Schools Close Due to Tropical Storm Isaac, Some to Serve as Shelters
National Weather Service
The projected path of Tropical Storm Isaac, according to the 11 a.m. advisory from the National Weather Service.
School in the Florida Keys will be closed on Monday due to the predicted weather conditions associated with Tropical Storm Isaac.
All Monroe County schools, offices and facilities will be closed, and school campuses have already been identified as shelter locations.
The Monroe County Emergency Management has identified Key West High School, Switlik School and Coral Shores High School as shelters.
Update on 8/25/12 at 3:42pm ET:
A fourth Keys storm shelter opened Saturday at Sugarloaf School.
The complete list of shelters is:
Key West High School, 2100 Flagler Ave
Sugarloaf School, Mile Marker 19 on Sugarloaf Key
Stanley Switlik, Mile Marker 48 in Marathon
Coral Shores High School, Mile Marker 90 in Islamorada
Those who go to any of the shelters must bring their own supplies, including bedding, food and medicine.
Florida International University and the University of Miami are closing at 7 p.m. Saturday through Monday.
Miami Dade College classes are closing Sunday through Monday.
Florida National University will be closed on Monday.
Update on 8/26/2012 at 4:24 pm ET
Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University and Edison State College will be closed on Monday.
Pasco, Hernando, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Lee and Collier County schools will also be closed on Monday.
Our original post published Friday:
The district says it will continue to monitor the storm and update its website.
Tropical Storm Isaac is expected to turn into a hurricane and could affect other parts of the state. But so far, school districts between Miami and Tallahassee have not decided whether schools would be open Monday.
That doesn’t mean they haven’t been preparing.
Dylan Thomas with Orange County public schools spoke to the Orlando Sentinel about some of the precautions they’re already taking.
Part of the planning is to be ready in case schools are needed as evacuation sites for coastal communities, he said.
Tropical Storm Isaac has sustained winds now at 60 mph.
One of the first decisions likely concerns busing. It is considered unsafe to transport students in school buses when winds are over 35 mph., Thomas said.
Parents and students across Florida should watch out for possible announcements about school bus schedules and school cancellations over the weekend.
Check out our Storify on parents and students who have taken to social media to say some schools made the decision to cancel classes too early, while others appreciated the precaution.