SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla. — As school districts in Florida start to reopen after Hurricane Ian pummeled through the state last week, Sarasota County Schools continue to keep their doors closed.
In a message posted to the school district's website, officials say schools will remain closed until further notice as teams continue to assess, clean and repair "extensive damages" to the facilities.
"We will reopen once we can ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our students and employees while they are in our schools [and] facilities throughout Sarasota County," school district leaders wrote in a statement.
Sunday was the first time the school assessment teams were able to get into schools in the North Port area to survey the damage.
While some schools have power and only small amounts of debris, officials say others don't have power at all, need a lot of repairs and have massive amounts of debris.
"Communication is still unstable throughout the county, not only local connectivity but within our own school district capabilities," the school district's website read. "We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time of recovery, and will be sure to share updates as soon as information becomes available."
In a news conference Monday morning in Tallahassee, Florida Department of Education Commissioner Manny Diaz said 46 out of 59 school districts are now open with the rest set to be back by the of next week.
To keep up with updates with Sarasota County Schools, click here.