LTUSD and DCSD develop plans for smoky school days

With unprecedented smoke and unhealthy air filling the Lake Tahoe Basin, two area school districts have created policies to deal with students and school days when there is bad air quality.

Douglas County School District (DCSD) didn't have a plan in place for the first day of school Monday, with with AQI levels around 400 PM2.5, students were kept indoors. But by the end of day Superintendent Keith Lewis sent a letter to parents.

With the exception of schools at Zephyr Cove (lake schools), DCSD schools are equipped with air conditioning. With air conditioning at the valley schools, they are able to significantly limit the smoke entering schools, which creates more manageable learning environments for teachers and

students. Without air conditioning at the lake schools, learning environments become more challenging, said Lewis.

DCSD will determine air quality by using the Purple Air website and measure the air at George Whittell High School at 5:00 a.m. The lake schools will be closed if the AQI reading from the school is higher than 300 PM2.5. If the reading is 300 or less, the lake schools will be open. If it is determined that school will be open, it will remain in session for the entire day.

If parents do not receive a text, email or phone call, and if there is no
announcement on the district’s website or Facebook page, your child’s school will be open. They will only call in the morning for school closures.

Lewis said the district cannot emphasize enough that parents should make the decision that is best for their child. If at any time they feel the conditions are unsafe to take or send kids to school, parents may keep their
child home for the day regardless of DCSD’s decision to hold school.

Lewis acknowledged that kids need to be in the classroom to learn and he understands that closing school places a burden on families.

In South Lake Tahoe, school has not started yet but a plan has been developed for the year for "Emergency Weather Conditions" after spending the day Monday researching and developing solutions. If outside air quality is between 150 and 300 PM2.5 AQI per PurpleAir monitors at or near Lake Tahoe Unified School District (LTUSD) sites, all staff and students are to remain indoors.

If outside air quality is over 300 (per PurpleAir) and is expected to stay above 300, LTUSD will cancel school (like a snow day). This will be determined by looking at the PurpleAir sensors at or near school sites; Levels at one school site alone will not be used to make the final decision. A combination of school sites above 300 will result in cancelation. The decision each day will be made no later than 6:30 a.m. and communicated to staff by 6:45 a.m. If school is not cancelled and air quality worsens during the day, LTUSD will continue to monitor and shorten the school day if necessary.

This Wednesday, August 25, was scheduled as a Professional Development work day for teachers. It has been rescheduled to Friday, November 12, 2021 which will now be a non-school day for students. (students will not have school on Friday, Nov. 12). Because of this change, the last day of school will now be June 17, 2022.

The first day of school remains Monday, August 30, 2021.