Snow Closures    

With winter here families need to be aware of the district’s school closure process. There are two primary reasons for school closures: bitter cold temperatures or heavy snow. Temperature alone is not a true measuring stick as wind-chill plays a major role in the decision making. Our greatest concern is not for students once they arrive at school, but rather waiting for the bus in the morning or walking home in the afternoon.

When there is heavy snowfall, road conditions are the primary factor in the district’s decision. If snow is forecast the Superintendent and Director of Transportation Bill Wright are up at 3:00AM and on the telephone to the National Weather service in Spokane for an update. The district also uses visual reports from bus drivers in different parts of our district. Any closure decision is typically made by 4:00AM to allow district phone trees to take effect and for the media to be contacted.

Given all of the above precautions, predicting weather in an area like LakePend Oreille is tricky business. One part of the district may be under 6 inches of snow and the other may only have 1 inch. In other cases, students come to school after a light snow, and then a large amount accumulates during the day. In all cases, the district works under the assumption that school will be held given that many parents cannot simply cancel their own work commitments. Difficult driving conditions are a fact of life in our part of the world. As we do in our personal lives, we drive with a little more caution. The LPOSD transportation department has one of the best safety records in the state.

Please be patient. The district’s choice will not always match your decision. Ultimately, parents can make a decision to send a child to school or to keep them home. For information about school closures call the LPOSD Emergency School Closure Hot Line at 263-2312. The local radio or TV stations will also run current school closure information.