SARASOTA, Fla — After more than a week of disruption from Hurricane Ian, classes will resume for some in Sarasota County.
But the aftermath is forcing schools to the county's south to remain closed.
The district announced Tuesday it's planning to open in phases. Schools located north of Taylor Ranch Elementary School will reopen on Monday, Oct. 10. South county schools will take until Oct. 17, according to the superintendent.
Ashley Manske of Sarasota said her children have been stressed with the time apart from friends and peers.
"As a parent, I have to teach them that they have to look at the bigger picture of everything that's going on and that other people have more significant losses than we do," Manske said.
Crews assessed and repaired damages from the roof of Heron Creek Middle School in North Port on Friday. They were also in North Port High working on mold remediation.
Overall, the district states all traditional schools sustained damages ranging from flooding and vegetative debris to water and plumbing complications.
Communication is still unstable throughout the county, not only local connectivity but within our own school district capabilities, the district stated.
Parents and staff in the county's north said they're thankful to resume classes. But they feel for the areas south still reeling most from the storm including North Port, Englewood and Venice communities.
"It easily could have been us up here," registered teacher Erika Franz said.
Franz explained she has concerns for any staff or students who will be in the process of recovering from significant damages to their homes when they return to school.
For Manske, she said she worries about where displaced families go once schools being used as shelters are no longer around.
"It's hard for me to say as one parent, what is the right thing to do, when there's no right or wrong answer at this point," Manske said.
Ahead of Monday, a district spokesperson said it's in need of 80 more bus drivers.
Updates from the school district will routinely be posted here.