Sarasota County schools fully reopen after Hurricane Ian

NORTH PORT, Fla. - Students in southern Sarasota County are returning to school on Monday after being out for nearly three weeks because of Hurricane Ian.

Families say they’re looking forward to getting back to normal since the storm. A big part of that is getting kids back into a routine.

The return to school was delayed for some because their schools were being used as shelters. After that, the schools had to be cleaned and prepped for kids to come back. 

At other schools, damage from the hurricane was the problem from the beginning. 

Heron Creek Middle School was one of the hardest hit schools in Sarasota County. 

The storm ripped-off its roof and 25 classrooms sustained water damage. 

Construction crews have been working 12- to 14-hour days to get schools ready for students. 

"They wouldn’t open schools back up if it wasn’t safe for kids, so I’m just going by their timeline and whatever they thought was the safe way to do," said Danielle Miller, a parent of a middle schooler and a high schooler.