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Public schools throughout Central Florida will be closed Thursday due to Helene, which is expected to be a major hurricane as it approaches the Florida Gulf Coast.
BREVARD COUNTY
Brevard Public Schools announced Wednesday morning that all schools and offices will be closed Thursday. After-school activities for Wednesday will continue as normal.
Schools will reopen on Friday.
MARION COUNTY
Marion County public schools will also be closed on Thursday. And Thursday's extra-curricular activities are canceled.
West Port High School will open as a special needs shelter Wednesday at 2 p-m. Members of the general community may seek shelter there beginning at 4 p.m.
The high school will also serve as a pet shelter.
The College of Central Florida will close all campuses and sites -- in Citrus, Levy and Marion counties -- for Tropical Storm Helene.
Those include the Ocala Campus, Wilton Simpson Citrus Campus, Jack Wilkinson Levy Campus, Hampton Center, Appleton Museum and Vintage Farm, as well as online classes. Scheduled activities also have been canceled.
The Citrus and Levy County campuses will close at noon on Wednesday. All other CF campuses and sites, along with online classes, will close at 5 p.m. on Wednesday and remain closed through Friday.
The college plans to reopen Saturday morning for business operations, weather permitting.
LAKE COUNTY
Lake County schools and district offices will be closed on Thursday.
After a midday briefing on Wednesday, the district will decide on its plan for Friday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the district said Wednesday’s after-school activities were scheduled to continue as planned.
ORANGE COUNTY
Orange County Public Schools has cancelled classes Thursday. After-school activities will end by 6:00 p.m on Wednesday, Sept. 25.
The University of Central Florida and Valencia College have cancelled classes Thursday.
OSCEOLA COUNTY
Osceola County schools will also be closed on Thursday.
The district will monitor the impacts of Helene, relying on local public works directors, power companies, and Toho Water Authority, before making any decisions about Friday, which is already a non-student day/teacher professional study day.
SEMINOLE COUNTY
Seminole County Public Schools will be closed on Thursday for students.There will be no extracurricular activities, sporting events, or other school-based activities. The district anticipates opening Friday.
Seminole State College has cancelled all classes (including online) and all college operations on Thursday.
SUMTER COUNTY
The Sumter County School District announced that schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday.
VOLUSIA COUNTY
For Volusia County public schools, all after-school activities except for Extended Day Enrichment Programs will be canceled Wednesday. All schools and district offices will be closed Thursday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, there were no changes to operations, including Volusia County’s after-school activities, on Friday.
