JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — As Tropical Storm Eta approaches Florida, some Jacksonville-area school districts have decided to close schools ahead of the storm’s arrival.
RELATED: Jacksonville-area live updates: Eta weakens, now a tropical storm
Here is the status of area schools and universities for Thursday as the storm approaches:
NORTHEAST FLORIDA
Duval County Public Schools: DCPS Superintendent Dr. Diana Greene said the district has decided to switch to online instruction through Duval Homeroom for Thursday.
- All classes for Thursday, Nov. 12, will be held online through Duval HomeRoom Elementary school classes will begin online at 10 a.m. and conclude at 3 p.m. Secondary school classes will begin and end at their normal time.
- DVIA (Duval Virtual Instruction Academy) students will do their work in their normal platform. Students should plan to be online to begin classes at the appropriate time.
- Families who may not have laptops can use their phones to get email assignments and instructions for their students.
- All after school activities for Nov. 12 are cancelled.
- There will be no school lunch service on Nov. 12.
Wayman Academy of the Arts is closed Thursday for in-person learning. Students will learn virtually via W.A.V.E. (Wayman Academy Virtual Education). In-person learning will resume on Friday.
St. Johns County School District: Schools will remain open Thursday. Extended Day will also run as normal, but after school activities are canceled.
Clay County School District: Clay County Schools, including Clay Virtual School are closed Thursday. The school district released the following statement:
"We are continuing to work alongside our partners at Clay County Emergency Management to monitor the potential effects of Tropical Storm Eta. Clay County currently remains under a Tropical Storm Watch. Based on current information from the National Hurricane Center and Clay County Emergency Management as of 4:45 this afternoon, we have decided to close all schools and offices tomorrow, Thursday, November 12th. This includes all after-school activities. Please know the decision to close schools is not taken lightly. As always, the safety of every individual is our top priority. We do have hurricane days built into our revised calendar for this school year, so no adjustments will need to be made to the student calendar.
"At this time, the plan is to resume all operations with schools and offices reopening on Friday, November 13th. We will continue to monitor the storm as it moves through our area over the next 24 hours and will work with our partner agencies to determine the need for any other potential closures. Please stay tuned as we provide updates through email, our district website, and social media pages.
“Thank you for your flexibility and please stay safe.”
Baker County School District: The Baker County Press reports that the district schools in the county will remain open on Thursday.
Nassau County School District: The district said “there will be no changes to school at this time” and that it is working closely with Nassau Emergency Management to monitor the storm.
Putnam County School District: Schools will be open Thursday. The school district said in a statement on its Facebook page, “District offices and Schools will resume operations tomorrow morning and after-school extracurricular activities will resume as planned.” The school district updated their statement on Facebook to include, “Student absences will be excused if parents decide to keep their children home due to the weather.”
Columbia County School District: Schools will be closed Thursday. The district released the following statement, saying in part, “the decision has been made to close schools on Thurs, 11/12. Employees should NOT report to work on Thursday. All normal school activities will resume on Friday.”
Bradford County School District: Schools will be closed Thursday. The district released the following statement:
"Due to potential flooding and the possibility of tornadoes associated with Tropical Storm ETA, all Bradford County public schools will be closed on Thursday, November 12, 2020.
“We are continuing to monitor the situation and will provide further updates when new information is available.”
Union County School District: Schools will be closed Thursday. The school district posted the following statement on its website:
"Due to the most recent projections of Hurricane Eta and out of an abundance of caution for our students and staff, the Union County School District will be closed on Thursday, November 12, 2020. Students will return to school on Monday, November 16, since they were already supposed to be out on Friday, November 13, due to a Staff Professional Development Day.
"Faculty and staff are scheduled to return to work on Friday, November 13. As of now, the football game scheduled for Friday, November 13, is still be played as scheduled. You will be notified of any changes. Please monitor the district website as well as your school’s social media site for updates.
“Please take the necessary precautions for you and your family.”
St. Johns Country Day School, Orange Park: The school will be closed Thursday and released the following statement:
“St. Johns Country Day School, in Orange Park, will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, November 12, 2020. This includes administrative offices, before and after school care, bridged/distance learning, after school athletics practices, and other extracurricular activities.”
Episcopal School of Jacksonville: The school’s campuses will be closed Thursday but plan to reopen Friday. The school released the following statement:
"Episcopal is closely monitoring Tropical Storm Eta and its projected path. Due to safety concerns for our community, all three Episcopal campuses will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, November 12. The current timing of the storm raises safety concerns regarding our students, families, faculty, and staff traveling to and from our campuses.
"On Friday, November 13, all three campuses will be open as planned.
