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Hurricane Helene: These schools announce reopenings after storm

By Brittany Caldwell, WFTV.com

Tracking Helene Severe Weather Center 9 is tracking Helene. (WFTV Staff/WFTV)

By Brittany Caldwell, WFTV.com

ORLANDO, Fla. — As Helene passes by Florida, some districts have announced school reopenings after closing on Thursday.

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See the school closures county-by-county:

Brevard County

Brevard Public Schools offices will be closed Thursday, Sept. 26

All after-school activities on Sept. 25 will operate as normal.

Update: The school district said it will reopen Friday, Sept. 27.

Flagler County

Update: Flagler Schools said it will close schools on Friday, Sept. 27.

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Lake County

Lake County Public Schools will close for potential Helene impacts.

Update: School officials plan to reopen on Friday, Sept. 27.

Marion County

Marion County Public Schools said the district will close ahead of Helene.

All extracurricular activities on Thursday are canceled.

West Port High School will open as a special needs shelter on Wednesday at 2 p.m. It will be the only pet shelter for now.

MCPS said it will monitor weather conditions and guidance from emergency management officials on whether classes will resume on Friday.

Update: MCPS said it will reopen on Friday, Sept. 27.

Orange County

Orange County Public Schools said schools will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26.

All after-school activities must end by 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

OCPS said, “Any decision to close schools on Friday, Sept. 27 will be determined by the impact on Orange County and timing of the storm.”

The school district said it will continue communicating updates through phone calls, emails, text messages, social media pages, and the OCPS website.

Update: Based on the current forecast all schools and facilities will reopen on Friday, Sept. 27

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Osceola County

Osceola County School District said all schools will be open on Wednesday, Sept. 25, but close on Thursday, Sept. 26 for Helene.

All activities and events on Wednesday will be normal, including athletics.

On Thursday, Sept. 26, all schools and district offices will be closed.

The school district will update its website and social media platforms on Friday.

Update: The school district said there will be no classes on Friday, but teachers and staff are required to report to work.

Polk County

Polk County Public Schools does not expect any significant storm impacts on Wednesday, Sept. 25, but it will cancel or reschedule after-school programs and sports.

The activities will end by 6 p.m. Friday

Schools and offices will stay open on Wednesday for regular hours.

The school district will close all PCPS schools and offices on Thursday, Sept. 26, and Friday, Sept. 27, due to tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain.

PCPS plans to reopen on Monday, Sept. 30.

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Parts of Florida still recovering from Hurricane Debby prepare for Helene People who live on Florida’s Gulf Coast are bracing for the possible impact of a major hurricane. (WFTV)

Seminole County

Seminole County Public Schools said schools will be closed on Thursday, Sept. 26 for students.

The school district said there will be no extracurricular activities, sporting events, or other school-based activities, including KidZone & Beyond and 21st-century childcare services.

SCPS said it would monitor the weather and evaluate campus conditions.

At this time, SCPS said the school would be in session on Friday, Sept. 27, but they will notify families if there are any changes to the schedule.

Update: Seminole County anticipates they will be fully operational, and classes will be in session Friday.

Sumter County

Sumter Schools will close on Thursday, Sept. 26, and Friday, Sept. 27, for Helene.

The school district said it would update any other school closures on its website, school signs and phone messages.

Volusia County

Update: VCS plans to open back up on Friday, Sept. 27.

Volusia County Schools will close all after-school activities on Wednesday, Sept. 25, except for Extended Day Enrichment Programs.

The district will close all schools and offices on Thursday, Sept. 26.

Officials do not expect schools to be used as a shelter.

VCS Operations teams will assess schools and bus routes for storm debris after Helene.

Staff and families should check their emails and social media for updates.

Read: Hurricane tips: What you should do to prepare

Colleges & universities

Stetson University

Stetson University announced Thursday morning that the campus will be closed on Sept. 26.

Residential buildings will remain open for students.

The university expects to reopen on Friday and resume classes.

Update: Stetson University plans to reopen 9 a.m. Friday, and classes resume. Crews will assess campus conditions and make sure administrative buildings are safe.

Seminole State College

Seminole State College has canceled all classes and operations for Thursday, Sept. 26.

Campus and classes will be normal until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Officials said it will continue to monitor the storm for Friday’s reopening.

University of Central Florida

The University of Central Florida will cancel all classes on Thursday, Sept. 26.

Campus operations will also be closed, including suspending academic assignments and exams while the university is closed.

University officials said the campus will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

UCF Housing will be open during the storm, and there are no plans to depopulate the campus.

Officials will provide updates through UCF Alert, social media and on their website.

Update: The University of Central Florida will resume normal classes and operations at 6 a.m. Friday, Sept 27.

College of Central Florida

The College of Central Florida has announced it will close all its campuses.

These include the Ocala Campus, Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus, Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, Hampton Center, Appleton Museum and Vintage Farm and online classes.

School officials said scheduled activities are also canceled.

The Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus and Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus will close at noon on Wednesday, Sept. 25, for storm preps.

All other campus operations will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25, through Friday, Sept. 27.

CF plans to reopen on Saturday morning for normal operations as long as weather permits.

The college will post updates to its website.

Lake-Sumter State College

Lake-Sumter State College will close all campus locations and cancel all classes and activities on Thursday, Step. 26.

Lake-Sumter State College has four campus locations:

  • Leesburg
  • Clermont/South Lake
  • Sumterville
  • Four Corners/Cagan Crossings

The college said it will continue to provide updates through the LSSC Alert system, email, and social media.

Rasmussen University

Rasmussen University Florida campuses will close at 4 p.m. on Sept. 25 and remain closed Thursday, Sept. 26.

Students may call their campus directly or Classroom IT Support at 866-693-2211.

Full Sail University

The university said all classes will remain as scheduled through 5 p.m. on Sept. 25.

Full Sail said the campus will be closed for operations on Thursday, Sept. 26.

Classes and labs will move to remote operations via Zoom.

The university said the campus will return to operations at 9 a.m. on Sept. 27.

Florida State University

Florida State University’s Tallahassee campus has announced it will close.

The campus will be closed from Wednesday, Sept. 25, to Sunday, Sept. 29.

The university said it expects to resume normal business operations at 12 a.m. Monday, Sept. 30.

The college will post updates to its website.


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