Emergency School Closures
Emergency School Closures for weather are made by the superintendent after consulting with Tom Finch, the
Transportation Director for Mid Columbia Bus. The safe transportation to school and home for children is the highest priority. Decisions are usually made before 6:00 am. We initiate a phone tree that calls every family with children in the
County. The local radio stations are notified and we participate in FlashAlert which makes it possible to have our closure information displayed on the Portland TV stations. You can also go to http://www.flashalert.net/ Website and view possible closures as soon as we enter them on the website. Go to the links Portland/Vanc/Salem then Columbia Gorge Schools then Sherman County School District. You can do this at any time to see if there is a posting.
The safety of children being transported to school is our highest priority. The ability of the buses to run safely determines if we have school. Our buses are heavy, designed with every safety feature possible and have studded tires. Many of the buses have automatic chains. A few inches of snow does not necessarily require a closure. We are most cautious when it comes to freezing rain and ice conditions. As with our two hour delay December 8 the conditions improved dramatically when the sun came up and buses ran safely. Our buses can travel safely when some cars cannot. We encourage you to have your children ride the bus on inclement weather days rather than have you drive or your teenage children drive.
Emergency School Closures for weather are made by the superintendent after consulting with Tom Finch, the
Transportation Director for Mid Columbia Bus. The safe transportation to school and home for children is the highest priority. Decisions are usually made before 6:00 am. We initiate a phone tree that calls every family with children in the
County. The local radio stations are notified and we participate in FlashAlert which makes it possible to have our closure information displayed on the Portland TV stations. You can also go to http://www.flashalert.net/ Website and view possible closures as soon as we enter them on the website. Go to the links Portland/Vanc/Salem then Columbia Gorge Schools then Sherman County School District. You can do this at any time to see if there is a posting.
The safety of children being transported to school is our highest priority. The ability of the buses to run safely determines if we have school. Our buses are heavy, designed with every safety feature possible and have studded tires. Many of the buses have automatic chains. A few inches of snow does not necessarily require a closure. We are most cautious when it comes to freezing rain and ice conditions. As with our two hour delay December 8 the conditions improved dramatically when the sun came up and buses ran safely. Our buses can travel safely when some cars cannot. We encourage you to have your children ride the bus on inclement weather days rather than have you drive or your teenage children drive.