The decision to close schools stems from a 4 p.m. conference call Florida's school district superintendents had with the state commissioner of education. Also note that we have incorporated non-student days such as teachers preparation days, teachers services days, and professional development days into the dates below. Police departments The Marco Island Police Department lobby is closed to … He said the focus for the closure will be “ensuring that all of our schools have been cleaned deeply” while academic leaders work on a plan to allow distance learning should the closures be extended. This continued school closure includes the following: Hendry County School District says Hendry County schools will remain closed through May 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Should the district need to take up this option, instruction will lean on the use of Chromebooks. The commissioner of the Florida Department of Education has directed all public schools in Florida to continue to be closed through May 1. “There’s a lot of unknowns with the COVID-19 situation and this (break) will give us enough time, I think, to really evaluate and make these plans more long-term,” Adkins said. Because each school system is on different schedules for spring break, they will each get two weeks of closure time — so an extra week. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Although there has been no decision, the state is considering how the time out of the classroom will be made up or if it will be waived. Interact with us through your video, pictures and comments on Facebook and Twitter. Students in fourth and fifth grades are assigned laptops, but the district would need to “get those into their hands should the need arise,” Adkins said. Collier County Public School confirmed Monday all its schools will stay closed through May 1 and be reevaluated at that time. "We know that we are going to upset people on both sides. Based on recommendations from the Florida Department of Education and the State of Florida, the School District of Lee County will extend its school closures until May 1,. At the earliest, Lee students would be back in school March 30. Additional school closures will be re-evaluated by the Florida Department of Education prior to May 1, and any changes will continue to be communicated to families. “Our district is fortunate, we have a lot of technology and so getting technology in the hands of our students hopefully won’t be too much of an issue,” Mitchell said. Extracurricular activities, like athletics and competitions, district-sponsored student travel in and out of the county and community education classes will be canceled. “We don’t take any of this lightly,” Mitchell said. We are the most experienced, most accurate, most trusted weather team in Southwest Florida. Adkins believes the extra week off will give district staff time to plan ahead. But this is still a "very fluid situation," said Lee County Superintendent Greg Adkins said during a Friday evening press conference. The Chromebooks and other devices would likely be handed out via community drop-off stations, similar to how food is delivered during long breaks from school. Although district staff will be working the two weeks schools are closed, staff will be communicating with the two employee unions to ensure all staff and educators are notified of their expected work schedules. Superintendent Dr. Greg Adkins wrote District staff continue to work with the Florida Department of Education to ensure students will not be negatively impacted by the changes to their learning process.