Jesse Scheckner
Public schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties will be closing on the day Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
So far, the School District of Monroe County plans to stick things out.
As Milton gathers strength over the Gulf of Mexico, building to Category 5 force winds and threatening an expected coastal storm surge of 3-12 feet from the Keys to the Panhandle, school districts in the tri-county area say it’s better safe than sorry.
Miami-Dade School Superintendent Jose Dotres announced that on Wednesday, when Milton is forecast to strike the Sunshine State, the District’s schools will shut down for the day.
“In light of recent updates and in consultation with Miami-Dade County’s Department of Emergency Management and the National Weather Service, all schools and District operations will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, due to weather projections indicating potentially hazardous conditions that could impact safe travel and the well-being of students and our workforce,” he said on X. “The safety of all is our top priority.”
Broward County Public Schools will be open Tuesday, then close Wednesday and Thursday until the storm and its dangers have passed or subsided. That includes all after-school activities, evening classes, after-school care, support services and events.
Broward’s Magnet Program Expo, originally scheduled for Thursday evening, will be rescheduled, the District said, adding: “We anticipate normal operations will resume on Friday, Oct. 11.”
The School District of Palm Beach County shared similar plans. All District-operated schools and offices will be open Tuesday, as will aftercare programs at elementary and middle schools. But other after-school events, club meetings, athletics, facility leases and adult education programs are canceled.
Everything will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, including extracurricular activities, after-care programs, sports, school meetings and other on-campus events. All facility leases are also canceled.
“School district employees should closely monitor communications from the District and their supervisor,” District staff wrote on X. “Employees should not report to work unless otherwise directed by their supervisor.”
Monroe remained an outlier despite projections by the National Hurricane Center that flooding there will be worse than in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach.
The Monroe School District said on its website that as of 4:15 p.m. Monday, there were no changes to class and event schedules.
“Monroe County School District staff is monitoring the progress of Hurricane Milton in the Gulf of Mexico,” staff wrote.
“We are coordinating closely with the National Weather Service and Monroe County Emergency Management. At this time, all schools and offices remain open for normal operations. We will continue to keep you informed as this situation develops.”
