MIAMI – Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Broward County Public Schools will close Wednesday and Thursday as Hurricane Ian zeroes in on Florida, officials said Tuesday.
Broward schools had originally announced a Wednesday closure, but later extended its shutdown to include Thursday.
Additionally, Miami-Dade County will close “non-essential” services, such as libraries and parks on those same days, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava said.
Despite the fact that South Florida isn’t in the direct path of the storm, Levine Cava said the closures came out of an “abundance of caution” with parts of the county potentially facing tropical storm conditions.
Dotres, who joined Levine Cava and other county and municipal officials at a news conference Tuesday, said the school closures owe in part to the flooding threat and the large number of students who walk to school.
Levine Cava said essential county services, like the airport and transit, will remain operational.
Additionally, Miami-Dade College suspended classes Tuesday evening and Wednesday. The college said it intends to announce plans for Thursday sometime Wednesday.
Catholic schools in Miami-Dade, Broward and the Florida Keys will be closed Wednesday, a spokesperson for the Miami archdiocese said.
Florida International University also announced it will close Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday.
The University of Miami is moving all classes on its Coral Gables and Marine campuses to an online format beginning at 2 p.m. Tuesday and continuing throughout Wednesday.
Watch Miami-Dade County’s news conference here:
Related social media:
Schools and District offices will be closed Wednesday and Thursday, September 28 - 29. All before and after-school activities are canceled, including field trips and nighttime classes. Aftercare will not be available.
— Broward Schools (@browardschools) September 27, 2022
We will provide an update for Friday as soon as possible. pic.twitter.com/edu0x1MSb8