School closures in Tampa Bay area due to Helene

TAMPA, Fla. – As a tropical disturbance in the Gulf of Mexico is expected to rapidly intensify, school districts in the Tampa Bay area are beginning to announce class cancellations due to the projected impacts.

Hillsborough County

Hillsborough County Public Schools will close all schools on Wednesday and Thursday, September 25 and 26, due to fears from the storm. In addition, all extracurricular programs, sporting events and extracurricular activities will be canceled for this Wednesday and Thursday. No decision has been made for Friday at this time.

Pasco County

In a post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the school system said: “All Pasco County schools will be open on Wednesday, September 24th. All extracurricular activities and events will be canceled to prepare for the storm and set up emergency shelters. All Pasco County schools and offices will be closed on Thursday, September 25th.”

Hernando County

The Hernando County School District was the first to announce closures on Monday evening, stating in a Facebook post:

“Hernando Schools will close its schools and district offices on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. All extracurricular activities for Wednesday and Thursday will be canceled. Before and aftercare programs (YMCA and Boys & Girls Club) will not be held on these days.

After we know more about the potential impact of the storm on our community, we will make a decision on reopening schools on Friday.”

Pinellas County

On X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, the school system posted the following: “All PCS and offices will be CLOSED Wednesday, September 25th through Thursday, September 26th. All sports and school activities scheduled for Wednesday, September 25th through Thursday, September 26th are canceled. Sports and activities will take place as scheduled today.”

Citrus area

Citrus County Schools announced Tuesday that schools will be closed Thursday, September 26 and Friday, September 27.

The school district said some of its schools are being used as emergency hurricane shelters and that in preparation for the storm, all schools will be closed after the scheduled half day on Wednesday, September 25.

After-school programs and extracurricular activities are canceled September 25-27. YMCA before- and after-school programs will also follow this schedule.

Manatee County

Manatee County Schools announced Monday that they are working with Manatee County Emergency Management agencies to monitor the storm. Find the latest news from Manatee County Schools here…

Polk County

Polk County Schools announced Monday that they are monitoring weather conditions in the Gulf and that no changes to the PCPS schedule are currently planned.