What does the school board have to say about snow?
"The safety of staff and students is our top priority," the Vancouver School Board tells V.I.A. "The facilities team clears and salts key access points as a first priority during a heavy snowfall."
According to the school board, priority areas include (in order):
- access paths for those with mobility challenges
- primary access paths into the school
- main entrance and exterior stairs
- parking lots to allow staff to safely get into the school
- lastly, sidewalks outside the school, as required by Vancouver bylaws
Roadways in front of school entrances are not cleared by the school board because they require the City’s plowing equipment, they tell V.I.A., adding, "the reality is, we have more than 110 school sites to clear, and like many other organizations, we are understaffed."
In addition, any area that is considered unusable or unsafe by the school because of ice or snow is reportedly marked off with caution tape until the snow melts or staff are able to address the issue.
In the case of this most recent snow, the school board says facilities teams were out clearing and salting the priority areas Sunday morning into the late afternoon, and again Monday morning to ensure students and staff could access the building.
