Sarasota County schools closed until further notice

SARASOTA, Fla. - The Sarasota County school system says all public schools are closed, until further notice, due to Hurricane Ian.

Officials said they have had teams assessing schools and facilities for damage in the aftermath of the storm.

"Sadly, there has been much devastation in our county and schools including massive power outages, down power lines, flooding, cellular and cable outages, basic water and plumbing issues, and damage to many of our school structures," the school district wrote in its update. "At this point, Sarasota County Schools will remain closed until further notice. We will reopen once we can ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our students and employees in our schools."

The school system said communication systems in the county are unstable. For that reason, residents should follow county government on social media. 

Sarasota County on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRQCountyGov

Sarasota County Schools on Twitter: https://twitter.com/sarasotaschools

Sarasota County Schools on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sarasotaschools

Sarasota County government on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SRQCountyGov

The county said to also check scgov.net and sarasotacountyschools.net/hurricane for updates; however, at noon Friday, Sept. 30, the Sarasota County Schools website was not working.