Fall semester classes officially got underway on Tuesday for thousands of students in the Washoe County School District.
Officials want to remind everyone in the area of any schools to keep your eyes open, and watch your driving speeds.
"We also like to remind students to be sure to make eye contact with drivers prior to stepping off a curb. Make sure they see you before you make your way to the crosswalk. Looking both ways is super important," said MJ Cloud, Program Director Safe Routes To School, WCSD.Â
Superintendent Kristen McNeill is expected to speak on the first day of school for Washoe County students later Tuesday morning.Â
As a quick reminder, per the Washoe County School District's handbook, students in elementary school will attend school in person every day, unless parents have opted for the distance learning model.
Middle school and high school students are the only students who are on a hybrid learning model, where they will alternate between "A days" and "B days."
Officials say Tuesday morning, students on the "B day" schedule will attend class in person, while students on the "A day" schedule will partake in distance learning.
McNeil wants to remind everyone that this is a very fluid situation and plans could change.Â
Also, remember that face masks are required for all students and staff members.
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The Washoe County School District says class is still being held on Tuesday.
They released this statement on Monday evening:
Good evening, Washoe County School District Families and Staff.
This is Superintendent Dr Kristen McNeill with an important message.
We have monitored the Loyalton fire situation throughout the day and have communicated with agency partners. All indicators are that the smoke tomorrow, Tuesday, August 18, is forecast to improve.
As a result, we are excited and eager to welcome you and your students back to school tomorrow. Students on B day on the hybrid schedule will attend school tomorrow.
As this is a very fluid situation, unfortunately information went to our principals and we had to adjust this decision based on the thunderstorms that passed through our area and mitigated the amount smoke in our region.
Once again, we look forward to seeing you and your students at school tomorrow.
Thank you, and have a good evening.
The Washoe County School District has canceled the first day of school for tomorrow, Monday, August 17 due to poor air quality from the Loyalton fire.
In a statement, WCSD Superintendent Dr. Kristen McNeill, said "As a result of the Loyalton Fire and the deteriorating air quality, we have made the decision that we can not safely reopen our school district for our students and staff."
Dr. McNeill also acknowledged that while emergency services focus their efforts on fighting the fire, "their support of the school district in the event of an emergency is compromised."
WCSD Staff will have a non-contact professional development day.
Students will not return to school.
"We will continue to closely monitor the situation throughout tomorrow, but look forward to welcoming our students back to school on Tuesday, August 18," said Dr. McNeill.
In a phone statement to our reporter Bryan Hofmann, Chief Cochran with the Reno Fire Department said quote "The mission of RFD is the safety of all visitors and citizens in Reno. We never offer mutual aid at the expense of that service. We are fully staffed to handle any local emergencies. We respond to Reno first."
The Local 1265 Sparks Firefighters released a statement on Facebook reading in part quote "while we do have firefighters at local fires, we are still and always have been staffed as normal and ready to respond to any emergency that may come up in our city. We will always be here, ready to serve, proud to serve, everyday."
You can ready the full statement below:
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The Truckee Meadows Firefighters Association (TMFA) released a statement in response to the school district's claim that emergency services were compromised due to firefighting efforts at the Loyalton Fire.
Officials said:
"The TMFA has multiple members assisting with the Loyalton Fire that is burning in the region, but we can confidently say that there has not been and will not be an impact to the service that our organization and our employer provides to the community. Our stations remain one hundred percent staffed and are fully operational, even with resources that are committed to this incident."
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TMFA said the WCSD's statement on compromised resources is "completely unfounded," and they are ready to respond to any emergency that may arise.
You can read the full statement below:
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