Central Florida colleges, schools reopen after Idalia. Here are the details

OCALA, Fla. – With Idalia projected to strike Florida as a major hurricane, many schools have announced closures in the coming days.

Here’s where things stand:

BREVARD COUNTY

Brevard Schools announced that schools will be closed Wednesday, Aug. 30.

All after-school activities will go on as scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 29 and officials said they expect schools to reopen on Thursday, Aug. 31.

Brevard Public Schools will reopen on Thursday, Aug. 31, and will have normal school activities for the rest of the week

FLAGLER COUNTY

Flagler Schools Interim Superintendent LaShakia Moore has made the decision to close all public schools on Wednesday, August 30th. This is in anticipation of the impending effects of the storm system currently in the Gulf of Mexico. Additional days may be needed depending on the aftermath of the storm.

Mrs. Moore urges our families to follow any emergency orders from the Flagler County Emergency Operations Center during this time.

All outdoor after-school activities planned for Tuesday, August 29th, have been canceled. However, indoor activities, including extended-day programs, can still take place.

Al Flagler schools will be in session Thursday, August 31st, as normally scheduled.

LAKE COUNTY

All after-school events are canceled Tuesday for Lake County public schools, with the exception of Extended Learning Centers, which will be open until 6 p.m. Parents, however, are asked to pick up their children from ELC as early as possible.

Schools and offices will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 29.

The Villages Elementary and Lost Lake Elementary will be used as storm shelters. Both will serve special-needs guests and are pet-friendly.

Lake County confirmed that all schools will reopen on Thursday.

MARION COUNTY

Marion County Public Schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday because of Tropical Storm Idalia, officials announced on Monday.

Schools are closing so they can be transitioned into shelters for local residents and storm evacuees.

All extra-curricular activities for Monday are canceled, with the exception of Marion Afterschool Programs.

Students will not have to make up the days thanks to time already in their regular school schedules, officials said.

Sheltering information is handled by Marion County Emergency Management and includes the following schools:

• West Port High School – special-needs shelter opening at 5 p.m. Monday

These general population shelters will open at 8 a.m. Tuesday:

• Forest High School (5000 SE Maricamp Rd., Ocala)
• Horizon Academy at Marion Oaks (365 Marion Oaks Dr., Ocala)
• Lake Weir High School (pet-friendly location at 10351 SE Maricamp Rd., Ocala)
• North Marion Middle School (2085 W. County Rd. 329, Citra)
• Vanguard High School (pet-friendly location at 7 NW 28 St., Ocala)

Starting at noon Monday, more information about shelters and storm preparations is available by calling the Citizens Hotline at 352.369.7500.

All Marion County public schools and district offices will reopen Thursday, Aug. 31, on normal operating schedules.

ORANGE COUNTY

All after-school activities must end Tuesday, Aug. 29 by 8 p.m. and will be canceled for Wednesday. We are planning on resuming school on Thursday, Aug. 31.

School officials said there will not be school for students on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Orange County schools will reopen on Thursday, Aug. 31

OSCEOLA COUNTY

All after-school activities and sporting events scheduled for Tuesday afternoon and evening, including Extended Day after-school care and the After the Bell middle school program, are canceled.

School officials said all district public schools in the Osceola School District will be closed on Wednesday.

All district offices and school campuses will also be closed. All after-school school activities, events, and programs are canceled Tuesday and Wednesday. At this time, plans are to reopen schools and district departments on Thursday, Aug. 31.

All Osceola public schools will reopen on Thursday, Aug. 31, after being closed for Hurricane Idalia.

POLK COUNTY

Polk County schools announced that the district is canceling all after-school programs and sports activities (including games and practices) on Tuesday.

PCPS schools and district offices will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 30, and Thursday, Aug. 31, in response to Tropical Storm Idalia. District officials said they expect to reopen on Friday, Sept. 1 pending weather.

SEMINOLE COUNTY

Officials in Seminole County said afterschool activities and evets will continue as usual on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

Seminole County public schools will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Seminole County public schools will resume regular school operations and activities on Thursday, Aug. 31.

SUMTER COUNTY

Sumter County school officials announced Monday that schools will have early dismissal Tuesday due to Idalia.

