Jesse Scheckner
Public schools in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties will be closing on the day Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast.
As Milton moves across the Gulf of Mexico on an apparent collision course with the Tampa Bay area at Category 5 strength, and threatening an expected coastal storm surge of 3-15 feet from the Keys to the Panhandle, School Districts in the four-county area say it’s better safe than sorry.
Miami-Dade School Superintendent Jose Dotres confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the District decided to shut down its schools Wednesday and Thursday, one day longer than originally planned, after consulting with weather and emergency officials.
Broward and Palm Beach made near-identical plans Monday.
Broward County Public Schools will 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.”
All Palm Beach School District facilities and activities will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, including extracurricular activities, aftercare 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.”
After holding out Monday on making closure plans despite projections by the National Hurricane Center that flooding there will be worse than in the three other counties, the Monroe County School District confirmed on its website that its schools will close at least on Wednesday.
“We are coordinating with Monroe County Emergency Management and the National Weather Service and based upon the current forecast of Hurricane Milton, all schools and School District offices will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, Oct. 9,” personnel wrote. “Please monitor this website and (associated) social media platforms for further updates.”
