ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Milton caused major issues across Central Florida, forcing school districts, colleges and universities to close.
Here’s where things stand:
Brevard County
All Brevard Public Schools and offices will be closed Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10 and Friday, Oct. 11.
“Monday, 10/14, will remain a Teacher Workday/Student Holiday. Students are expected to return to school on Tuesday, 10/15,” the district says. “We strongly encourage everyone to continue to follow the recommendations from Brevard County Emergency Management (Brevard EOC). Brevard Public Schools will continue to work collaboratively with the EOC on any changes or updates.”
Flagler County
Flagler Schools will be closing all schools from Wednesday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct. 11. All activities will be canceled from Wednesday, Oct. 9 through Thursday, Oct. 10. A decision on all activities on Friday, Oct. 11 is yet to be determined.
Tuesday, Oct. 8, we will have normal operations throughout the district. However, all outdoor after-school activities will be canceled. Extended Day will be open.
Lake County
Lake County Schools has revised its school operations plan to include an early release day on Tuesday, Oct. 8, in anticipation of Hurricane Milton’s arrival in our area. Schools will follow a Wednesday schedule for dismissals on Tuesday.
All after-school activities for Tuesday are canceled with the exception of Extended Learning Centers (ELC), which will remain open until 4 p.m. Select schools will open as shelters on Tuesday. Timing and locations will be determined by Lake County Emergency Management.
Schools will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10.
Friday, Oct. 11, is a pre-scheduled student day off and a teacher planning day. Teachers will have the option to work from home or at their school site on Friday, if it’s safe for them to do so.
Lake County public schools will reopen on Monday, Oct. 14.
Marion County
Marion County Public Schools announced that schools will be CLOSED on Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, and Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. Based on the latest weather predictions, Hurricane Milton will impact our area on Wednesday and Thursday.
Polk County
All PCPS schools and offices will be closed on Tuesday, Oct. 8, Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10, in response to this storm.
Orange County
Schools will be closed Wednesday through Monday.
District offices will reopen on Friday and 12-month employees need to be prepared to return to work at their regular time.
Monday, October 14, was already a designated student holiday and teacher workday.
Osceola County
Osceola County will close schools and district offices on Tuesday, Oct. 8 through Friday, Oct. 11.
“The decision to remain closed for the remainder of the week comes after looking carefully at the projected path of the storm, which currently includes our communities in Osceola County,” the district said.
Seminole County
Due to the anticipated impact of Hurricane Milton in our area, all SCPS schools will be closed the rest of this week, which includes Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, Oct. 9-11.
“As a reminder, Monday, 10/14 is a scheduled student holiday. Over the weekend, we will assess our campuses for potential damage and communicate additional information. School is expected to resume for students on Tuesday, October 15, 2024,” the district says.
We will continue to share updates directly with families and staff via our SchoolMessenger system, social media channels, and our website at Home - Seminole County Public Schools (scps.k12.fl.us).
Sumter County
Sumter Schools will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday. Friday status will depend on weather conditions and community status.
Volusia County
To allow staff and families additional time to prepare for the storm, Tuesday, Oct. 8, was an early release day. All schools let out one hour earlier than usual, at which time students and staff may leave. All after-school activities, except for Extended Day Enrichment Programs (EDEP), will be canceled on Tuesday. The board workshop scheduled for Tuesday afternoon will be moved to 10 a.m. on Tuesday, and the board meeting will be moved to 1 p.m.
All schools and district offices will also be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, and Thursday, Oct. 10. All after-school activities, including EDEP, will be canceled Wednesday and Thursday.
On Tuesday, the district announced that schools will now remain closed through Friday, Oct. 11.
Families and staff should continue to stay tuned to their emails, VCS social media, and the VCS Storm Resource Center webpage (www.vcsedu.org/community/storm-resource-center) for further updates that may impact operations.
Universities and Colleges
Daytona State College
Due to Hurricane Milton, all Daytona State College campuses will close from Tuesday, October 8 through Thursday, October 10. All activities and classes, including in-person and online classes, will be canceled. Updates will be on the DSC website.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Due to Hurricane Milton, all classes and events at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus will be closed from Oct. 8-10. We encourage students to prioritize safety, update families of travel plans and stay updated via campus alerts.
