As the Putnam County School District and county officials monitor Hurricane Dorian, school officials decided Friday to hold off on making school closure decisions.
Superintendent Rick Surrency said the school district would decide today whether to close schools next week. An announcement on the matter should come at 4 p.m., he said.
“At this time … we are not in a position to make any announcement about official school closings or shelters,” Surrency said Friday. “This time tomorrow, on Saturday, we are prepared to make an announcement based on the latest information from the National Weather Service.”
Surrency said the district would provide video updates on its Facebook page and its website 4 p.m. every day to discuss school closures and emergency shelter information. He said this is a practice the district has used for past storms and one he finds valuable.
“We did this two years ago during Hurricane Irma, and a lot of people were very appreciative that we provided regular updates,” he said. “We want to make sure our parents and students are up to date on what is going on so they can make plans accordingly and as soon as possible.”
Putnam County Emergency Services Battalion Chief Paul Flateau said as of 4:45 p.m. Friday no shelters had been opened, but that could change.
“There is no opening of shelters at this time,” he said. “That decision will be made in conjunction with the school (district).”
Surrency said as the district releases its video updates over the coming days, he will collaborate with Emergency Services and the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office to ensure residents are getting the best information possible.
“When I go on each day, I will be consulting with each of those entities before we go on,” he said. “We are coordinating all of our messaging, just to make sure we are all saying the same thing.”
St. Johns River State College, however, announced all of its campuses would be closed Tuesday.
“All classes and activities are canceled. SJR State will schedule an update for Sunday, Sept. 1 at 1 p.m. to announce any possible additional closings,” the college said in a statement. “We encourage you to take precautions and prepare as the storm approaches Florida’s coast.”