"Should any additional changes to the schedule be necessary, we will notify you through the text alert system, email, and Episcopal app.
Trinity Christian Academy: The school will be open Thursday. Outdoor activities and after school may be limited depending on the weather. The school sent us this statement:
"We are closely monitoring all available sources with our campus location in mind. Trinity Christian Academy will be open for all classes tomorrow, 11/12. Outdoor activities and after school sports may be limited depending on weather.
If parents do not feel safe bringing their student to TCA tomorrow, their student will not be marked absent, however they will need to make up missed work.
Should a change in the weather further impact TCA operations, alerts will be provided through website, email, social media, and/or SMS"
The Bolles School: The school’s campuses will be closed Thursday but plan to reopen Friday. The school released the following statement:
“Out of an abundance of caution and with safety as a top priority, all four Bolles campuses will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, November 12, due to weather. Unless anything changes, classes will resume as scheduled on Friday, November 13.”
Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind: The school will be open Thursday. The school made a statement on Facebook:
“Based on the latest weather information as of 7:00 pm this evening, FSDB has decided to keep classes in session tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 12. All after-school activities have been cancelled. Day students riding yellow buses will be picked up in the morning at their normal scheduled time. FSDB will continue to monitor the storm as it moves through our area over the next 24 hours. Check for updates via Skyward email, the FSDB website and social media.”
SOUTHEAST GEORGIA
Camden County Schools: Currently planning to have school Thursday and Friday; will track the storm and will keep families updated if any adjustments need to be made to the regularly scheduled school day.
Glynn County Public Schools: No reported closures at this time.
Ware County Schools: No reported closures at this time.
Brantley County School System: No reported closures at this time.
Pierce County School District: No reported closures at this time.
Charlton County School System: No reported closures at this time.
LOCAL AND REGIONAL UNIVERSITIES
University of Florida: Classes canceled and campus closed Thursday due to Eta. The campus will reopen Friday.
University of North Florida: UNF will remain open on Thursday:
“The latest update from the National Hurricane Center shows Eta weakened to a tropical storm Wednesday afternoon after it was a Category 1 hurricane earlier in the day. UNF’s campus will remain open tomorrow and all campus operations will continue as usual. However, staff who need to make other arrangements should work with their supervisor. Classes will be in session. However, faculty teaching on-campus may work with their students to make other arrangements if needed. If there is a change in the weather that would impact University operations, alerts will be provided through multiple channels including emails, Safe Ospreys App notifications, social media, the UNF homepage and other communication methods as outlined on the Emergency Management webpage at https://www.unf.edu/emergency/.”
Keiser University, Jacksonville campus: "Due to ongoing effects from Tropical Storm Eta, Keiser University’s physical Jacksonville campus will be closed on Thursday, November 12, 2020.
“Online and hybrid classes at this location will continue as previously scheduled and students scheduled to be on campus will attend classes virtually. Faculty and staff will work remotely. Students, staff, and faculty should visit www.keiseruniversity.edu or call 1-877-353-4737 for updates.”
Florida Gateway College, Lake City: The school will delay its opening Thursday and released the following statement:
“Due to the uncertain circumstances surrounding storm Eta, Florida Gateway College has delayed all classes for Thursday November 12, 2020 until 11:30am Thursday morning. All offices will be closed tomorrow until 11:30am when normal business hours resume. The decision to delay classes was made in order to allow for the completion of the semester while taking into consideration the safety of students and staff. The College Board of Trustees meeting scheduled for November 12, 2020 has also been canceled and has been rescheduled for Thursday November 19, 2020. We encourage our students, faculty, staff and the community to take all precautions and be safe.”
Florida State College at Jacksonville: The school will continue its normal operations on Thursday and released the following statement:
“Based on the most recent update from the COJ Emergency Operations Center regarding TS Eta, FSCJ will continue normal operations tomorrow, November 12. Any updates will be provided through email, FSCJ alerts, social media and our website.”
Edward Waters College: The school will continue its normal operations on Thursday and released the following statement:
“The Edward Waters College Emergency Management Team is closely monitoring the current weather conditions. As such, keeping the College’s community safe and informed are top priorities as we continue to track the progress of Tropical Storm Eta. Toward that end, the College will proceed with normal operating hours tomorrow, November 12, 2020 as its Emergency Management Team continues to monitor the storm and post-storm impact. However, staff who need to make arrangements should work with their supervisor. Additionally, classes will be in session, although faculty teaching on-campus may work with their students to make arrangements if needed. For updates, please continue to check the College website at www.ewc.edu, campus email, and the College’s social media outlets, as these again are the official means of communication. Further, you may also follow updates from the local news affiliates and the City of Jacksonville Emergency Preparedness website.”
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