Weather Watch

Hurricane Milton - October 17, 2024

Good afternoon SDLC families and staff,

We appreciate your patience and cooperation as we navigated the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. With the input and recommendation of the Teacher’s Association of Lee County (TALC) and the Support Personnel Association of Lee County (SPALC), we have adjusted the school calendar.

To maintain instructional continuity, students are now required to attend school for a full day on:

  • Monday, October 28, 2024
  • Monday, February 24, 2025
  • Friday, March 14, 2025
  • Monday, April 28, 2025
  • Thursday, May 29, 2025
  • Friday, May 30, 2025

The school year will also be extended by two days with early dismissal on:

  • Monday, June 2, 2025
  • Tuesday, June 3, 2025

Please remember that due to Hurricane Helene, Monday, January 6, 2025 has already been added to the school calendar as a full day for students. For school staff, Wednesday, June 4, 2025 has been added as a professional duty day. Hurricane Make-up days for 255-day year-round employees will be released at a later date.

Download and Print the Instructional Calendar (2024-2025)

Thank you again for your support.
The School District of Lee County

Hurricane Milton - October 13, 2024

Dear SDLC Staff and Families,

In our Saturday communication, we shared that we anticipated being able to reopen District and School buildings on Monday, October 14, 2024. We are pleased to inform you that we will indeed resume regular operations tomorrow. All schools have power and have met the safety requirements for reopening, with the exception of Fort Myers Beach Elementary and The Sanibel School, as previously communicated. Those families have received a separate communication with additional details.

As we have shared in our previous communications, we understand that there may be some that find themselves in extenuating circumstances due to the impact of the storm. If you find yourself in one of these situations and are unable to return to school, staff should communicate directly with their supervisor and families should contact their school.

Information on make-up days for students and staff will be communicated at a later date. Thank you for your continued patience and partnership as we work through this process. We look forward to resuming our operations tomorrow.

Sincerely,
The School District of Lee County

Hurricane Milton - October 11, 2024

Dear SDLC Families and Staff,

We sincerely hope that you and your loved ones are safe and continuing to recover from the impacts of Hurricane Milton. Our thoughts remain with each of you as our community navigates this challenging time.

The District team continues to work diligently to assess our buildings and schools for post-storm damage. All but one school shelter have closed and will undergo remediation procedures over the weekend. We will share information with you on our plans for school and district operations during the week of October 14th by 5pm on Saturday, October 12th. In the meantime, we are providing you with the following updates.

One of the major components to reopening is reliable access to electricity. We are in communication with LCEC and FPL who have assured us that restoring power at school sites is a top priority. We are also working with county officials, such as law enforcement and public works agencies, to ensure that roads are safe for students and staff to get to and from school.

Reopening Criteria - Each school must meet the following reopening criteria to ensure the safety of our students and staff:

  1. Reliable power: A school must have consistent electricity to operate the entire campus.
  2. Potable water: A school must have a safe supply of drinking water.
  3. Professional assessment: A building professional must assess the school buildings and determine them safe to occupy. Any safety concerns must be mitigated or resolved.
  4. Secure from Leaks: School windows and roofs must be able to prevent a severe intrusion of water.
  5. Working A/C: A school must have an assessed and operating HVAC system.
  6. Functioning fire alarm and intercom: A school must be able to activate its fire alarm and school intercom in case of an emergency.
  7. Indoor air quality (IAQ): Every school will be assessed to determine if they meet the criteria that would require an IAQ test such as leaks, water penetration, etc.
  8. Debris and hazard clean-up: A school must have storm debris either removed or stored in a safe and secure location.
  9. Ability to serve food: A school must be able to provide students with meals.

As we continue our assessments through the weekend, we are considering pending athletics competitions. While athletic events continue to be postponed, should we find that applicable school locations meet the safety criteria this weekend, we will send the appropriate communication regarding possible dates for practice and make-up games.

The District team will also continue to evaluate our current Instructional Calendar and determine which dates will be used as make-up days for closure dates due to Hurricane Milton. As of now, October 14, 2024 is scheduled as a make-up day for Hurricane Helene. We will also work with the Florida Department of Education to ensure we are meeting all instructional requirements.

Please continue to stay safe and remember to reach out to our partner agencies listed on our website should you need any assistance.

Thank you.
The School District of Lee County

SchoolMessenger Communicate and District App

SchoolMessenger® Communicate is a program that enables administration from the District and schools to send families important messages, emergency broadcasts, attendance alerts and event reminders. There is also a way to receive text messages, however under a rule by the Federal Communications Commission, you must opt in for that service. The process is easy and only takes a few seconds to complete. Simply text any one of these words subscribe, optin or yes to the number 67587.

Hurricane Information by Lee County Public Safety

Lee County Public Safety's Emergency Management Program has a state-of-the-art Emergency Operations Center that is the command center for official Lee County emergency information when a hurricane becomes an imminent threat. That team provides an updated All Hazards Guide each year to assist residents in advance planning.

Lee County Cities