The Florida school districts hardest hit by Hurricane Ian last month are now getting ready to welcome students and teachers back to their classrooms. Leaders at Lee County Schools, which a took direct hit from the historic storm, said they intend “to return students to an educational environment” by Monday, Oct 17.
But 15 schools suffered “significant damage,” including some that will have to be rebuilt. Eight schools did not have power as of this last weekend and some do not have water. And many Lee County schools must still boil water due to potential contamination. “Our academic team is hard at work developing the plan to return to an educational environment,” Superintendent Christopher Bernier said at a news conference. “We still have safety and debris issues as well impacting the safe pick up and delivery of students to and from school.”
The district will accommodate students and staff who are not able to return to school when their buildings reopen, Bernier added. “There are still some large hurdles in the way that are outside of our control,” he noted. “The storm’s impact was disproportionate across our county. That means when we return to an education environment, the impact on our schools is also disproportionate.”
Charlotte County Schools announced this week that, after everyone one of its buildings was damaged in the storm, 19 of the district’s 21 schools will reopen on Oct. 18. All the buildings have power but they are still being dried out, dehumidified and cleared of debris. Officials are still conducting air quality inspections and said that the next rainfall will confirm whether all the schools are once again watertight. Officials also said that sections of schools may remain closed, which will require reconfigurations to accommodate all students.
Charlotte County’s athletic facilities have not yet been declared safe. District personnel are using a metal-detecting machine to search sports fields for debris. Also, superintendents from other Florida districts have sent personnel and supplies to help the district reopen.
FETC 2023
The Future of Education Technology® Conference takes place live and in-person Jan. 23-26, 2023, in New Orleans. Register now!
Schools reopen in phases after hurricane
Sarasota County Schools began reopening its schools in phases even though power and internet service have not yet been restored to all neighborhoods. Students returned to classes at 35 schools on Monday in the cities of Sarasota and Venice, which are farther north from where Hurricane Ian made landfall. Schools in the harder-hit communities of North Port and Englewood, which are in the southern half of Sarasota County, are set to reopen on Monday, Oct. 17.
The schools that reopened on Monday were fully staffed and recorded close to normal attendance, Superintendent Brennan Asplen said at a news conference. The district is having to build temporary offices and other facilities to enable some schools to reopen and has already distributed 1,000 mobile WiFi hotspots to school community members whose internet has not yet been restored.
The School District of DeSoto County, which is just inland from Florida’s west coast, reopened six schools on Oct. 17. But its main high school and an elementary school were so heavily damaged that they will not reopen until sometime between Oct. 24 and Nov. 7.
More from DA: Superintendent charged with DWI after crowd-surfing during football game
