Education

SARASOTA — A week after Southwest Florida was punched by Hurricane Milton and about three weeks since Hurricane Helene, many are left without cars, houses and must pay thousands of dollars in damage.

Take a look at the latest Florida High School Athletic Association football power rankings.

As Hurricane Milton barreled toward Manatee County, the School District of Manatee County in partnership with the county’s Emergency Operations Center, opened 16 schools to serve as shelters. In order to open the first round of shelters, district staff shifted into high gear Oct. 7 as preparations to welcome...

Homework folders and the upcoming field trip were the topics at hand in a fourth-grade science class at Ashton Elementary on Wednesday afternoon — a return to normalcy amid a three-week stretch that’s been anything but. Days earlier, the school served as a shelter for 874 residents and 211 pets as Hurricane Milton approached. The community hunkered down as the storm made landfall the evening of Oct. 9, but as the Sarasota area took stock of the...

SARASOTA — Plans to make up for missed instructional time were once again dashed by extreme weather this week for Sarasota County Schools.

SARASOTA — According to a new quarterly state-mandated risk assessment, Florida school districts must prove their security plan works.

The Top 10 teams in the Southeast region, encompassing Florida, Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky

MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — It was a quick turnaround, but students in Manatee County returned to school Tuesday morning for the first time in more than a week. Seventeen different school campuses were used as shelters for more than 11,000 residents during Hurricane Milton. Once the shelters were emptied...

SARASOTA — As students returned to class Wednesday following Hurricane Milton, some damage caused by the Category 3 storm pushed local law enforcement to boost student safety.

SARASOTA — To increase proficiency of its English Language Learners, Sarasota County Schools officials proposed a structural facelift to the district's multilingual learning department.

Arts Advocates is accepting scholarship applications through February 15, 2025 for the 2025-2026 academic year. Tuition awards are given to students who are pursuing undergraduate studies in the arts, including visual and related arts, dance, creative writing, music, film, theater, architecture, and other arts fields. High school seniors and college students who will major in these fields in the 2025-2026 school year are eligible to apply.

Hershorin Schiff Community Day School is proud to be among the first schools in Sarasota County to reopen after Hurricane Milton, providing essential support for students and relief for parents following a challenging week of storm impacts. According to Head of School Dan Ceaser, the school’s design and construction, completed in 2019, prioritized safety and security. Key features include dedicated underground power, advanced IT infrastructure, and multiple backup power systems. While the campus experienced some cosmetic damage, such as impacts to fences and trees, it sustained no significant damage and never lost power. “Our dedicated facilities team was on-site at 8 a.m. the day immediately after the storm to initiate cleanup efforts,” Ceaser noted. “Our janitorial staff has been working tirelessly to ensure the school is ready for a safe reopening on Monday.” Recognizing the challenges many residents face in the storm’s aftermath, the school is implementing an excused absence policy for students unable to attend due to transportation issues. To help ease the transition back to school, lunch will also be provided for all students, faculty, and staff on the first day back. Ceaser emphasized the school’s strong community spirit, especially the staff’s dedication to ensuring the highest level of service when students and parents need it the most. “Community Day School operates like a large family. Our administrative team has been coordinating cleanup and communication throughout the week. Staff, including our agriculture teacher, volunteered to clear debris from the playground and our student-run farm garden to ensure a safe environment for our students,” he added.

Tampa Bay college campuses started to reopen Oct. 14 after Hurricane Milton surged through the region last week. But not all colleges and facilities were fully back up and running. Here’s how the local college landscape looks this week. University of South Florida. The University of South Florida opened...