04/06/2026
The safety of our students is our first priority. While we love seeing our local community and our furry neighbors, we are reminding everyone that our schools have a Closed Campus during school hours (7:30 AM – 4:00 PM).
Even though this has been a rule for a number of years, we have seen an increase in community members walking dogs—sometimes off-leash—on the school campus while students are present. This creates significant safety risks:
Recess Safety: Even the friendliest dogs can become overwhelmed or unpredictable around groups of active children.
Campus Security: To keep our students safe, we must ensure that only authorized staff and background-checked volunteers are interacting with students during the day.
The Rule: Please refrain from walking dogs or using school fields until after 4 PM. If you are on campus during the day, our staff will kindly ask you to respect the closed campus policy.
You and your dogs are welcome to use our school campus before or after hours. When you’re on our campus, please keep your pets on a leash (WMC 8.08.040) and please clean up after your pet. Our students are active users of the school campus, and we do not want them encountering animal waste during recess!
Thank you for being a great neighbor and helping us maintain a focused, safe environment for our kids! 🍎🏫
At Washougal School District, the safety of our students is our first priority. While we love seeing our local community and our furry neighbors, we are reminding everyone that our schools have a Closed Campus during school hours (7:30 AM – 4:00 PM).
Even though this has been a rule for a number of years, we have seen an increase in community members walking dogs—sometimes off-leash—on the school campus while students are present. This creates significant safety risks:
- Recess Safety: Even the friendliest dogs can become overwhelmed or unpredictable around groups of active children.
- Campus Security: To keep our students safe, we must ensure that only authorized staff and background-checked volunteers are interacting with students during the day.
Please refrain from walking dogs or using school fields until after 4 PM. If you are on campus during the day, our staff will kindly ask you to respect the closed campus policy.
You and your dogs are welcome to use our school campus before or after hours. When you’re on our campus, please keep your pets on a leash (WMC 8.08.040) and please clean up after your pet. Our students are active users of the school campus, and we do not want them encountering animal waste during recess!
We are working with a contractor to install new, locking gates at several access points to the school campus around WHS and Gause. These gates will be locked during the construction process for a few days, and once complete, the gates will be unlocked outside of school hours.
Thank you for being a great neighbor and helping us maintain a focused, safe environment for our kids! 🍎🏫