Niagara Catholic District School Board
EMPLOYEE ATTENDANCE DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER AND WORKPLACE CLOSURE
ADMINISTRATIVE OPERATIONAL PROCEDURES
No 201.9
Adopted Date: March 26, 2002
Latest Reviewed/Revised Date: February 10, 2026
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| 200 – Human Resources | No 201.9
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Adopted Date: March 26, 2002 | Latest Reviewed/Revised Date: February 10, 2026
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In keeping with the Mission, Vision, and Values of the Niagara Catholic District School Board, the following are the Administrative Operational Procedures for Employee Attendance during Inclement Weather and Workplace Closure.
PREAMBLE
All employees of the Niagara Catholic District School Board are expected to be at their place of employment during the required working hours as defined by the Education Statutes and Regulations of Ontario, respective Collective Agreements, or Terms of Employment.
During periods of inclement weather or authorized school, workplace or a system closure, employees will comply with the expectations provided within the accompanying operational procedures.
During inclement weather or any other conditions which could affect the health and safety of students and staff, the Director of Education is authorized to change the working location of employees, change or alter the normal hours of operation of a school, group of schools or the system or close all or part of the Niagara Catholic District School Board.
For the health and safety of students and staff, bus drivers and building occupants and the effective delivery of programs, supports and services, the Director of Education is authorized to close a school, a group of schools, board facilities or all schools and board facilities due to inclement weather or when the normal operations of a board facility are affected.
The Director of Education will inform the Chair of the Board and all Trustees of any closures, change or alteration to the normal hours of operation of a school, group of schools or the system.
INCLEMENT WEATHER
Inclement weather is defined as severe, harsh or stormy weather conditions which will vary throughout the Region of Niagara and could delay travel to schools as well as effect the normal operations of schools, worksites or the system which includes, but not limited to, the delay or cancellation of bus transportation by bus companies; travel advisories or road closures by the Niagara Regional Police and/or Ontario Provincial Police; or extreme weather warnings issued by Environment Canada to local municipalities in the Region of Niagara.In consultation with members of Senior Administrative Council and as required, but not limited to, Niagara Student Transportation Services, Niagara Regional Police, Ontario Provincial Police and coterminous school boards, the Director of Education will determine any alterations and/or closures to the normal operations of the Niagara Catholic District School Board due to inclement weather or any other conditions which would affect the normal operations of a school, group of schools or the system.
REGULAR WORK LOCATION/ALTERNATE WORK LOCATION
2. If travel to work is impeded due to inclement weather conditions, the employee will notify their Principal or immediate Supervisor by phone to discuss a delay in arrival and/or the possibility of reporting to an alternate work location. Inclement weather refers to conditions that significantly impact safe travel, as recognized by public advisories or observable hazardous conditions.
3. When an employee reports to an alternative work location, they are under the authority of the Principal and/or Supervisor of that school or facility.
4. Principals/Supervisors will report all employees who have attended an alternate work location to Human Resources Services, directed to the designated HR Specialist responsible for the respective client group.
5. When the school buses are cancelled due to inclement weather, all daily occasional and/or casual replacements are to report to their assignment and will be paid as per their scheduled assignment. (Unless otherwise notified, on days when bus transportation is cancelled, all professional development in-services will be cancelled.)
ABSENCE FROM REGULAR WORK LOCATION AND/OR ALTERNATE WORK LOCATION
2. Employees who are unable to report to any school or alternate work location within the Niagara Catholic District School Board are required to record their absence in Easy Connect using the inclement weather code.
3. Principals/Supervisors will report all employees who have contacted them indicating that they deemed it impossible to report to any school or alternate work location within the Niagara Catholic District School Board to the Executive Officer of Human Resources Services by the end of the school day.
4. Employees unable to report to a school or alternate work location, must provide the Executive Officer of Human Resources Services with a signed and dated written explanation of the reason for the absence. The decision of remuneration shall be determined by the Executive Officer of Human Resources Services in consultation with the appropriate principal/supervisor.
SCHOOL CLOSURE
2. Where a school, a group of schools, or a workplace site is closed by the Director of Education, employees are required to attend an alternate location determined by the Director of Education in consultation with members of the Senior Administrative Council, the Principal and/or Principals(s) affected by a school closure.
5. Where the school or workplace is declared closed, prior to the arrival of staff and prior to the commencement of a scheduled workday, all occasional and/or casual replacements assigned to the that specific day shall not be compensated for the day of the closure. Exceptions to this include:
· Long-term occasional teachers, who will be paid for the day of closure.· Casual staff assigned to long-term placements of eleven (11) or more consecutive days, regardless of whether they are replacing a specific employee or providing additional support, will be compensated for the closure day.
· Casual custodial staff scheduled to begin work prior to the announcement of the closure (e.g. 6:00 a.m.) will be compensated for three (3) hour call-in and may be released from duty following the closure notification.
6. In the event of an inclement weather closure, any employee leave that was entered in Easy Connect, or approved prior to the closure announcement shall remain in effect as scheduled. This includes, but is not limited to, vacation, personal, or sick leave.7. Employees may not cancel pre-approved leave in order to substitute it with inclement weather leave, unless they provide verifiable documentation confirming that the original reason for the leave-such as a medical or family-related appointment, has been cancelled due to the inclement weather. Acceptable documentation includes official cancellation notices from medical providers, service agencies, or other relevant sources.
SYSTEM CLOSURE
1. When the Director of Education closes the entire system, employees are not required to report to any work location.
For system closures employees are:
· not required to record their absences in Easy Connect· to remain in contact with their school Principal, Supervisor and refer to the Board website for current information on the status of the system closure and the return to normal operations of the system.
References
· Education Statutes and Regulations of Ontario
· Niagara Catholic District School Board Policies/Procedures/Documents
o School Operations for Inclement Weather and Workplace Closure Policy (500.1)
Adopted Date: Revision History: | March 26, 2002
March 27, 2012
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