South Florida private schools begin to reopen after Irma, public schools distribute food

As South Florida cleans up the destruction left by Hurricane Irma, schools have slowly begun to reopen.

Five South Florida Catholic schools are already back in session: St. Andrew Catholic School in Coral Springs, St. Bonaventure School in Davie, St. Coleman in Pompano Beach, St. Rose of Lima in Miami Shores and Marian Center in Miami Gardens.

The remaining Archdiocese of Miami Catholic schools will remain closed under further notice. School officials have to wait until electricity is restored, nearby roads are cleared and properties are assessed for damage, the Archdiocese said in a statement.

Gulliver Schools plan to reopen on Monday, Sept. 18, if power has been restored to the campuses by then, Gulliver said in a statement. Gulliver reported that most of the damage to its campuses is “superficial” and that its buildings were spared from flooding and other major problems.

Miami Country Day School and Ransom Everglades School will also remain closed this week and reopen on Monday. Ransom Everglades’ Upper School suffered some damage during the storm, including damage to the gym, playing fields and marina, the school said in a statement.

Pine Crest School’s Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale campuses will remain closed through Friday and attempt to reopen on Monday, as will Scheck Hillel Community School in North Miami Beach.

Public schools in Miami-Dade and Broward will remain closed through at least Friday. Both districts have said their goal is to reopen on Monday.

In the meantime, the Miami-Dade school district is distributing food at 10 schools across the county on Thursday for low-income families who rely on school breakfasts and lunches to keep their kids well fed during the week. Here’s a list of distribution locations.

For schools in the Florida Keys, the wait will likely be much longer. Monroe County Schools Superintendent Mark Porter said in a statement that he is “fully committed” to reopening Keys schools “in the very near future” rather than relocating the district’s 8,600 students to other school districts. In the meantime, Porter will be working out of Miami-Dade school district offices.

This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 11:53 AM with the headline "South Florida private schools begin to reopen after Irma, public schools distribute food."