Hurricane Ian Related School Closures and Openings in Tampa Bay
As Florida recovers from the impacts of Hurricane Ian, Tampa Bay Area schools announced classes will resume next week. School districts in our area closed to students so schools could serve as storm shelters.
Related: Hurricane Ian related closures in Tampa Bay
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.
Statement from Hillsborough County Public Schools:
Follow Hillsborough County Public Schools Facebook page here.
Wednesday, September 28 UPDATE:
“Hurricane Ian Update: Schools will be closed Friday, September 30th
We hope you and your family are safe and prepared for the impact of Hurricane Ian to our area.
County emergency operations officials have activated more than 50 of our schools as storm shelters to house community members who have evacuated the hurricane’s path.
Emergency officials need our schools as shelters for several days due to the potential of high winds and heavy rain from this hurricane.
For this reason, we will need to close schools through Friday, September 30th, in order to thoroughly clean campuses and we anticipate a return to school on Monday, October 3rd.
Please know that when it comes to opening or closing our schools, we must consider many things, including possible road closures, high winds, localized flooding, damage to school buildings, and power outages.
After the storm passes, the district’s Rapid Response Teams will assess each school site for potential damage. We want to ensure we can help return our community to a sense of normalcy and continue educating our children; however, we must do it in a safe manner.
We will work with the Florida Department of Education to determine how many instructional hours will be necessary to make up and will notify you once that has been determined.
We would like to thank our school principals and assistant principals, teachers, support personnel, school bus drivers, custodians, student nutrition workers, and security teams, who are working to keep evacuees safe, well-fed, and as comfortable as possible.
Please continue to stay safe and we will see you back on Monday, October 3rd.”
Statement from Pinellas County Public Schools:
Follow Pinellas County Public Schools Facebook page here.
Monday, September 26 Update
“All Pinellas County Schools and offices will be CLOSED Tuesday, Sept. 27, Wednesday, Sept. 28, Thursday, Sept. 29 AND Friday, Sept. 30. All meetings, sports and extracurricular activities will also be canceled during that time.
Make-up days will not be announced until after the storm event. Continue to follow social media and pscb.org/weather for additional updates.
The Pinellas County School Board meeting will proceed as regularly scheduled.”
Statement from Pasco County Public Schools:
Follow Pasco County Schools Facebook page here for updates.
Monday September 26 update
“Hurricane Ian is expected to have significant impact on Pasco County and the Tampa Bay area for several days this week.
As a result, all Pasco County Schools and all district offices will be closed the rest of the week – Tuesday, September 27, through Friday, September 30.
This includes PLACE, ASEP, all after school programs, all athletic events and practices, and all extracurricular events.
The forecast at this time shows the storm affecting Pasco County starting late Tuesday and early Wednesday with significant amounts of rain, storm surge, and dangerous winds.
It appears likely that it will be a slow-moving storm, so effects are expected well into Thursday.
As a result, we will need to close for the rest of the week, as we expect that flooding and debris could result in some roads being impassable on Friday.”
Statement from Polk County Public Schools:
Follow Polk County Public Schools on Facebook here.
Wednesday, September 28 UPDATE:
“Our team continues to work with the Emergency Operations Center staff and county agencies to monitor Hurricane Ian’s progress. There are several factors that we take into account when making decisions regarding school closures. These include:
– Shelter needs and the ability for residents to return to their homes following the storm.
– Ensuring enough time for the district personnel to inspect campuses, remove debris, make repairs, and mobilize resources to ensure that we can operate normally.
– Ensuring that we have power restored to be able to operate.
With the updated forecast and new timeline, we will be closing schools on Friday, Sept 30.
We will continue to update you over the weekend as to the status of our campuses and a potential return to normal operations for next week.
Please take care and be safe.”
Statement from School District of Manatee County:
Follow the School District of Manatee County on Facebook here for updates.
Monday, September 26 update
“All School District of Manatee County schools will be closed starting tomorrow, Tuesday, September 27th, as we open up shelters for Hurricane Ian.
While all school and after-school activities continue today, Monday, September 26th, all school and after-school activities will be closed beginning Tuesday.
The duration of school closings is not known at this time, and will be dependent on the movement and impact of the storm.
All district school and support sites will also be closed starting Tuesday, September 27th. Therefore, employees not serving in shelters, will be off from work until further notice.”
Statement from Sarasota County Public Schools:
Follow Sarasota County Public Schools on Facebook here for updates.
Wednesday, September 28 UPDATE:
“9/28 6 PM UPDATE: All public Sarasota County Schools will remain closed through Friday, Sept. 30. The school district is coordinating with Sarasota County Emergency Services team to send personnel out to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Ian.
This cannot happen until winds subside below 45 miles per hour. Once damage assessments are made, the school district will make further adjustments to the school reopening timeline to ensure a safe return to school.
For additional updates about school openings, visit www.sarasotacountyschools.net/hurricane. For county updates, visit scgov.net/beprepared.
Stay safe!!”
Statement from Hernando County Public Schools:
Follow Hernando Schools on Facebook here for updates.
Monday, September 26 update
“In preparations for the potential impact of Hurricane Ian to Hernando County, the local Emergency Operations Center has issued an emergency order establishing multiple shelters for those who will be evacuating from low-lying areas, mobile, or manufactured homes.
In order to prepare schools as shelters, Hernando Schools will close all district offices Tuesday, September 27. Schools and offices will remain closed through Friday.”
*Check Facebook page link above for more information.
Statement from Citrus County Public Schools:
Follow Citrus County Public Schools on Facebook here.
Monday, September 26 update
“Citrus County Schools is working closely with the Citrus County Emergency Operations Center to prepare for the potential impacts of Hurricane Ian.
After the most recent emergency operations meeting, it has been determined to close schools Wednesday, September 28th, and Thursday September 29th. After-school programs and extra-curricular activities are cancelled beginning Tuesday, September 27th through Thursday, September 29th. As we continue to monitor the storm, we will update you as decisions are made.
Many factors are considered when EOC activates shelters, and our school district plays a vital role in the EOC’s response.
We encourage you to stay up to date with local news reports; we will continue to update you through Skyward emails, texts, and phone calls, as necessary. You can also monitor the impact on schools at www.CitrusSchools.org and our district and school social media pages.”
