After living for the past 40 years in the mid-Columbia Gorge and serving on multiple non-profit boards, Marc Harvey is joining the Lyle School District Board of Directors.

The board selected Mr. Harvey from a field of three applicants to fill the open Position 4 school board seat on September 22. Applicants Brad Blazer - the father of a Lyle School District student - and community member Becki Vital also interviewed with the board at the evening business meeting. Current board members were hard-pressed to decide between the three candidates, extending their executive session to further discuss the candidates’ merits and select the appointee.

Ultimately, Mr. Harvey, who has served on several major Lyle area boards, got the nod: He was a founding board member of the Lyle Community Council in 2018 and also served on the Old Lyle Elementary School Supporters (OLESS) board, which manages the Lyle Activity Center. He also served six years as a port commissioner for the Port of Klickitat.

Mr. Harvey currently serves on the Mid-Columbia Fisheries Enhancement Group, a volunteer group focused on supporting salmon habitat restoration with oversight from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. He also is an appointee to the Klickitat County Citizen Review Committee, which reviews county grant applications for salmon restoration.

Mr. Harvey moved to the mid-Columbia Gorge from his native Alabama in 1981 and recently retired from his job with Full Sail Brewing Company. He notes that he had read about the opening in the newspaper, and felt he had the time and energy to devote to the work. “Education is critical to our community and nation,” Harvey added.

Appleton resident Lisa Bren had been appointed to position 4 in October, 2020, and filed for election to the seat in June. However, Ms. Bren later resigned after a member of her immediate family accepted a job opportunity outside of the Lyle area. Her resignation came at the end of July, after the county’s filing period had already passed. Bren was the only candidate to file for the seat.

In these circumstances, the board appoints someone to fill the position, who will serve for the first two years of the upcoming four-year term. The November 2023 election will then determine who serves for the remaining two years of the term.

“We’re fortunate to find an individual with the experience Mr. Harvey brings to this position,” Board President Traci Waddington commented. “The learning curve for public school leadership is a steep one, but we are confident Mr. Harvey will pick it up quickly.”

Parents, we are currently experiencing a higher level of COVID activity in the community than last year.  Testing is an important part of our strategy for keeping school open during this time. 

We all know how challenging life has been during the pandemic and the stress it has caused on families -- especially when it comes to having to quarantine for symptoms or a close contact situation. Long quarantines are not ideal for learning and social development. The CDC and the state recently changed the requirements for the length of quarantine for someone who has come into close contact with a person diagnosed with COVID.  You can read our letter here. Testing plays an important role in shorter quarantine times.

In an effort to reduce the amount of time our families have to wait for COVID test results, we can now provide testing for staff and students who have been identified as a close contact to someone with COVID, or who have symptoms, here at the school. This will also help reduce the strain on local medical offices and the hassle of getting your kids to a testing location. 

There are a few things we would like you to know:

We will never test a student without a signed permission slip and the parent present. The parent or student is usually the one to administer the shallow nasal swab. This swab only needs to be inserted ¼ to ½ inch into the nose.

We currently offer two different tests to our students and staff.

• Rapid antigen tests. We currently offer this test to quickly screen for a positive. If a rapid test comes back negative, it is followed with a PCR test to confirm the results.  
• PCR tests. This test will be given with parental consent after a student has experienced COVID-19 symptoms and the rapid test showed negative. Parents will not be charged for this test, but if you have insurance, your insurance will be billed. You will be sent a link after giving consent for the test, and you will enter your insurance information there. Your student’s results will also be available to you within the next 48-72 hours.

We are not a public testing site. We cannot offer testing for anyone other than our students and staff as it is needed. (Again, please be assured that we will not test anyone without explicit consent and a signed permission form)

If members of your family who are not students in Lyle School develop symptoms, it’s still important to get tested.  

Where can you get tested?  The first step is to call your medical provider or the Klickitat County Public Health Department at 509-773-4565. The health department's hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The following medical clinics all offer PCR testing for non-patients by appointment:

• North Shore Medical Group in Bingen
• MCMC in The Dalles
• Klickitat Valley Health in Goldendale

For contact information and more testing site options, go to  https://www.gorgeimpact.com/testing

We are so disappointed to have to make this announcement, but -- after lengthy discussions among the administrators of the three districts that participate in our sports co-op, as well as our competitors -- we have decided that we will have to cancel tomorrow night's football game against Dufur (9.10.21).  

