St. Lucie Public Schools to close Wednesday following historic flooding

This is Superintendent Dr. Jon R. Prince calling to inform you that St. Lucie Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, Wednesday, November 4th. The decision was made in collaboration with local law enforcement and consultation with the Emergency Operations Center and the National Weather Service. Our school resource officers will be supporting efforts on local roadways, and the district has opened a shelter at one of our school sites for families who have been displaced by flooded homes.


We anticipate reopening schools on Thursday, November 5.



I also want to address my decision to keep schools open on Monday. I want you to know that our decision-making was based on information received from the Emergency Operations Center and the National Weather Service Sunday evening and early Monday morning. Martin, Indian River and St. Lucie all proceeded as normal as did all local governmental agencies. However, this became an unpredicted and unprecedented once in a century event for our community.



As the day unfolded and the rain continued, we faced the difficult decision to call our bus drivers to report early and ask parents to leave work to pick up or meet their children. We never make that call lightly. We know how hard it is for families to change their plans so quickly, and we never want to put children and families on the road in the height of a storm.



To our families and employees, I offer my sincerest apologies for the stress you experienced as the day progressed. Words cannot express my gratitude to the teachers and staff who stayed behind to care for our children, the bus drivers who came in early and stayed late to get students home, and the security teams who drove students and employees home after hours.



Please stay safe, stay off flooded roads, and take care of one another. We look forward to welcoming our students back on Thursday.