Parents seeking Schweitzer bus stop

SANDPOINT — A movement is afoot to establish a Lake Pend Oreille School District bus stop on Schweitzer Mountain.

Jill Garrett said she’s canvassed the alpine community and confirmed there are at least eight students who attend district schools and suspects there are likely more.

“It would seem, at this point, there’s enough children up there to warrant a bus stop,” said Garrett.

The bus stop request is scheduled to be considered by the school district’s board of trustees on Tuesday, Aug. 11. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. at Sandpoint Charter School, located at 614 South Madison Ave.

Meanwhile, Garrett is inviting parents of students on Schweitzer to contact her to ensure there is an accurate head count of children who would benefit from having a bus stop on the mountain. Garrett can be reached at (208) 264-5036.

The existing bus stop for students on Schweitzer is currently located at the foot of the mountain.

“I guess it’s always been a matter of cost effectiveness,” Garrett said of the lack of a stop on the mountain.

District transportation officials referred inquiries about the matter to Lake Pend Oreille School District Superintendent Dick Cvitanich, who was not available for comment on Friday.

Garrett notes a stop on the mountain would be only about nine miles off the district’s beaten bus paths, a relatively insignificant distance when compared to round-trips to Elmira and repeated back-and-forth runs between Hope and Sandpoint.