Florida Tech
University residence halls will remain open throughout the week. The current expectation is that residential students will shelter in place.
Normal operations are planned, and all classes will meet as scheduled Monday, Oct. 7 and Tuesday morning, Oct. 8.
Classes are canceled beginning at noon Tuesday, Oct. 8 so members of the campus community may prepare for the storm. Classes are canceled all day Wednesday, Oct. 9. Classes are canceled Thursday, Oct. 10, at least until noon.
Classes are scheduled to resume virtually at noon Thursday, Oct. 10. Classes will be delivered virtually Thursday afternoon and all day Friday, Oct. 11.
University offices will close beginning noon Tuesday, Oct. 8 and remain closed Wednesday, Oct. 9. Offices are anticipated to re-open at noon Thursday, Oct. 10.
University events are canceled beginning Tuesday, Oct. 8 at noon and tentatively set to resume Thursday afternoon, Oct. 10.
Full Sail University
Due to the current trajectory of Hurricane Milton and to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and faculty, we have made the decision to close Full Sail University’s campus from Tuesday, Oct. 8 through Friday, Oct. 11. On Tuesday, Oct. 8, campus classes and labs will move to remote operations via Zoom, with potential rescheduling for select campus labs. Students can contact their instructor(s) for full details.
From Wednesday, Oct. 9 through Friday, Oct. 11, all campus and online classes will be cancelled.
Nova Southeastern University
Nova Southeastern University will be closing its Jacksonville campus as of 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8, and it will remain closed through Friday, Oct. 11.
Polk State College
Polk State College and its collegiate high school offices will be closed Tuesday, Oct. 8, through Thursday, Oct. 10, due to Hurricane Milton. While College offices will be closed, remote instruction on Tuesday may be maintained. Students are encouraged to check their Canvas and my.polk.edu email accounts for communication from their professors regarding Tuesday classes. Instruction for online and the remote portion of hybrid classes may take place as scheduled on Tuesday, October 8, and some in-person courses may be moved online. Professors will communicate with their students about modality and will exercise flexibility with students who may encounter impacts of the storm, such as power and internet outages.
There will be no classes held on Wednesday or Thursday.
Rasmussen University
All Rasmussen University Florida campuses will close Tuesday, Oct. 8 with faculty and staff working remotely if they are able. Residential classes will shift online. All campuses will remain closed Wednesday, Oct. 9 with all classes cancelled for the day as the storm moves through.
Rollins College
Based on the current forecast of Hurricane Milton, all in-person classes & events are canceled Oct. 7-11. Residential students must evacuate campus and follow their Hurricane/Emergency Evacuation plan. The campus will close at 5 p.m. Oct. 8.
Stetson University
As of Friday, Stetson University did not have power at the DeLand campus and has canceled classes on Monday, Oct. 14.
Classes are tentatively set to resume on Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Utility crews are working in the DeLand area and Stetson expects power to be restored at any time. The university tentatively plans to reopen campus offices for normal operations on Monday, Oct. 14.
University of Florida
Due to Hurricane Milton, the University of Florida will close its offices and cancel classes, including online classes, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 9, through Thursday, Oct. 10.
All academic and student-related activities, including online classes and exams, will also be canceled during that time.
Notices of any other scheduling changes can be found on the UF home page and through official channels. Visit UF’s emergency updates page for additional details and information.
UCF
To give our community time to prepare for Hurricane Milton – which is expected to impact Central Florida starting Wednesday – all classes and campus operations are now suspended today through Friday, Oct. 11.
The university is expected to reopen for normal operations on Saturday, Oct. 12, and classes will resume Monday, Oct. 14. All academic assignments and exams, including for all classes with online components, remain suspended through Monday.
Valencia College
Due to the potential impact of Hurricane Milton, Valencia College will be closed Tuesday through Thursday. All in-person and online classes during that time will be canceled.
Monday classes will continue as scheduled. We are planning to reopen and resume normal business operations on Friday. Please continue to check social media and valenciacollege.edu/hurricane for updates.
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