Our co-op and Dufur both have student athletes and/or adults in quarantine due to potential exposure to an individual or individuals who have tested positive for COVID. Until we know they are all healthy, we feel the right thing to do is to prevent additional people from being exposed.

In addition, volleyball games through September 16 are cancelled, again due to student athletes in quarantine.  

And lastly, all practices, including JH Volleyball, JH Football, HS Volleyball and HS Football are canceled until next Monday, September 13. We are very sorry for the inconvenience but please remember our top priority is the safety of our students, staff and families.   

To get the latest schedules, you can always go to our website and click on the calendar in the main navigation menu, or "Athletics" in the drop-down menu under "Lyle Secondary School" -- https://www.lyleschools.org/District/1425-Untitled.html.

The Lyle School District Board of Directors is seeking a district resident to fill an at-large position on the board, which was vacated by Lisa Bren on July 28.  The appointee will serve through the next general election in 2023, and may file for election to the position.

Per board policy and procedure 1114, all citizens are invited to nominate candidates for the position. Nominees must be registered voters who reside within the Lyle School District boundaries. When a nomination is received, the district will reach out and invite the nominee to apply.

Candidates are welcome and encouraged to self-nominate by submitting the form below. 

Nomination Form

Please submit your application by September 17, 2021

The board will interview the first round of applicants/nominees at the next regularly scheduled board meeting, Wednesday, September 22, 2021. Applicants will be contacted with their interview time.

Please go to the school district website, www.lyleschools.org, for more information and a nomination/application form.

Letter from Principal Lori Smith regarding COVID-19 Case at School:

English                                   Spanish

(DOWNLOADABLE PDFs)

The staff at Lyle School welcomes students back again full-time for the 2021-2022 school year beginning Wednesday, August 25.  Wednesdays are still one-hour late start days to allow staff professional development time. 

On Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, classes start at 8 a.m.  On Wednesday, classes begin at 9 a.m.

Wondering what childhood immunizations your child needs to have to start school?  You can find a list on the Health page.  Go to the main district webpage, www.lyleschools.org, and click on the Apple "Health Information" icon under the main sliding photo banner on the page.

Here's where to find other important information:

Bus schedules - On the main web page, look for the bus icon immediately under the sliding photo banner.  These schedules are updated frequently, especially at the beginning of the school year as we fine-tune the routes.

Breakfast and lunch menus will be posted on the webpage monthly.  On the main web page, look for the paper bag "school meals" icon.  

If your child attended Lyle School last year, remotely or in person, he or she is already registered for the coming school year.   If there are any changes to your address, phone number or email address, please be sure to give us a heads up.  To support your child’s success in school and in emergency situations, it’s vitally important that we are able to contact you quickly.

What about School Supplies? Lyle School District provides the supplies necessary for basic education. If you are able to shop for your child or you're a community member who would like to donate a few things for our students, our administrative team put together a list of a few suggested items that can be helpful for students, And, if you're a parent who needs help buying any of these optional items, please call the office at 509-365-2211, ext. 120.

Grades K-5

• Backpack
• Closed toe shoes (for daily wear, not to leave at school)
• Coat/Jacket/Gloves/hat (seasonally appropriate)
• Lunch Box if your child chooses to bring lunch

**Please put your child’s name on everything.

Grades 6-12

• Backpack
• Binder/Notebook
• 1-2 permanent markers (Sharpie Style)
• Pens
• Highlighters
• 3-5 Spiral notebooks per Trimester
• Wireless Mouse
• Coat/Jacket/Gloves/hat (seasonally appropriate)

**Please make sure that student’s name is on everything

Hello everyone! The 2021-2022 school year starts August 25. Please see the letters below from Principal Lori Smith and Superintendent Ann Varkados for important start-of-school year information!  The letters are also available as downloadable PDFs. 

Principal Smith's Letter

Superintendent Varkados' Letter

We want to be sure you have information on how to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment, should you choose to get vaccinated, or if you choose to have your child vaccinated. Adults and children 5 and older are now eligible for a free COVID-19 vaccination. A parent or legal guardian must accompany the minor.

As a reminder, COVID-19 vaccination is not currently mandatory for students.  Boosters are approved for everyone 18 and up and for those who've had the Pfizer vaccine, a booster is approved and encouraged for those 16 and up . For more information about COVID vaccinations visit www.cdc.gov.

Looking for COVID testing resources? Go here.

