SANDPOINT — All schools in the West Bonner County School District and the Lake Pend Oreille School district are closed for Wednesday, Dec. 17 due to inclement weather.

The windstorm, which hit the region last night, knocked down several trees and made it unsafe for buses to reach their destinations safely. WBCSD Superintendent Kim Spacek said he got a phone call early Wednesday morning from bus drivers who said cars were having trouble staying on the road due to the wind. 

“It’s better to keep the kids home, we don’t want to put them or the bus drivers at risk,” Spacek said.  

LPOSD said in a statement sent out on Facebook that multiple schools in the district were without power Wednesday morning, contributing to the decision to close the schools for the day. LPOSD Superintendent Dr. Becky Meyer said she did not take the decision lightly and the district is continuing to monitor the weather to determine if the schools will reopen tomorrow.

"We’re monitoring for the potential of more high winds, ensuring that roadways are clear and that power is restored at all our schools," Meyer said. "If conditions do not improve and our schools are without power, I will get the word out that school is cancelled as early as possible tomorrow morning through parent communication, our website, news outlets and social media."

Spacek said the plan for WBCSD is to reopen the schools tomorrow as long as the weather permits. He said he will also be looking into state law to see if the day will need to be tacked onto the school year.