The Class of 2022 Commencement Ceremony!

During a special board meeting on May 31, 2022, the Lyle School District Board of Education approved Lyle School District working with White Salmon Valley and Klickitat School districts in developing a transportation co-op. 

Staff pay, benefits and other specifics pertaining to transportation employees will be bargained with the Public School Employees local. Our bus drivers have done a valiant job of covering multiple routes this past year. With the input of our drivers and their union representation, we expect the co-op to ultimately provide more stable work conditions, benefiting our drivers as well as students, instructional staff and families.

The approved co-op agreement provides for the operational, managerial and organizational functions of the three districts' transportation functions. This includes route scheduling, reporting mileage to the state, providing an official dispatch center and other non-driving activities.  The maintenance and repair of district buses has been handled by the White Salmon Valley School District bus garage since 2018 and will continue under this agreement. 

There are multiple reasons for pursuing the co-op arrangement.

• Reflecting the hiring issues widespread across the country, Lyle School District has had difficulties keeping enough drivers on staff to cover all four routes and transportation for multiple extracurricular activities. Students, particularly those riding the "Panda" route to and from Dallesport/Murdock have been delayed throughout the school year. Parents' schedules and plans have been disrupted, too. Although the district has recruited heavily, it has picked up only two additional drivers during the school year, one of whom is not fully licensed yet. The district lost several drivers in the same time frame.
• Training, testing and licensing a new bus driver is a complicated process. It typically takes two to three months if the prospective driver has no previous commercial driving experience.  Lyle School District sends new potential drivers to Vancouver for training and testing. The co-op, using White Salmon’s current process, will conduct training and testing on site and will be able to complete the process more quickly. 
• Lyle School District has not had a transportation manager since last fall. The position has changed radically in the past few years, due in part to the nature of new buses.  Like cars, they now require high-tech diagnostics, maintenance and repair equipment, which requires special training.  Where the district's transportation manager once performed mechanical work on the district's buses, it's now almost incredibly difficult to find someone with those skills willing to work part-time. To find such a person who could perform the other parts of the job – the paperwork, state reporting, routing and so on -- is even harder. The co-op will provide all of these functions.
• Transportation funding from the state has long been inadequate for small, rural districts. However a co-op receives far more stable and predictable funding due to state rules. As before, levy funding received from our property owners will be used to fill in where state funding to the district is inadequate.
• But ultimately, this decision is about our students and their education. Neither our staff, administration nor board want to put students and families through another year in similar circumstances. Students need to be in school on time to learn with their peers. Families need to depend on buses being on time and running regularly. 

Watch for more news about our new co-op throughout the summer.

The Lyle High School Class of 2022 returns to a more traditional graduation ceremony this year when its members walk across the stage in the Lyle School gymnasium to accept their diplomas. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m., June 4, 2022. Extended family members and friends are welcome and encouraged to attend but, if they prefer, can instead opt to view a remote feed of the ceremony.

With the easing of pandemic regulations, graduating seniors were given the choice of the more traditional ceremony or the outdoor ceremony on the football field, which was provided for the past two years’ graduating classes.

The members of the Lyle High School Class of 2022 are Arturo Gutierrez, Alana Hail, Hannah Hunsaker, Haylee Hunsaker, Wyatt Jones, Sophie Kilian, Angelina Quintero, Aaron Smith, Dakota Stubbs, Myeengan Syrette, Carly Tetro, and Cody Zaugg.

Honors and scholarships will be announced during the graduation ceremony.

Parents and teachers will be meeting in person or by Zoom for conferences on Wednesday, April 27, and Thursday, April 28.  Conferences will take place from noon to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and from noon - 7 p.m. on Thursday.

Students will be released at noon  on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, April 29.  

Parents, if you haven't scheduled your conference yet, email your child's teacher or advisor, or support@lyleschools.org.

Dear Families and Community,

On April 13, our school district learned that the COVID-19 vaccine will not be a required vaccine for Washington State public school students this fall. Immunization requirements for students in the 2022-2023 school year will remain the same as past school years.

The Decision-Making Process

The Washington State Board of Health, which determines immunization requirements for students in K–12 public schools, organized a Technical Advisory Group to consider the issue. The group was made up of doctors, public health officials, school partners, and other community members. In late February, the group concluded their work and recommended to the State Board of Health that the vaccine not be required. In today’s State Board of Health meeting, the group’s recommendation was reviewed and the board agreed with the recommendation. 

At this time, there are no changes to the governor proclamation requiring school employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19. 

We will continue to share information about state and local pandemic requirements. We appreciate your partnership and support of our public schools.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ann Varkados

If you are planning on enrolling your child in Lyle Schools for the first time in the 2022-2023 school year, we encourage you to do so now before the fall rush.

All grade levels are welcome to register now through June 10. Come to the school office on the upper level of Lyle School, 625 Keasey Avenue, Lyle, between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday – Friday.  

