They're back to school in a cloud of smoke

A thick haze enveloped their school in Craigmont as children in the Highland School District began a new year Monday.

With wildfires burning throughout the region, air quality varied from "unhealthy" to "hazardous" in north central Idaho and southeastern Washington and is predicted to stay at similar levels through the week as school gets underway in many districts.

"All we have to do is look outside and see how bad it is," said Highland Principal Sarah Hatfield. "When you can't see the mountains, it's a bad thing."

All recesses, physical education classes and sports practices are relegated to the school gym until air on the Camas Prairie improves, Hatfield said. Holding PE classes in the gym isn't unusual, but recess is another story.

"It's a little more chaotic just at recess time, because there's four different classes at once," Hatfield said. "This morning they just kind of ran around. They just were doing their own thing."

Classes are set to begin Wednesday for the Grangeville and Elk City schools in the Mountain View School District, but Clearwater Valley schools in Kooskia probably won't start until at least Sept. 1.

The Clearwater Valley schools have been housing fire personnel, Superintendent Kent Stokes said, including about 1,000 U.S. Forest Service employees who are at the junior-senior high school.

Red Cross personnel were packing up Monday, he said, but could be back depending on what happens with nearby fires.

"They're kind of in a holding pattern as far as where to go," Stokes said. "They feel like they could be called back at any time."

When classes start for Clearwater Valley, he said, will depend on the needs of students, school employees and the community.

"I wish we could give a definitive answer," Stokes said. "(We're) just kind of waiting to see when the best time will be."

At the district's schools in Grangeville, where the air quality was listed as unhealthy for sensitive groups Monday by the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality, students will likely have recess indoors until the air improves.

"It's tough, because kids are not getting outside and they want to be outside," Stokes said. "I'm sure when school rolls around and they can't be outside it's going to be a challenge for our teachers, especially with the younger kids."

Students and teachers in the Nezperce School District, where classes begin Wednesday, will likely be in the same boat.

"That's our plan right now, is to just kind of monitor that on a daily basis and make that call," Nezperce Principal Les Wells said of air quality.

In the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley, school begins today for Clarkston, Thursday for Asotin and Sept. 3 for Lewiston.

The three districts have discussed whether to move recesses and sports practices indoors, Clarkston Superintendent Tim Winter said.

"We've talked to Asotin and Lewiston and are working together with air quality control," Winter said. "We're monitoring the air quality levels multiple times during the day - 150 is kind of the magic number we've agreed on with input from health department."

An air quality level between 101 and 150 is considered unhealthy for sensitive groups, while an air quality level of 151 to 200 is considered unhealthy for everyone.

Air quality levels Monday ranged from 310, or hazardous, in Cottonwood to 170, or unhealthy, in Lewiston.

Monday's Lewiston football practice was moved indoors, Athletic Director Corey Williams said, and varsity girls and boys soccer games were canceled. A varsity football game scheduled for Friday at Lakeland in Rathdrum, Idaho, is still on, pending air quality reports later in the week.

"That's part of running education is you have to adapt and be flexible because the children's health and safety is the number one priority every day," Lewiston Assistant Superintendent Lance Hansen said. "It's a wait and see. You can't tell from one day to the next."

At Highland, adapting and being flexible may have resulted in a bit of recess chaos, but the smoke didn't dampen the start of a new school year.

"It's been a good first day," Hatfield said.

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Stone may be contacted at mstone@lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2244. Follow her on Twitter @MarysSchoolNews.