Alabama, Northwest Florida school districts adjusted hours, closures

Editor’s Note: This is a running list of changes to school hours with adjusted hours due to last night’s severe weather. We will update this list with new information as we receive it.

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — Following Thursday night’s severe weather, some schools are having adjusted times or delays, News 5 has learned.

Alabama School Changes

Mobile County Public Schools

No delays, but officials say tardies will not count due to power outages and road conditions potentially causing bus delays.

Saraland City Schools

There will be no delays for Saraland City Schools since the power is on and the busses are running, according to a Facebook post.

Satsuma City Schools

Due to a power outage, school officials say there will be a 2-hour delayed start.

Northwest Florida School Changes

Escambia County Public Schools

Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard announced Thursday that school start times will be delayed by one hour on Friday.

“The National Weather Service forecasts severe weather moving through the area early Friday morning, bringing with it the potential for high winds in certain portions of the county which could impact safe bus travel, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash flooding,” a release said. “In an abundance of caution, all schools will start the day one hour later than normal. Morning bus routes will also be delayed by one hour.”

All before-school activities are also canceled, an ECPS release said.

“We are delaying the start of the school day on Friday with the safety of our students and employees as our top priority,” Leonard said. “Of course, we’ll continue to work closely with local emergency operations officials to determine what is safest for our families and staff.”

Escambia County Public Schools will provide further updates through School Messenger and the school district’s website.

Okaloosa County School District

Okaloosa County Schools officials announced closures for some schools while others have a delayed start time.

“All North End Schools are canceled today due to the severe weather that came through Okaloosa County this morning,” stated a release. The storm caused wide-spread power outages and downed trees and power lines, the release noted.

The following schools will be closed, according to the release:

• Antioch Elementary School
• Baker School
• Bob Sikes Elementary School
• Crestview High School
• Davidson Middle School
• Laurel Hill School
• Northwood Elementary School
• Richbourg School
• Riverside Elementary School
• Shoal River Middle School
• Southside Primary School
• Walker Elementary School

There will be a 3-hour delay for all Central and South Zone Schools, according to officials.

Santa Rosa County District Schools

School officials announced that there will be a 2-hour delayed start time due to the area being under an enhanced risk for severe weather. The 2-hour delay means that students will not start until 2 hours after their normal time and buses will also be delayed by 2 hours.

All before-school activities and school-related activities affected by the delay are canceled, according to a press release.

Breakfast will not be served due to the delay, but lunch will be served as normal.

“We want to ensure that all students and staff are safe as they travel to and from school,” the release stated.

Be sure to follow along with the News 5 First Alert Storm Team as we are Weather Aware heading into Friday.

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