Tropical Storm Helene threat prompts Florida school closures
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The big story: It’s still the storm they call Helene. The bad weather isn’t expected to show up until Thursday. But school districts along the potential path of impact began closing their doors to give families a chance to prepare for the worst, while campus staff set up operations for evacuation shelters. Hillsborough and Pinellas school districts canceled classes and activities for today and Thursday. Pasco decided to keep going one more day before closing Thursday, to the dismay of some who wanted more time to get ready.
In all, 48 school districts plus a lab school and Florida Virtual have canceled some part of this week, as have 17 college systems and eight state universities. Visit the Department of Education for a full listing of school closures statewide. The State Board of Education canceled its in-person meeting today as well, instead moving to a conference call with a truncated agenda. Keep track of the latest hurricane news with the Tampa Bay Times live blog.