Good Afternoon! This may come as a surprise to some of you, but it has been SNOWING and icing all last night and today. We are going to do away with the suspense and go ahead let you all know that we will close out the week with a perfect record and close school on Friday, January 19th. We look forward to seeing everyone on Monday. Please be safe as you dig out from snow-ma-geddon 2024 and have a good weekend.

Good Evening Everyone,

We have all been watching the weather unfold and anxiously awaiting the status for school tomorrow.  Well without further ado, the status for school tomorrow will be......

Closed

The conditions forecasted do not lead us to believe that opening tomorrow can be done safely.

Please take care and have a good evening and snow day tomorrow. 

UPDATE 7:10 PM - Due to deteriorating weather conditions and forecasted snow and ice, school will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, 1/17/2024. Have a great snow day and stay safe!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, 1/17/2024, we will be adding another hour to our 1 hour Wednesday late start for a total of 2 hours late start. School will start at 10:30. All buses will be on AM/PM snow routes. Please stay tuned to local news and social media for weather updates, and should anything change, we will let you know as soon as possible.

Good afternoon,

Mother Nature isn't messing around with the extreme cold that has hit the gorge.  Out of an abundance of caution, we are going to begin tomorrow with a 2 hour late start. The Elephant and Giraffe buses will be on snow routes. The forecast is calling for another storm but the timing of that storm is uncertain at this time.  Please be prepared for a possible early dismissal as well as the potential to completely cancel school. At anytime you do not feel safe sending your child to school, we will excuse those absences. Just call the office or send a note.  We also understand that extreme conditions like this can create additional challenges for families.  If you are struggling and need help, please feel free to reach out as there may be resources to help. Stay tuned to social media, local tv and radio stations for updates to the school day. 

Families, Friends, and Fellow Gorge Dwellers!

As most of us are well aware of, the gorge weather is doing it’s thing and completely not cooperating with forecasters. With the unpredictability regarding the weather and the forecast for tomorrow and into next week being as clear as mud, we want to make you aware of some potential scenarios regarding the opening status of school.

1. Snow Routes - Buses often have stops that are not plowed or maintained for inclement weather. If this is the case with the stop your child uses, you will have an alternative pick up/drop off spot that is safe. Most of the time, snow routes are for our upper elevation stops such as High Prairie and Appleton all though there are a couple of Lion bus stops that have snow route stops as well.

2. Two-hour delay - The 2-hour Delay gives extra time for the roads to thaw, snow plows to get to the roads, and for transportation and administration to determine if the conditions are safe to come to school in.

3. Early Release - In the very rare instance that conditions are fine in the morning, but deteriorate so much that we do not feel that waiting until the end of the day would allow students to get home safely, we will close school early. This would only be considered in the most extreme situations and would not be an option if we called a 2-hour delay in the morning. We understand the imposition that this would cause and the decision to close early would be a last resort.

4. School Closure - If conditions are not going to improve or are unsafe for driving during the day, we will close school. We plan for 2 snow days per year and additional days usually need to be made up after the end of the school year. If school is closed, all extracurricular activities are cancelled as well.

Please remember that our ultimate goal during inclement weather is to ensure students and staff can get to school safely, be at school safely, and get home from school safely.

We hope this information helps you prepare for the possibilities for the unpredictable gorge weather.

Today, January 11th, all buses will be on snow routes for the morning and afternoon runs.

Good morning! Today, Wednesday, 1/10/2024, we will be adding another hour to our 1 hour Wednesday late start for a total of 2 hours late start. All buses will be on snow routes. Please stay tuned to local news and social media for weather updates, and should anything change, we will let you know as soon as possible.

Mr. Monahan and our elementary students put on an awesome winter concert!

You can watch the concert via our YouTube Channel; https://youtu.be/FlDdmLvfcI4?si=a79pR9WdRNpTCJHD

Enjoy!

UPDATE 7:11 AM -  School is closed today,  Friday, December 1. Stay safe,  Cougar families!

Today,  Friday,  December 1, school will be on a two- hour delay. Buses will run on AM/PM snow routes. A Grab and Go “Breakfast after the Bell” will be provided for those that need to grab one.

November 30, 2023

Families,

Winter and inclement weather is rapidly approaching. Lyle School District considers the safety of our students and staff as our NUMBER 1 priority. Please read through the information below to make sure that you are up to date on the process and what you can expect when we need to delay or cancel due to unsafe conditions.

We have several ways that we communicate with families. The most important thing you can do to stay informed is make sure we have a current email and phone number for you. If you need to update it, call the school office at 509-365-2211 or email support@lyleschools.org. If you have never received a call from our auto-caller, please contact the office as soon as possible so we can make sure you are receiving calls, emails and text messages.

Here’s more info on our decision process and communications:

Weather-Related School Closures

When the weather outside is frightful...  deciding whether to close school is not an easy task.

Snow may accumulate in one area and not in other areas. Lyle School District administration puts a great deal of effort and thought into determining whether to keep schools open, start late, or close schools due to inclement weather conditions.

Although a lot of factors come into play, our number one consideration is student safety.

We know, for example, that road conditions on High Prairie or Appleton can be much different than in the rest of the district. Parents always have the final say regarding whether it’s safe to send their children to school during inclement weather. All weather-related absences will be excused with notification to the school.

No News is Good News!

If you do not receive a call or email, and nothing has been announced on the local news, this means school is running on a regular schedule.

If we do make changes to our regular schedule, here are a few messages you may see, and what to expect:

School Closure - If school is closed, all out-of-district transportation, meetings, field trips, after-school activities, and athletics games/practices will be canceled for the day unless otherwise announced. All evening meetings/functions scheduled to take place in district facilities will also be canceled. 

Two-Hour Delay - If there is a two-hour delayed start PreK-12 students that need breakfast can get a “grab and go”  Breakfast after the Bell and lunches will be served at the normal time. If weather conditions worsen after we have called a two-hour delay, school may be cancelled for the day.

Snow Routes - There are times when we will announce that buses are on snow routes.  In these circumstances, buses will meet parents and students at a more accessible location.  You can find snow routes here.

Early Release - In extreme conditions, students may be released early. Because we know parents/guardians may not able to return home from work to meet their children, our district will only dismiss students early from school in extreme situations. We also will take several measures to ensure our younger students aren’t left without supervision, including keeping them here at school until the parent can pick them up. Parents should have a back-up plan in case this kind of situation arises. 

Here are all the ways we share information about school delays or closures due to weather or other disaster situations, including earthquakes.

• Phone Alert - Parents will receive an automated phone call/text message to their designated primary phone number in the event of school closure, delay, or early dismissal. Calls are initiated before 6 a.m. when possible.
• Email - All parents/guardians with an email in Skyward will receive an email and/or a text message from the district via School Messenger, our email notification system. 
• Facebook - Inclement weather notifications will be posted on the Lyle Schools Facebook page, @lyleschools.
• The district website, www.lyleschools.org, will also have a notice on the district website homepage.
• Media - Radio stations such as KACI - 103.9 FM/1300 AM, KMSW 92.7 FM and KIHR 98.3 FM/1340 AM and Portland television stations KATU - 2, KGW - 8, KOIN - 6 and KPTV - 12 will announce schedule changes by district name after 6 a.m. Schools will be operating on normal schedules if no announcement is made.
• Washington state schools and municipalities use a service called www.flashalert.net to report the school's status to news media and emergency providers, and parents can check school schedule status on this page as well. Look for Lyle School District under "View Local News" > Portland/Vancouver/Salem > Columbia Gorge Schools.

Have questions or concerns? Email us at support@lyleschools.org

Dr. Ann Varkados

Superintendent