This week, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that on Thursday, just one week since Hurricane Idalia passed through Florida, all 67 school districts will be open and ready to serve students.
Florida Education Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. and the Florida Department of Education have been in constant communication with superintendents in districts impacted by Hurricane Idalia regarding their needs to get their communities back on their feet. Since the storm hit, Diaz visited Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwanee, and Taylor Counties to survey damage and speak with superintendents firsthand about the storm.
“As Hurricane Idalia approached Florida, we worked to ensure schools had what they needed to weather the storm and get back on their feet once it passed,” said DeSantis. “Florida’s preparation and immediate recovery efforts have enabled all school districts to be back open just one week after a major hurricane. Thank you to the superintendents, principals, and teachers who put students first by reopening quickly and safely.”
“We are grateful for all of the hard work it has taken to get these school districts open,” said Diaz. “This will have a huge impact on our students and communities as they are working to return to normalcy. We will continue to do all we can to aid our school districts as they continue in the recovery process.”
“Our community is grateful for the determination and dedication our school and district staff have shown as well as the assistance we have received from Governor DeSantis, Lieutenant Governor Nuñez, Commissioner Diaz, the Department of Education, and volunteers from across the state and nation,” said Shirley Joseph, the superintendent of the Madison County School District. “We are committed to continue supporting our students as they return to the classroom.”
“We are working hard to reopen schools for our students because we know how important a safe and supportive learning environment is,” said Ted Roush, the superintendent of the Suwanee County School District.“We appreciate the support we have received from our district personnel and the state and will continue to do all we can for our school community as we recover from Hurricane Idalia.”
DeSantis dispatched the Department of Education to affected counties to aid with the restoration process and to provide guidance and support to the district teams working to reopen schools. A team of operations and facilities staff from the Bay County school district also traveled to Madison County to help clear debris across the district and to share lessons learned from Bay County’s successful reopening efforts after Hurricane Michael.
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