Skip to main content

Families and Community Home

  • Attendance and Family Services staff work directly with schools, students, and their families to break down barriers to school attendance.  When a student misses school, for any reason, it can be difficult to keep up academically.

    The compulsory attendance law of the State of Washington requires that any child, under RCW 28A.225, must attend school full time when school is in session, unless the child is enrolled in an accredited private school, an educational center, and/or is receiving home-based education. District Policy and Procedure No. 3122 defines excused absences, unexcused absences, and truancies, and can be obtained on the district website at Policies and Procedures.

    Copies of the policy/procedures/forms may also be obtained by contacting the District Office at (509) 766-2650, or in person at 1620 S Pioneer Way, Moses Lake, WA 98837.

    Based on RCW 28A.225.030, a petition must be filed with the Juvenile Court if a student has seven (7) unexcused absences from in­ person learning in a month or fifteen (15) unexcused absences from in-person learning in a year, or if a student's unexcused absences cannot be reduced over a period of time. Our MLSD Safety and Well-Being team can answer your attendance questions. Our Safety and Well-Being team’s contact information can be found here or by contacting the Learning Services Center at (509) 766-2650.


    Adam Sawyer
    Assistant Executive Diretor of Safety and Well-Being
    asawyer@mlsd161.org
    509-793-7782
     
    Denise Visker
    Secretary of Safety and Well-Being
    dvisker@mlsd161.org
    509-793-7723

    Scott West
    Executive Director of Safety and Well-Being
    swest@mlsd161.org
    509-793-7796

    • Snow and inclement weather (smoke, snow, freezing rain, wind, extreme temperatures, etc.) can confuse us all when they affect the school schedule. Emergency weather days often come at the last minute, so it is important to prepare for school delays and closures.

      While you may disagree with our weather-related closures, our district serves students across more than 400 square miles, meaning weather and road conditions may vary significantly. Additionally, our transportation staff determines road safety as early as 3 a.m.! Many staff members begin traveling to work early in the morning, so a decision to delay or close school operations is made by 4:30 am.

      We do not take school closures lightly and understand how closure impacts many families in our community. However, the safety of all our students and staff remains our priority.

      The automated phone system will deliver robocalls, texts (if opted in), and emails notifying families of school closures by 5:30 a.m. Closures and delays will be broadcast on the district website homepage, Facebook, and on radio and television news stations no later than 6 a.m.

      Any 'snow days' will result in make-up days at the end of the school year. 

      Parents are always the decision-makers for their children. If the weather conditions are such that you feel your child should not attend school, but the school is open, please call the school to report your child's absence. Policy and Procedure 2221 can be found here: Board Policies.


      Call 509 793-7200 for a recorded message.

       

      When bad weather occurs...

      • Listen to local radio or TV stations, check district websites, and follow social media channels for potential closures or delays.
      • Dress your children warmly: coats, hats, boots, etc are strongly encouraged.
      • Ensure child-care and student drop-off/pick-up arrangements are in place.

       

      Local Radio Stations

      FM Stations

      • KZML 95.9 Spanish
      • KRCW 96.3 Spanish
      • KWWW 96.7
      • KDRM 99.3
      • KWIQ 100.3
      • KWLN 103.3 Spanish

      AM Stations

      • KPQ 560
      • KULE 730
      • KWIQ 1020
      • KBSN 1470

  • We provide free transportation for students who reside within their school attendance area but outside their school’s no-transportation zone. Please be aware that the times may vary due to student load and traffic. Students need to be at their stop 5 minutes before their stop time and should wait at least 5 minutes after, before calling Transportation or leaving the stop. 

    Early Dismissal
    On early release days, your child's bus route, stop and stop time will be earlier than their normal drop off. All early release days are shown on the district calendar.

    Director of Transportation
    Dyan Ford

    Please contact Transportation for an update on your route: 

    P 509.766.2676
    F 509.793.7225

    • The Transportation Department has published bus schedules for the 2026-2027 school year.

      Families are encouraged to review both the morning (AM) and afternoon (PM) route tabs in the linked spreadsheet below to ensure they have the most accurate information for their student’s pickup and drop-off times.

      If you have questions about routes or times, please contact the Transportation Department at (509) 766-2676 or transportationquestions@mlsd161.org.

    ​​​​​​​Routes & Times

  • MLSD School Menu - Click Here

Personnel & Program Complaint Form