These Tampa Bay area schools, colleges are closing due to Idalia

As Tropical Storm Idalia approaches Florida’s gulf coast, schools, colleges and universities in Tampa Bay and beyond are watching closely. Here is a look at what schools have announced so far:

Public schools

Hillsborough County Public Schools: All district schools and offices will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday, and all after-school programs and extracurricular activities are canceled as well on those days. Some schools will be used as storm shelters for evacuees in flood zones. Officials expect to reopen all schools on Thursday. Go here for updates.

Pinellas County Schools: All district schools and offices will be closed on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the county activated its storm shelter plan. All sports and school activities scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday are canceled.

Pasco County Schools: District schools will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday and resume regular school hours on Thursday, according to an announcement Monday. This includes all after-school enrichment programs, including PLACE, DELTA, and STAR. At 8 a.m. Tuesday, the district will open the following schools as shelters: Fivay High, Centennial Middle, Sunlake High, River Ridge High, River Ridge Middle and Wiregrass Ranch High (special needs). The shelters will not offer breakfast on Tuesday, so evacuees are advised to bring water and snacks.

Hernando School District: District schools will be closed Monday through Wednesday, with four campuses transitioning to shelter use. The following schools were opened as shelters as of noon Monday: West Hernando Middle (for those with special medical needs), D.S. Parrott Middle (general population and those with pets), Nature Coast Technical High (general population) and Hernando High (general population).

Citrus County School District: All district schools are on a half-day schedule for Monday and will not hold classes Tuesday or Wednesday. All after-school programs and extracurricular activities are canceled until further notice.

School District of Manatee County: Three district schools were dismissed at noon Monday to convert them to shelter use. They are Freedom, Miller and Mills elementary schools. All after-school activities also are canceled at these schools. The district has not made decisions yet about other schools, and officials are monitoring the storm.

Polk County Public Schools: District schools are scheduled to remain open Tuesday but will not hold after-school activities. The district also is postponing its college and career fair, which was to take place Tuesday evening.

Diocese of St. Petersburg schools: All Catholic school buildings in the diocese, including early childhood centers, will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The diocese has schools in Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

Colleges, universities

University of South Florida: All classes are canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday, and all campuses will be closed as well. The university is evacuating three residence halls on its St. Petersburg campus and moving those students to the Tampa campus, where dorms remained open, a USF spokesperson said. The St. Petersburg students were to leave campus by 8 a.m. Tuesday. The university expects to return to normal operations on Thursday. A final decision on reopening will be announced Wednesday. USF Health clinical facilities will be closed on Wednesday and are anticipated to reopen Thursday. Check for updates here.

University of Tampa: Classes and campus activities are canceled for Tuesday and Wednesday. The university anticipated resuming normal activities by Thursday. Updates will be posted here.

Hillsborough Community College: The school will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Updates will be posted on the college’s storm information page.

St. Petersburg College: All campuses will be closed and classes canceled Tuesday and Wednesday. The school said in a statement: “Updates regarding Thursday and Friday will be dependent on any impacts to our region and be made in the coming days.” For updates, visit here.

Pasco-Hernando State College: In-person and remote classes after 5 p.m. Monday are canceled. Classes also are canceled Tuesday through Wednesday, and will resume Thursday. Also suspended are in-person campus services, which will resume Thursday as well.

University of Tampa: Classes and campus activities will be canceled Tuesday and Wednesday. The university anticipated resuming normal activities by Thursday. Updates will be posted here.

Eckerd College: The waterfront campus in the Maximo area of St. Petersburg was set to close at 7 p.m. Monday, school officials announced. Students were to be out of their residence halls by 5 p.m. Those with questions and concerns about student travel plans may speak with representatives from the student affairs office at 727-864-8421 or write to tropicalassistance@eckerd.edu.

Saint Leo University: Classes were canceled as of 5 p.m. Monday and campuses were closed through Wednesday, according to a school advisory. Affected sites were the main university campus, the center for adult learning at University Campus, the Tampa Education Center and the MacDill Education Office. Online classes were canceled through Wednesday as well, with deadlines and assignments to be updated after the storm.

Stetson University College of Law: The school’s Gulfport campus and Tampa Law Center were closed as of noon Monday and will remain closed through Wednesday. Those in residence halls were told to evacuate by 10 a.m. Tuesday. Visit the school’s website for updates.

Nova Southeastern University (Tampa Regional Campus): All classes and regularly scheduled events were canceled for students, faculty and staff as of 5 p.m. Monday. This is a change from an earlier directive. The school said in a statement: “The campus will remain closed until NSU officials determine it is safe to return.” Online students should contact their program’s director for more information. Visit the school’s weather information page for updates.

University of Florida: All classes and campus activities are canceled from noon Tuesday through Wednesday. Updates will be posted here.

Florida State University: The Tallahassee campuses will close and cancel classes through Friday. The College of Medicine regional campus in Sarasota will be closed Tuesday and Wednesday. The FSU/Asolo Conservatory for actor training in Sarasota will cancel classes beginning at noon Tuesday and lasting through Wednesday. The Ringling campus in Sarasota will be closed to non-essential staff from noon on Tuesday to noon on Wednesday. Consult the FSU Alerts page for updates.

University of Central Florida: There are no plans to disrupt campus activities for Idalia, according to the UCF Alert page, which will post updates. The school stated: “We will continue to monitor the storm and will provide an update by 2 p.m. Tuesday.

University of North Florida: All classes and campus activities are canceled on Tuesday and Wednesday. Updates will be shared via the Safe Ospreys app and on the school’s emergency management page.

New College of Florida: Classes are canceled for Tuesday and expected to resume Wednesday. Interviews scheduled for this week with the three finalist for New College president are canceled and will be rescheduled in September. Updates will be posted twice a day on the school’s website.

Ringling College of Art and Design: Classes have been canceled on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the campus will be closed as well. “We plan to resume classes and normal business operations on Thursday, Aug. 31, unless there is substantial damage to the campus or the surrounding area,” the school said on its updates page.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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