WA windstorm: Many school districts still without power

More Seattle-area schools plan to reopen for classes Friday, but ongoing windstorm closures and power outages have kept a number of districts from welcoming students back just yet.

Issaquah, Bellevue and Kent school districts canceled class for the third day in a row. In Kent, power has been restored to the administration campus, but 17 schools are without power and three have unsafe conditions, the district’s weather team said in a late Thursday post.

Issaquah School District teams said they would reassess conditions Friday to see if they can reopen Monday. As of Thursday afternoon, power had not been restored to the district, but administrators said they believed things would be back up and running over the weekend.

Several Bellevue schools were in the dark as of Thursday, but district leaders also said they were hoping to reopen Monday. Families should expect to see an update on Sunday through email, text, social media, phone and on the district website.

School was also canceled districtwide Friday for Lake Washington, Tahoma and Mercer Island students.

Other districts, however, have started to bring students back to campus as power returns and crews clear away debris.

In Renton, more than half of schools are set to reopen Friday, according to a statement on the district’s website. Ten schools remain closed, including Hazelwood Elementary, Nelson Middle and Renton High schools, and parent conferences at those schools are canceled. Sixteen schools plan to reopen Friday.

Most Shoreline public schools will also be open, with the exception of Brookside Elementary School, which doesn’t have power, the district said. In Enumclaw, Byron Kibler Elementary and the Birth to Five Center remain closed, but all other schools in the district are fully operational Friday.

Eight schools and programs were still shuttered Friday within Northshore School District, but more than 25 schools are returning to class.

Four Auburn schools — Rainier Middle, Arthur Jacobsen Elementary, Willow Crest Elementary and Lake View Elementary — remain closed. Sunnycrest Elementary in Lake Stevens School District is also closed.

Dutch Hill Elementary, Machias Elementary, Centennial Middle School and Parkway Campus in Snohomish School District are also closed.

Bellevue College is also closed. University of Washington’s Bothell campus is closed but classes and services will be conducted remotely.