Parents and Families,

Thanks to the tireless work of school district maintenance, custodial and food service operations teams, as well as school principals and their staff, the School District of Manatee County will reopen to students tomorrow morning, Tuesday, October 15, 2024.

We are aware and understand that many of you – like many school district employees - continue to face challenges. Our hearts are with all of you and your families during these difficult times. It is our hope that a return to school can provide a sense of normalcy for your students and families and that this can be a significant step on the road to recovery.

As of this afternoon, all of our schools have power, including Manatee Technical College. Our operations teams have been busy assessing and repairing facilities while cleaning the 17 schools that served as shelters. We are thankful to everyone involved in these efforts, as well as all the employees who selflessly put in the many hours to host more than 11,000 residents and evacuees in our schools during the storm.

Even so, in the wake of Hurricane Milton, we are aware and caution you that reopening schools tomorrow will not be without challenges. We ask that you and your students approach the reopening of school tomorrow as if it were the first day of school. The timing of bus routes could be delayed and there could be unexpected outages of power or air-conditioning at various times and schools. We ask for your patience and grace in these situations, and we especially encourage everyone to exercise additional caution on our roads and around our school buses. Parents, please examine and make sure your child’s path to schools and bus stops are safe and clear of debris.

Tomorrow begins Quarter 2. We are working with schools to be sure that Quarter 1 grades will be finalized in a flexible manner that meets student and teacher needs. Further information will be provided as we progress through the week.

We are excited to welcome our students back to our schools and classrooms tomorrow. Working together, Manatee County will recover and rebuild.

Thank you.

Parents and Families,

Our thoughts are with each of you in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. This storm has had a historic impact on our area and this is a time for us to rally around those in need, and support and encourage each other as we prepare to welcome students back to our campuses. We are thankful that 17 of our schools were able to serve our community as shelters during the storm, providing protection to more than 11,000 residents and families. Many of our employees have worked tirelessly this week to support shelter operations, and our entire community is grateful for their selflessness.

Today, district maintenance teams conducted an assessment of all our schools for power outages and damage. As of this evening, 33 of our schools and worksites are still without power. We will be working overtime this weekend to do everything possible to get our schools up and running as soon as power is restored.

Monday, October 14, 2024 is a previously scheduled Record Day, so there will be no school for students.

Our hope is for students to return to school on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
A decision regarding a Tuesday return will be made by 5 p.m. Monday, October 14, 2024.

Updates will be shared through Mass Notifications phone calls, emails and texts, as well as through our social media sites on Facebook (ManateeSchoolsGoodNews), X (formerly Twitter) (@Manateeschools) and on our district website at https://www.manateeschools.net/storm.

Due to the fact that we have lost valuable instructional time due to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is extremely important that we get our students refocused on teaching and learning so they can reach and exceed their learning goals.

Thank you.

Parents and Families,

We hope you and your family are safe after Hurricane Milton.

We continue to support our community with schools serving as shelters.

Tomorrow, October 11, 2024, we will assess damage and power to all our schools. We will update you about next week once we have that information.

Updates will be shared through Mass Notifications phone calls, emails and texts, as well as through our social media sites on Facebook (ManateeSchoolsGoodNews), X (formerly Twitter) (@Manateeschools) and on our district website at https://www.manateeschools.net/storm.

Thank you.

Parents and Families,

We are continuing to work closely with the County Emergency Operations Center. Ten Manatee District schools are now serving as shelters to house residents in need of assistance until the storm passes. Additional schools are on standby to serve as shelters as needed. In addition, we have opened other district sites to emergency responders from outside agencies who are staged to help residents post storm.

Based on these developments and the current forecast of the storm, schools will remain closed to students Thursday, October 10 and Friday, October 11, 2024. All athletic events and other extra-curricular activities are also canceled through Friday, October 11, 2024.

Once the storm has passed and we have an assessment of our schools, we will update you on plans to resume classes for students.

Remember, you can follow updates on this storm and its impact on our schools through Mass Notifications phone calls, emails and texts, as well as through our social media sites on Facebook (ManateeSchoolsGoodNews), X (formerly Twitter) (@Manateeschools) and on our district website at https://www.manateeschools.net/storm.

Please take all precautions to keep you and your loved ones safe. Our thoughts are with the entire community as we endure this storm together. We look forward to welcoming our students, families and staff back into our schools and classrooms soon. 

Thank you.

The School Board meeting, and shade meetings scheduled for Tuesday, October 8, 2024, are cancelled due to Hurricane Milton. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the School Board is Tuesday, October 22, 2024, at 5 p.m.

We will keep you updated on this storm as we receive additional information about its impact on our schools. Updates will be shared through Mass Notifications phone calls, emails and texts, as well as through our social media sites on Facebook (ManateeSchoolsGoodNews), X (formerly Twitter) (@Manateeschools) and on our district website at https://www.manateeschools.net/storm.

We encourage you all to take this time to prepare for the upcoming storm. Please stay safe and we look forward to welcoming students, families and staff back in our schools and classrooms soon.

Thank you.

Parents and Families,

We are working closely with Manatee County Emergency Management to prepare for the impact of Hurricane Milton. The district has been notified that several of our schools will be needed as storm shelters beginning tomorrow, Monday October 7, 2024.

To support our community, all School District of Manatee County Schools will be closed Monday, October 7, 2024 through Wednesday, October 9, 2024. All school activities, including athletics, are canceled Monday through Wednesday.

Information regarding the remainder of the week will be communicated after the storm passes, shelter operations conclude, and teams have had an opportunity to assess the condition of district campuses.

We will keep you updated on this storm as we receive additional information about its impact on our schools. Updates will be shared through Mass Notifications phone calls, emails and texts, as well as through our social media sites on Facebook (ManateeSchoolsGoodNews), X (formerly Twitter) (@Manateeschools) and on our district website at https://www.manateeschools.net/storm.

We encourage you all to take this time to prepare for the upcoming storm. Please stay safe and we look forward to welcoming students, families and staff back in our schools and classrooms soon.

Thank you.

Parents, Families and Employees,
 
The School District of Manatee County’s Safety and Security Team is working with Manatee County Emergency Management to monitor the movements of Tropical Storm Milton. 

A decision will be made and communicated later today regarding school for tomorrow Monday, October 7, 2024.

We will keep you updated as we receive additional information about this system’s impact on our schools. Updates will be shared through Mass Notifications phone calls, emails and texts, as well as through our social media sites on Facebook (ManateeSchoolsGoodNews), X (formerly Twitter) (@Manateeschools) and on our district website at https://www.manateeschools.net/storm.

Thank you.