For Immediate Release

Contact: Tanya Arja
Office of Communications
813-272-4060

Tampa, Fla. – (September 6, 2017) – Hillsborough County Public Schools will close Thursday and Friday, September 7 and 8, in anticipation of Hurricane Irma. In addition, all after-school programs and extracurricular activities are canceled for Thursday and Friday.

Our area may not feel the effects of the storm until Saturday or Sunday, and the weather still may be normal across the county on Thursday or Friday, but there are several reasons for the decision to close schools:

• Our principals and staff need time to prepare their buildings for possible flooding and intense wind damage.
• As the largest employer in Hillsborough County, our 25,000 employees need time to prepare their families for this major emergency.
• Many schools may be opened as shelters by county emergency managers. Our staff and security teams need time to prepare those buildings in the event they are used to host evacuees from our area and across Florida.

We encourage our families and staff to use Thursday and Friday to take necessary precautions and plan for Hurricane Irma.

We will plan to send another update over the weekend, if any school closures are needed next week.

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