Families and Community

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 & Time - Click Here

MLSD School Menu - Click Here