This is a great time to complete the enrollment process, for several reasons: 

• If you get it done now, you won’t have to stand in line with the crowd this this fall.
• If your child needs any immunizations, you’ll have plenty of time to get them done before school starts.
• You’ll give us time to order and receive school records, so we place your secondary student in the right level of classes.
• You’ll also help us have an accurate count of students by grade level for the coming year. By registering now, you can give us time to pre-plan what our classroom space will look like and hire any staff needed to serve our students.

If you miss registration at this time, it will open again August 15.  Questions? Call 509-365-2211, ext. 120, or email support@lyleschools.org.

Dear Parents and Guardians,

You’ve probably heard that the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has released new guidance for schools, child care, and other youth activities.

The big news is that wearing a mask indoors is no longer required– but there are other changes in what schools must do. This guidance reflects the state’s continued COVID-19 recovery efforts and a new phase of the pandemic.

Read our letter for a summary of some of the major changes, and a list of what's not changing. 

It will take some time for our school district to review the new guidelines in detail and make adjustments to all of our practices.

We ask for your patience and promise to share information with you as quickly as possible.

On February 28, Governor Jay Inslee moved up the date that the statewide indoor mask requirement would end to 11:59 p.m., Friday, March 11. This includes K–12 schools and buses, since the federal government lifted the requirement that masks be worn on public transportation.  

This means that, beginning Monday, March 14, masks will be encouraged in our school building and on buses, but not required. 

Students will have the choice to wear a mask at school, with the expectation that others’ choices will be respected. One should not make assumptions regarding someone’s beliefs or health status, nor should they comment on them. Our district will not tolerate bullying of any kind for those who choose to continue wearing masks.

For young children, please let teachers know your wishes and they will do their best to reinforce them. Our educators will discuss the change with students in a developmentally appropriate manner, including how to respect others’ personal choice. If your child(ren) expresses any anxiety, please feel free to reach out to our school counselors or psychologists for support.

Public health modeling indicates that cases and hospitalizations from COVID-19 will continue decreasing over the coming weeks, dropping to rates similar to last summer. The decision to remove the statewide mask requirement was based on the best science and research available, as well as our experience and preparation to continue combatting this virus.

Across the state, school districts have prepared for these changes over the past two years with:

• A COVID-19 vaccination requirement for all school employees,
• Vaccinations for individuals ages 5+ widely available,
• One of the most robust school COVID-19 testing systems in the country,
• Improved ventilation systems, and
• A well-researched understanding of self-mitigation protocols.

Once the statewide mask requirement lifts, without a new requirement from our local health department, masks will become optional in our school buildings.  

Remember, masks will still be required for all students, staff, and visitors in Lyle School District buildings through Friday, the 11th. Masks will continue to be provided for those who do not have them, and students who will not wear masks will be sent home. Lyle School District and our Board of Directors do not have local control over this matter. We are legally required to follow the Governor’s directive, which currently requires masks in school buildings.

We thank you for your continued flexibility as we navigate this pandemic together. We know you likely have many questions about this announcement, and we are anticipating receiving additional information from public health officials in the coming weeks. We will continue communicating with you as we learn about changes to the guidance for our district.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ann Varkados, Superintendent

Dear Families,

We understand there are conversations online, in the community and in our classrooms about the possibility of the state ending the indoor mask mandates requirement in Washington.

No changes to requirements have been made at this time, but we anticipate changes in state requirements and federal guidance in the coming weeks.

The governor shared yesterday that the outdoor mask mandate is lifted and that he will likely make an announcement next week about a timeline for an end to masking in indoor settings, including schools. The Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, also shared information publicly that he would support the governor if a state-level decision was made to end mask mandates.

Until an official announcement is made we must and will continue to follow state indoor masking requirements.

We will provide information to staff and families as we learn more from the governor next week. Of course, in the event that the mask mandate is lifted, those people who wish to continue wearing masks will be able to continue to do so.

More to come,

Superintendent Ann Varkados, Ed.D.

The Washington State Department of Health is seeking parental input on whether to make the COVID-19 vaccine part of the required vaccinations to attend school.

If you tried to complete the survey Friday, but hit a roadblock, here's why: The English language survey form stopped accepting submissions Friday afternoon because it reached its maximum capacity. In response, the Board of Health has added a link at the top of the original survey form, which directs people to a new form. The deadline is still Wednesday, Feb. 2.

Here is a direct link to the new form.  

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=F-LQEU4mCkCLoFfcwSfXLefTdB7APrJAvkZ64U-RFNVUQTlGRFVMOFM1MEVNVU1KTk9DN085REhZNy4u&fbclid=IwAR1htuGLDbGR5_SCQ1DcZbcMthV7guCz0uV59IYCzxPF0_cThroBLT4iudM