Francois Legault had wanted schools to reopen on Jan. 17, but Mother Nature had other plans. A large snowfall system blanketed the Montreal region and down in to the Townships. The Eastern Townships School Board closed its schools and centres that day even though the Val-des-Cerfs School System did not.
Last Thursday was a warm day and the sun was stronger. A large amount of snowmelt occurred. Then new snow started to fall overnight and for a second time, the Eastern Townships School Board closed while the Val-des-Cerfs System stayed open.
One reason for the discrepancy is that the territory of the Eastern Townships School Board is much vaster than that of the Val-des-Cerfs System. Weather can vary greatly over the large territory and decisions have to be made based on what is best for the majority of the schools.
Most of the snow had stopped by Friday morning but the amount that came down overnight was significant and the roads were slick. During the day the winds picked up and blew snow around causing visibility issues for driving. It is hard to know what is best to do, but erring on the side of caution is usually the best road to take.
Considering the growing number of COVID cases affecting students and staff in various schools, it is probably also a good thing that a three day weekend happened. It could allow for the recovery of mild cases. Numbers are dropping in the region slowly but the end of the outbreak is not here yet.
