PCPS Storm Recovery Update for Sept. 30
September 30, 2022
The following message is from Superintendent Fred Heid regarding our recovery efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian:
Dear PCPS families,
I want to begin by saying that we truly hope that you and your loved ones are safe following the storm.
We are all thankful for the cooler weather over the last couple days. The heat and humidity that typically follow a hurricane can become unbearable.
It has been a very long and stressful 72 hours. Cleanup efforts are underway. We all want to return to some sense of normalcy. We are making progress, but there is still much work to be done.
Please allow me to share some important updates:
School Status for Next Week: Monday (Oct. 3) – Friday (Oct. 7)
At this time, I am unable to make a decision whether school operations will resume on Monday, Oct. 3.
Many of our schools continue to experience power outages. We have more than 131 PCPS school sites, and there were 77 without power as of yesterday (Sept. 29).
We are grateful to the utility workers who are laboring to restore power throughout our community. The outpouring of support from Florida’s utility companies and neighboring states is truly humbling. If you see a utility crew, give them a friendly wave and a thank you.
If power is restored today or tomorrow to all school sites, reopening schools on Monday (Oct. 3) may be possible if we can address the following critical areas of operation:
- Ensuring schools can prepare food safely with necessary refrigeration, sanitation, and water service
- Completing post-storm cleanup of our campuses
- Having enough staff available to resume school operations
We know that closing schools has a huge impact on the plans and lives of our students and employees, as well as their families. Reopening schools is an essential part of the recovery effort.
Having children in school and away from hazardous storm damage is very important. Many of our students rely upon our schools for food and other support. Our schools also serve as a safe and structured environment for our students.
We are working to reopen schools as quickly as possible, but we must make sure our campuses can function properly and safely. Please look for regular updates via email, automated phone calls, our website and social media.
*Important links*
- PCPS website: polkschoolsfl.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/polkcountypublicschools
- Twitter: twitter.com/polkschoolsnews
- Instagram: Instagram.com/polkcountypublicschools