Current Vaccination Opportunities:

Ongoing Vaccination Clinics

As part of the Federally-funded “Vaccines for Children” (VFC) program, Skyline Hospital offers childhood immunizations at no cost. The Moderna COVID vaccine is available through the clinic for those 18 years old and older.

Schedule an appointment by calling 509-637-2810.

Other Local Vaccine Appointment Options Include:

• Your healthcare provider. If your regular health care provider has a waiting list or provided instructions for scheduling an appointment, follows those instructions.
• Klickitat County Health Department. Go to their website to sign up for your vaccination.
• Local pharmacies. Visit www.VaccineFinder.org to find pharmacies near you with vaccine.
• Visit Klickitat Valley Health’s Website. www.kvhealth.net
• Or call Klickitat Valley Health: 509.773.4029
• Check with North Shore Medical: 509-493-2133
• Washington Department of Health’s Vaccine Locator. Visit www.VaccineLocator.doh.wa.gov to find facilities near you with vaccine.

COVID-19 vaccines are free. If you have health insurance, you may be asked to provide that information. But if you do not have insurance, you will not be charged.

Starting the 2021-2022 School Year 100% In-Person, Safely

The State Department of Health, Governor Jay Inslee and OSPI have recently come out with revised mandatory guidelines for schools for the 2021-2022 school year. While we are still reviewing and working with the local health department to better understand what’s required, several points are very clear. 

Schools are required to reopen for the 2021-2022 school year with all students in the classroom for face-to-face learning. At this time, the state has indicated that remote learning is not an acceptable substitute for in-person learning. 

We Will be Wearing Masks

However, the new Delta variant is surging and easily transmissible, especially for people who are not vaccinated. So, given that most students are still too young to be immunized, the state has also mandated that everyone who enters a school building -- vaccinated or not -- must mask up with a properly fitting mask. 

We want to emphasize that this is a safety requirement mandated by the state Department of Health, OSPI and the governor: Masking in schools is NOT a local decision. It is out of our hands.   

Students will not be required to wear masks outside of the school at recess or while eating. However, distancing requirements will be in place throughout the school day. In general, three feet is the required distance, with some variations, like when kids are unmasked at lunch. 

What Other Measures Will the School Be Taking?

Lyle School will continue to follow safety protocols, including sanitizing surfaces nightly or when a child or adult has gone home sick; ensuring hand washing and sanitizing; and monitoring for signs of illness.

At this time, we are not required to do the more intensive screening at the start of the school day, but staff will greet students arriving for the day and provide hand sanitizer for their use. They will also be visually scanning kids for signs of illness like runny noses, a cough, flushed faces and so on.

We ask parents, as always, if your child shows any signs of being sick, keep them home. Otherwise, there's a really good chance you'll get a call to come get them right away.  

We Can Do This (Again)!

Lyle School opened in September last year, well ahead of the vast majority of school districts in the Columbia Gorge and across the State of Washington. We operated safely throughout the school year, with no outbreaks, thanks to the cooperation and support of our parents and community.  

With all of us working together, we can do the same again this year.

Lyle School Board Director Lisa Bren announced her resignation, effectively immediately, at the July 28 regular school board meeting. The board announced its intention to seek a replacement immediately.

Ms. Bren had filed to run for the seat, to which she was appointed last October.  However, due to a subsequent change of employment in her family, she is now moving from the area. State law calls for the board to appoint a replacement to serve for the remainder of this term, which runs through December of 2021. They will then again appoint an applicant to fill the first two years of the next regular four-year term.  The seat will again be open for election at the time of the next general election in 2023; the winner of that election will fill the remainder of the four-year term.

Per board policy and procedure 1114, all citizens are invited to apply or nominate candidates for the position. Applicants must be registered voters who reside anywhere within the Lyle School District limits; this is one of two at-large positions on the board.  When a nomination is received, the district will reach out and invite the nominee to apply.

The application form is available here.

Please submit your application by August 18, 2021. You can return via email to deb.stenberg@lyleschools.org or mail it to Lyle School Board of Directors, PO Box 368, Lyle WA  98635.

The board will interview the first round of applicants/nominees at the next regularly scheduled board meeting, Wednesday, August 25, 2019, at 5:30 p.m. in the school’s library at 625 Keasey Avenue, Lyle. The school board is currently meeting in person, with a Zoom component for those who aren't able to personally attend.

Please go to the school district website, www.lyleschools.org, for more information and a nomination/application form.