Sarasota County public schools will reopen on Thursday, Aug. 31, for normal school operations including transportation services, food services and after-school activities.

Sarasota County schools that were serving as emergency evacuation centers have closed and are in the process of being cleaned and reconfigured for students and employees. For students enrolled at a charter school, please check directly with the school for updates on reopening. 

School buses will be running their normal routes, but there may be some delays due to local flooding, street closures and excess traffic. Use the WheresTheBus app for real-time route updates. For more information about the app and how to sign up, click here.

For students who walk or bike to school, the district encourages testing their route prior to setting out to ensure those are still safe options.

The district also urges families to let their child's school know if returning is a hardship. Resources to help may be available.

In Manatee County, school district principals and maintenance teams will begin assessing the status of public schools to determine storm impacts. This process will determine when schools will be ready to reopen; an update is scheduled for after 5 p.m. today. We'll keep you posted as we learn more.