Monday is indeed a snow day in Chilliwack, at least for students.
The Chilliwack School District made an announcement on Sunday evening that all schools will be closed for students on Monday morning due to weather. However, all school district staff are expected to report to work.
The notice adds that "daycares, NLC Partners, and Community School Programming may or may not be open. Please contact those service providers for up to date information."
The UFV campus was open Monday, although officials were asking students to check the university's website before heading out. The campus shuttle is operating on its normal exam period schedule.
Chilliwack received the brunt of a winter storm over the weekend, and the forecast calls for 10 cm more overnight, coupled with freezing weather than could make the roads dangerous in the morning.
The City of Chilliwack released a statement on Sunday evening as well, noting they will be out overnight continuing to clear roads.
The decision to close schools was based on students' abilities to traverse sidewalks and streets that haven't been cleared properly. A note from Superintendent Evelyn Novak that was sent to staff also noted that the schools facilities would not be ready in time for students.
"The amount of snow that has been accumulating and that has been forecasted to accumulate will not allow our staff the time to ensure our schools are safely accessible for students. In particular, the sidewalks in some areas of Chilliwack are impassable for our students who walk to school and would require students to walk on roads to get to school making it unsafe, and will become even more so over the evening and tomorrow morning given the anticipated snowfall," the note said.
She added that the maintenance crew had been "working tirelessly" through the weekend. Chilliwack School District has 28 school locations.