Hurricane Irma
(9/13/17 1:30pm)
Flagler Schools to Reopen Monday
Flagler Schools Superintendent James Tager announces classes will resume Monday. All extracurricular activities, athletic practices and competitions are canceled until Monday. This follows damage assessments at our schools and within our community, and the needed additional cleanup time following Hurricane Irma.
Superintendent Tager says, “We want everyone to return to clean, safe schools.”
Many of our families are still dealing with power outages and other post-storm issues. We also have concerns about getting our buses and children to their bus stops safely.
We have lost a total of six days due to the closure before and after Hurricane Irma. Our school calendar for the 2017-18 school year includes three make-up days, November 20, 21, and 22rd. While we do have time built into the schedule to account for lost days, we are still working with the Florida Department of Education and Governor Scott to determine if make-up days will be needed.
(9/12/17 6:00pm)
September 12, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Flagler County School District
Jason Wheeler
Schools Remain Closed
Superintendent of Schools James Tager reiterates all Flagler Schools campuses will remain closed Wednesday.
There are several factors determining when we can resume classes. We continue to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Irma at our sites and are working with Flagler County to ensure our buses can safely travel throughout the county. Many of our schools sustained some water damage but our custodial and maintenance teams are working to ensure affected areas are clean. Five of our schools were utilized as shelters so those sites must be thoroughly sanitized before our students can return. We also have many of our families as well as Flagler Schools teachers and staff who evacuated the area ahead of the hurricane’s arrival.
Superintendent Tager is receiving regular updates and a decision on the schedule for the remainder of the week is expected to be made early Wednesday afternoon. We realize the importance of bringing normalcy to our students following a natural disaster like Hurricane Irma. The Flagler School district is committed to doing that as soon as possible and will continue the work to make sure our campuses are safe for our students prior to their return.
September 11th @ 11:45am
School Cancellation Extended Through Wednesday
Flagler Schools Superintendent James Tager announces school will continue to be closed until Thursday, September 14th.
After working closely with Flagler County emergency managers, Superintendent Tager says, “Many of our families here in Flagler County are in need of shelter after the late course change by Hurricane Irma. For that reason, our schools will need to remain in shelter operation for an additional day.”
There are already questions about “make-up” days, but Superintendent Tager says the district will need to consult with the Florida Department of Education. We will have a decision on that shortly.
Please continue to monitor our district website and social media accounts for the most current status and additional information.
Superintendent Cancels Classes Tuesday
Flagler Schools Superintendent James Tager announces classes scheduled for Tuesday, September 12th have been canceled.
Superintendent Tager says “We are closely monitoring the projected path of Hurricane Irma. While it appears the storm is continuing a westward track, many of our families heeded the evacuation order from Governor Scott. Many people traveled out of the area, while others are taking shelter in our schools. For these reasons, we want to give our families time to get home safely so we will cancel classes through Tuesday, September 12th.”
We will continue to monitor the path of the storm and status of our community after it passes. Our focus will be to help our families resume regular activities as soon as possible and our desire is to reopen our campuses by Wednesday, September 13th as circumstances allow. Please continue to monitor our district website and social media accounts for the most current status and additional information.
September 7th @ 11:10am - The Youth Center will close at 5:30pm today in preparation for the storm. Please make necessary arrangements to either be picked up by then or ride the bus home.
September 7th @ 10:00am – If Hurricane Irma remains on the current course, shelters will likely open on Saturday morning, and residents should plan ahead if they intend to evacuate to one of them.
“The National Hurricane Center continues to track and define Irma’s path,” Flagler County Public Safety Emergency Manager Steve Garten said. “We are paying close attention and planning accordingly. We have not opened shelters yet, and we will send out notification as soon as the decision is made.”
Flagler Schools announced late Wednesday that classes and activities are cancelled Friday in advance of the storm.
Shelters will be prepared at Rymfire Elementary – for special needs – and at Bunnell Elementary for residents with crated, domesticated pets and the general population.
Bunnell Elementary – General Population and Pets
305 N. Palmetto Street, Bunnell
Rymfire Elementary – Special Needs
1425 Rymfire Drive, Palm Coast
If necessary, the special needs shelter will open first to allow extra time to transport and situate residents at that shelter. Those who have registered on the special needs evacuation registry will be individually called in advance of the shelter opening.
Notification will be posted on Flagler County’s website, www.flaglercounty.org, to notify the community when the shelters are to open, as well as through the local media.
Some cots will be available at the shelters. Residents will be permitted to bring single/twin size inflatable mattresses. Queen and king size mattresses will not be allowed.
All residents should bring:
- 72-hour supply of all medications
- Sleeping bags, pillows, and blankets
- Extra chargers and batteries for electronics
- Headphones for music devices
- Snacks and “comfort foods” – meals will be served
- Those with special diets should bring appropriate foods
- No weapons allowed
- No illegal narcotics allowed
- No alcohol allowed
Residents with pets (Bunnell Elementary only):
- Animals must be crated
- Animals must have current vaccination records and supplies, including medications
- “Pets” are dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, rodents, and turtles
- Four (4) pet maximum
- No snakes, reptiles or farm animals and livestock
- No drop offs
Residents with special needs (Rymfire Elementary):
- Special needs residents are those who require assistance with daily living or who have medical conditions that prevent or hinder their ability to care for themselves, as well as those who require electricity or oxygen
- A family member or caregiver should stay at the shelter with the individual
- Special needs shelters provide only limited medical care
September 6th @ 4:45pm
Flagler Schools Superintendent James Tager announces all schools will be closed Friday and Monday in advance of Hurricane Irma. While we are not expected to feel the effects of the storm until later in the weekend Superintendent Tager says, “Out of an abundance of caution, I want to give our families the additional time to prepare their homes for this storm or to evacuate if they feel that decision is in their best interest.”
All after-school activities planned for Friday and Monday, as well as all weekend activities have been canceled.
Shelters are being prepared to provide a safe environment for our Flagler Community. These emergency shelters, which are shelters of last resort are not expected to open until Saturday morning at the earliest. We are preparing Rymfire Elementary School as a special needs shelter and Bunnell Elementary School as a general population/pet shelter. Additional sites may be opened, as necessary.
We encourage all Flagler County residents to prepare for this massive storm. You can find additional information at www.flaglercounty.org.
September 6th @ 1:45pm
Flagler Schools is monitoring Hurricane Irma and we are in constant contact with our local and state emergency managers. No cancellations have been announced at this time. We are constantly getting updates on this storm's path and timeline. Should closures be needed, it will be so our families have time to make storm arrangements or evacuations.
Now is the time for you to make sure your contact information is up to date at your child's school so you will receive the latest phone and email updates via our Skyward system.
Updates to our school status, if needed will be via phone, our District website, and social media accounts.
Please visit www.flaglercounty.org/emergency for updated storm information from Flagler County.
Additionally, an informational call center is open Wednesday until 6pm and lines will be open from 6am-11pm Thursday. That number is (386) 586-5111.
September 3rd @ 8:00pm: We are currently monitoring Hurricane Irma. If there are any changes to our scheduling we will post immediately. We will follow direction from Flagler Schools in the event the storm forecast changes.