Some schools in south Florida are still closed following the departure of Hurricane Milton from the state. Here is an update on the status of schools in our area:
- Indian River County: Schools will be closed on Friday, October 11.
- Martin County: Martin County schools will also be closed on Friday, October 11.
- Okeechobee County: Due to the impacts of Hurricane Milton, Okeechobee County Schools will not have classes on Friday, October 11. Additionally, Monday, October 14 is a Teacher Planning Day and students will not need to report to school.
- St. Lucie County: All St. Lucie County public schools and district offices will be closed on Friday, October 11. Shelters have been opened at Fort Pierce Westwood Academy and Treasure Coast High School. Students are scheduled to return on Tuesday, October 15 due to a prescheduled Teacher Workday on Monday.
- Palm Beach County: District schools and offices in Palm Beach County are closed from Friday through Monday with plans to reopen on Tuesday, October 15.
Private schools in the area also have their own closures:
- Pine Crest’s Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale campuses will reopen for a half day on Friday with all classes taking place as scheduled.
- St. Mark’s Episcopal Church and School in Palm Beach Gardens will remain closed until Thursday due to Hurricane Milton but plans to reopen its doors for school activities starting Friday.
- The Benjamin School is also closed until Thursday with after-school activities canceled except for Lower School After Care.
As for colleges and universities in Florida:
- Florida Atlantic University campuses in Boca Raton, Jupiter, and Broward County are expected to resume normal operations by Friday while HBOI’s operations remain suspended until further assessments can be completed.
- Florida A&M University has suspended all classes at satellite locations until Friday due to preparations for Hurricane Milton but expects normal operations by Saturday with classes resuming next Monday.
- Palm Beach State College has inspected all campuses and facilities giving them clearance for regular college operations starting this coming Friday including both online and in-person classes throughout the weekend.
- Other institutions such as Florida Gulf Coast University, Indian River State College (including Indiantown High School), Palm Beach Atlantic University (with remote academic instruction until this week), Lynn University (resuming normal operations by this week), Keiser University (closed Thursday but reopening normally by this week), University of Central Florida (expected reopening Saturday with class resumption next Monday), University of Florida (returning back fully operational by early morning this coming Friday) ,and finally the University of South Florida which remains temporarily shut down until at least Saturday.
This concludes our update regarding school closures caused by Hurricane Milton affecting south Florida.
The WPBF 25 team continues monitoring developments during the ongoing hurricane season forecasted for 2024