Many Tampa Bay Area Schools to Reopen on Thursday
As we begin the cleanup after Idalia, Tampa Bay Area schools are beginning to announce school re-openings to get kids and families back on schedule.
We are working to gather the latest updates from each school district to help your family prepare and plan. Still, you want to be sure to stay up to date with your individual school district and school as information may change very quickly.
Related:
- What’s Still Open and What’s Closed in Tampa Bay for Hurricane Idalia
- ABC Action News Meteorologist Denis Phillips on Storm Prep and Rule #7
- Florida’s Hurricane Prep Sales Tax Holidays and Other Sales Tax Holidays Happening Now
Statement from Hillsborough County Public Schools:
Follow Hillsborough County Public Schools’ Facebook page here.
Wednesday, August 30, 2023, 4:30 pm update:
“Working with our partners from Hillsborough County’s Emergency Operations Center, we have made the decision to reopen all schools on Thursday. If any of our students cannot get to school due to damage or flooding at their homes, or roadways that are not passable, we ask you to contact your child’s school in the morning. The absence will be excused for any student who cannot come to school due to the effects of the storm.
Thank you for your flexibility over the last few days. As always, we are in this together – Hillsborough Strong.”
Statement from Pinellas County Public Schools:
Follow Pinellas County Public Schools Facebook page here.
Wednesday, August 30, 2023, 4:40 pm update:
“Schools will be OPEN for normal operations on Thursday, August 31. Pinellas County Schools will continue to work with Pinellas County Emergency Management to monitor Hurricane Idalia. Pinellas County Schools realizes that portions of our county are prone to flooding.
Please assess your situation and decide what is in the best interest of your family’s safety.
➡️ Any student absent due to weather-related circumstances will be marked as an excused absence.
Check back for updates and follow this link to read more: pcsb.org/weather”
Statement from Pasco County Public Schools:
Follow Pasco County Schools Facebook page here for updates.
Wednesday, August 30, 4:30 pm update:
“All Pasco County schools will be open on Thursday, August 31. This includes athletics, PLACE, Delta, Star, and all other extracurricular activities.”
Statement from Citrus County Public Schools:
Follow Citrus County Public Schools on Facebook here for updates.
Wednesday, August 30, 10: 45 am update
“Due to the ongoing coastal impact in our county of Hurricane Idalia, many of our schools are continuing to be used as shelters. 𝐀𝐬 𝐚 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭, 𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐰, 𝐓𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟑𝟏𝐬𝐭. After the next high tide this afternoon, we will have more information from the Emergency Management Officials regarding the closure of shelters and a projected date of school reopening.
Once the school district has received more information, we will let families know. Please take all necessary precautions to ensure your safety and your family’s safety.
Thank you and be safe.”
Statement from Hernando County Public Schools:
Follow Hernando Schools on Facebook here for updates.
Wednesday, August 30, afternoon update:
“All Hernando Schools and district offices will reopen tomorrow, Thursday, August 31st. Coastal areas in our community may not be accessible to transportation due to flooding. Please be patient as bus drivers navigate their routes tomorrow. Delays will be likely.
Students impacted by coastal flooding will be provided an excused absence. Stay safe!”
Statement from Polk County Public Schools:
Follow Polk County Public Schools on Facebook here.
Wednesday, August 30 afternoon update:
“An update from PCPS Superintendent Fred Heid:
Dear PCPS families,
First, I hope that you and your loved ones are safe. Polk County has been very fortunate to have been spared the brunt of Hurricane Idalia. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who are in the direct path of this storm, knowing full well what issues they are facing.
This is just a quick update on where things stand today. As originally planned, PCPS schools and offices will remain closed today (Wednesday, Aug. 30) and tomorrow (Thursday, Aug. 31). We will resume normal operations on Friday, Sept. 1.
Although we had minor impacts to our area, we still need time to do a thorough assessment of our school sites to make sure they are ready for students and staff to return. We also need to deactivate our shelters and prepare those schools to resume normal operations.
Our maintenance staff will begin the process of inspecting school sites later this afternoon once the tornado watch ends. Our staff will visit each school and work site to ensure that they have power, have no damage to the roof or windows, determine if any debris removal is needed, and check for localized flooding/water intrusion.
We are glad that utility companies are reporting less than 1,000 residents in Polk without power at this time. We do have systems in place to monitor our network connections and refrigerators/freezers at each school site. Thus far we have no reported outrages, which is a good indication that we have power at all sites.
Our shelters accommodated 113 residents overnight (with capacity for thousands more) and we’re already seeing some guests returning to their homes. By 3 p.m. today we will begin the process of closing school district shelters. While school shelters will be closing, residents will still have a shelter available at 1255 Brice Blvd. in Bartow.
I do want to recognize and thank our staff who assisted our shelters, and those who are now working so we are able to return to normal operations as soon as possible. Nearly 300 district-level staff volunteered to work shifts at each shelter site to ensure that we provided the best possible support to those in need. Several of our maintenance staff were also at each location overnight to address any issues caused by the storm. Our facilities/maintenance staff, along with our custodial crews, will now begin the tough job of confirming that schools are safe and clean for students to return.
We intend to reopen all PCPS schools and offices this Friday, Sept. 1. It’s important that we not close schools any longer than necessary, especially since storm season is not over, and we never know if we’ll experience more severe weather. We also must provide as much instructional time as possible.
Please be safe and take care as we deal with the wind and rain in the wake of Idalia. We’ll see you back in school on Friday.”
Statement from School District of Manatee County:
Follow the School District of Manatee County on Facebook here for updates.
Wednesday, August 30, 11 am update:
“Parents, Families, and Employees,
Statement from Sarasota County Public Schools:
Follow Sarasota County Public Schools on Facebook here for updates.
Wednesday, August 30 afternoon update:
“SCHOOLS REOPEN THURSDAY: Our traditional public schools that were serving as emergency evacuation centers have closed and are in the process of being cleaned and reconfigured to welcome back students & employees. All of our traditional public schools will reopen tomorrow, Thursday, August 31, for normal school operations, including transportation services, food services, and after-school activities. Additionally, the Superintendent Listening Tour meeting slated for tomorrow evening at Riverview High School will be held as scheduled. If your child is enrolled at a charter school, please check directly with your school for updates on reopening.
We wanted to share a few important general considerations and safety reminders as we return back to school:
🔸️School buses will be running their normal routes, but there may be some delays due to receding water and excess traffic moving through the county. As a reminder, our district uses WheresTheBus, which offers real-time route updates. For more information about the app and how to sign up, please visit: www.sarasotacountyschools.net/Page/3459
🔸️If your child usually walks or bikes to school, please consider “testing out” their usual route to ensure that biking/walking is still a safe travel option.
🔸️ Families, please let your school know if returning to school is a hardship – our school-based & district teams can help provide resources where possible.
🔸️ Employees, please let your supervisor know if you will need to take time off before you can safely return to work.
Thank you and see you tomorrow!”