School College Closures and Cancellations in the Tampa Bay Area Tropical Storm Hurricane Ian

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Several school districts and universities in the Tampa Bay area have announced closures related to Hurricane Ian. This list will be updated as more locations announce closures as the Florida storm approaches.

In the general Tampa Bay area, all Catholic schools and early learning centers in the Diocese of St. Petersburg will be closed starting September 27, including Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

Hernando County

All schools and district offices in Hernando will be closed Tuesday through Friday while officials prepare some school buildings as shelters. You can read more about these shelters here.

Hillsborough County

Schools in Hillsborough County will close on Monday so the county can prepare to use the buildings as shelters ahead of Tropical Storm Ian. All schools will close from Monday September 26 to Thursday September 29.

The City of Tampa is opening 16 “out-of-school camps” sites Monday and Tuesday to help families impacted by school closings. You can find a full list of these sites here.

Berkeley Prep School will also be closed through Sept. 30 following Hillsborough County’s Area A evacuation order. The school will notify parents, students and staff later if they will be open on Friday.

Tampa Holy Names Academy will be closed Sept. 27-30, including classes, after-school programs, and events.

The Gulfport and Tampa campuses of the Stetson University College of Law will also be closed until Thursday, September 29 due to anticipated impacts from Hurricane Ian.

St. Mary’s Episcopal School will be closed until September 29.

Hardee County

Schools will be closed Tuesday and Thursday.

manatee county

Manatee County schools are open as usual on Monday, September 26.

Pasco County

Schools in Pasco County will close Tuesday, September 27 through Friday, September 30.

Pinellas County

Some schools in Pinellas County will have early layoffs Monday so the county can prepare to open them to the public as special needs shelters before Ian.

The following schools in Pinellas County will release students at 12:30 p.m. on Monday, September 26:

• Palm Harbor University High School
• Dunedin Highland Secondary School
• Johns Hopkins College

All schools in Pinellas County will close Tuesday, September 27 and are expected to remain closed through September 30. Extracurricular activities are also cancelled.

Additionally, the Canterbury School of Florida will be closed from Tuesday, September 27 through Thursday, September 29.

Shorecrest Preparatory School in St. Petersburg announced it will close Sept. 27-29 as Hurricane Ian continues toward Tampa Bay.

Polk County

Polk County schools are open as usual on Monday, September 26 and Tuesday, September 27. On Sunday, the school district said after-school activities could be canceled on Tuesday and schools would likely be closed Wednesday and Thursday.

Sarasota County

Sarasota County schools will be closed starting Tuesday out of caution for Hurricane Ian. It will also give them time to prepare facilities as emergency evacuation centers.

“As we continue to monitor the path of Hurricane Ian and its potential impacts, residents are encouraged to review their emergency plans and prepare their go-kits,” said Sarasota County Administrator Jonathan Lewis.

University of South Florida

Classes at the University of South Florida are canceled for most of this week. The university has announced that classes will be canceled from September 26 to October 3.

University of Tampa

The University of Tampa will be closed starting Monday, September 26. The university plans to resume all campus operations by Monday, October 3. The campus, including the residence halls, could begin to be evacuated as early as Monday.

Saint Leo University

Saint Leo University offers online courses for all Florida locations before the storm. According to a statement from the university, “In addition to the residential campus in Pasco County, Florida, this includes Florida locations in Tampa, MacDill Air Force Base, the Spring Hill, Brooksville and New Port Richey campuses of Pasco-Hernando. State University”.

Pasco-Hernando State College

The college begins its operational closures from Tuesday to Friday.

Nova Southeastern University

NSU’s Tampa Bay/Clearwater campus will close Sept. 27-October 2, school officials say. Classes and activities are expected to resume on October 3. The Fort Myers campus will also close.

South Florida College

Florida Southern College canceled all classes Sept. 26-30. Students living on campus may be required to relocate to an on-campus shelter. Food will be provided, but the college says options may be limited. For students living in college-owned homes, FSC is asking them to move to Branscomb Auditorium at 5 p.m. September 27 and stay until the hurricane has passed.

St. Petersburg College

Saint Petersburg College will be closed from September 27 to 30. All classes will be canceled and all areas of campus closed due to potential impacts from Hurricane Ian.

University of the South – Tampa Campus

The South University campus in Tampa will close beginning at 5 p.m. on September 26. University officials said the school will remain closed until September 29.

Keizer University

The Sarasota, Tampa, Clearwater, New Port Richey and Lakeland campuses of Keiser University will be closed September 27-29.