In addition, schools will be closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Any other school cancelations will be posted on the Sumter County School District website or communicated through the call-out system and school signs.

VOLUSIA COUNTY

Volusia County public school officials said that all district activities will cease at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29, and all schools and district offices will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 3.

All school activities, events, and programs scheduled for Wednesday are canceled.

Officials said all schools have been inspected and cleared with no damage. Volusia County Schools is ready to reopen tomorrow, Thursday, Aug. 31.

COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

UCF announced that academic and most campus operations have been suspended for Wednesday, Aug. 30.

Normal operations resume Thursday.

All classes are canceled Wednesday. No in-person, remote or online classes should be held or any assignments due during the suspension of classes.

Read more here.

Rollins College announced that in-person classes will not be held Wednesday.

“Faculty will implement their hurricane plan from their syllabi (virtual option, alternative assignment etc.) In-person campus programs/activities are cancelled 8/30,” the school tweeted.

Learn more here.

The College of Central Florida will be closed Tuesday, Aug. 29, and Wednesday, Aug. 30, due to Idalia.

The closing is for all sites, including the Ocala Campus, Citrus Campus, Levy Campus, Hampton Center, Appleton Museum and Vintage Farm, as well as online classes. Scheduled activities also have been canceled.

The College of Central Florida will reopen Thursday, Aug. 31, following Hurricane Idalia, officials said.

Nova Southeastern University will close its Orlando Regional Campus at the close of business Monday. All classes and extracurricular activities are canceled for students, faculty and staff.

The campus will remain closed until NSU officials determine it is safe to return. Students, faculty and staff at this regional campus are urged to monitor NSU’s Hurricane page for updates as they become available.

NSU is reopening its Orlando Regional Campus at 4850 Millenia Blvd. on Thursday, Aug. 31 under normal operating conditions.

The University of Florida said classes are canceled and the campus will close at noon on Tuesday and remain closed through Wednesday.

Keiser University announced the following closures:

• Keiser University Orlando: Beginning Tuesday 5 p.m., and Wednesday
• Keiser University Daytona Beach: Wednesday

Bethune-Cookman University will pivot to online classes on Wednesday through Friday.

The university will close school offices on Tuesday at noon.

The dining hall will close Tuesday at 4 p.m.

The Barry University School of Law’s Orlando campus will transition to remote operations starting on Tuesday, Aug. 29, according to a release from the school.

The release states that the campus will be closed on Wednesday, Aug. 30, and classes will be canceled.

Polk State College and its collegiate high schools will close at 5 p.m. Tuesday, August 29, and remain closed through Wednesday, August 30, due to Idalia.

Polk State College’s campuses, centers, and collegiate high schools will reopen on Thursday, Aug. 31, following Hurricane Idalia.

Students should communicate with their instructors, check Canvas, and their my.polk.edu email accounts for updates on classes and assignments.

Based on the currently forecasted path of Hurricane Idalia, which is expected to continue to strengthen, Rasmussen University has decided to close its North Orlando campus tomorrow, Wed., Aug. 30. All classes and clinicals will be canceled during this time. Faculty and staff may work remotely if it is safe to do so.

The University plans to reopen the campus on Thur., Aug. 31—pending conditions—and all classes and clinicals will resume at that time.

The University’s administration monitors weather conditions using the National Weather Service and local emergency service agencies in determining a specific course of action during a severe weather event. For status updates, students may call their campus directly or the Personal Support Center at 866-349-4357.

Eastern Florida State College canceled afternoon and evening classes for Tuesday, Aug. 29.

In addition, all classes and events planned for Wednesday, Aug. 30 and Thursday, Aug. 31. have been canceled.

The cancellation includes online classes, and students are not expected to complete any assignments with deadlines on those two days.

Full Sail University announced that all classes will remain as scheduled through 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 29.

However, FSU’s campus will be closed for operations on Wednesday, Aug. 30. Instead, classes and labs will move to remote operations via Zoom, and select campus labs might be rescheduled.

According to FSU, instructors and advisors will work with both campus and online students who are impacted by the storm to extend deadlines and make accommodations.

Full Sail will be able to return to normal operations on Thursday morning as planned. Class and lab schedules will resume on Thursday, Aug. 31 at 9:00 a.m. and faculty and staff will be asked to return to work during their regularly scheduled hours.