Tropical Storm Eta hits the West Coast of Florida primarily on Nov. 11, causing Supt. Brennan Asplen to dismiss students two hours as conditions worsened.
The storm surprisingly led to all public schools in the Sarasota County District being closed on Nov. 9, while it was still to the south, often a procedural action in the event that schools have to be prepared for sheltering.
In students’ eyes, it also afforded some unexpected down time.
“I baked Christmas Cookies with my family and relaxed most of the day Monday,” said Arianna Costello ‘23.
But, Tuesday was considered to be a calm before the storm.
On Wednesday, Eta hit Sarasota, as well as most of the West Coast of Florida. Rain came down aggressively with strong winds. The heightened wind and rains as the storm sat directly off the Sarasota coast precipitated an early Wednesday closure.
Students attended school for most of the morning, and then at around 8:45 a.m., the district officially announced an early dismissal. Students cheered and were excited to have a stress-free afternoon.
“I went to Chick-Fil-A, then took a long nap, it was nice to leave school early,” said Taylor Simone ‘22.
Although students were relieved for the time off, it was for the benefit of their safety. Later that evening, a tornado warning alerted many people in Sarasota. Streets were submerged, and local weather advisors suggested that everyone stay home, as there was also a flood warning.
Despite the flood warnings, Sarasota County School District decided to open schools back up on Thursday, as the storm cleared up and moved on that morning
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