Classes Won’t Resume Until Thursday at the Earliest

By NIRVI SHAH; CHRISTINA DeNARDO Palm Beach Post Staff Writers

With 38 Palm Beach County public schools still without power Monday, Superintendent Art Johnson said schools will be closed today and Wednesday.

Although some schools definitely won’t have power this week, the district will try to open others for all students. Some just may not be at their regular schools. Some schools may be opened and run on generators.

“We’ll have contingency plans for all those schools without power,” said Joseph Sanches, the district’s chief of facilities management.

Those schools may include some in the Glades, which aren’t scheduled to have power back until Thursday, and schools in Lake Worth. Lake Worth Middle isn’t scheduled to have power restored until Nov. 7. South Grade Elementary may not have electricity before Nov. 5. North Grade and Highland elementaries may not have power until Nov. 11.

Florida Power & Light told the district not to expect power at all of the schools in its service area – which includes all of Palm Beach County except Lake Worth – until Monday, but Johnson didn’t want to cancel an entire week prematurely.

“The low-hanging fruit have been picked,” Sanches said. “They’re now dealing with the difficult situations out there.”

While waiting for schools to reopen, the district asks that parents inspect their children’s routes to school if they walk or ride bikes to make sure the paths are clear. If they aren’t, parents should call their municipality.

As long as public schools are closed, all activities – including athletic events and practices – are on hold, too, Johnson said, but teachers may be asked to return to school later this week, whether or not classes resume.

Johnson, Sanches and other district officials made plans Monday as slides of damaged schools were viewed. Half-roofed portables flashed by, along with a view of the sky from inside a room at Western Pines Middle and an air-conditioning unit torn from the roof at Liberty Park Elementary that landed in a parking lot. But power and missing or broken traffic lights are the main obstacles to classes restarting, not damage.

“There are lots of places at schools that are not safe without power,” Chief Operating Officer Joe Moore said.

JFK Medical Center Charter School in Atlantis has no electricity but expects to reopen for its 500 students Wednesday, Principal Chuck Shaw said.

Many Palm Beach County charter schools – which use public money but have their own school boards – have power and no major damage, and are ready to reopen. Johnson said those schools may resume classes whenever they choose.

But most are waiting until regular schools reopen – or they are dependent on regular schools for meals or on the district for transportation.

Renaissance Learning Center in West Palm Beach reopened Monday. Principal Debi Johnson’s 46 kindergarten-through-eighth-grade students are autistic and are especially in need of keeping to their school routine.

“We did a Halloween parade,” Johnson said Monday. “The kids trick- or-treated around campus. It’s been nice.”

At Florida Atlantic University, all employees should report to their primary campus at 10 a.m. today for meetings. Classes and business operations will resume Wednesday.

Palm Beach Community College staff and full-time faculty should report to work today, and classes will resume Wednesday.

Palm Beach County charter schools

Many Palm Beach County charter schools didn’t suffer major damage and have electricity and phone service, but some depend on regular public schools for meals and other services and are waiting to reopen until regular public schools resume classes. Some charter schools may open before then, however.

– Academy for International Studies: Will probably reopen on the same day as regular public schools or sooner.

– Academy for Positive Learning: Waiting for electricity.

– Bright Futures International: Will probably reopen on the same day as regular public schools or sooner.

– Chancellor Charter School at Lantana: Will probably reopen on same day as public schools or sooner.

– Charter School of Boynton Beach: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Corebridge Educational Academy: Could not be reached Monday.

– DayStar Academy of Excellence: Could not be reached Monday.

– Delray Youth Vocational: Waiting until all children can be transported safely because students rely on Palm Tran.

– Ed Venture: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Everglades Preparatory Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Glades Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Good Schools for All Leadership Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– G-STAR School of the Arts: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Guided Path Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Gulfstream Goodwill Career Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Gulfstream Goodwill LIFE Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Gulfstream Goodwill Transition Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– IMAGINE School: May reopen before regular public schools.

– Inlet Grove: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– JFK Medical Center Charter: Plans to reopen Wednesday.

– Joseph Littles-Nguzo Saba: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Lakeside Academy: Could not be reached Monday.

– Life Skills Center of Palm Beach County: Could not be reached Monday.

– Montessori Academy of Early Enrichment: Could not be reached Monday.

– Montessori Academy of Northern Palm Beach: Could not be reached Monday.

– Noah’s Ark International: Reopens today.

– Palm Beach Maritime Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Palm Beach School for Autism: Could not be reached Monday.

– Potentials: Reopens today.

– Potentials South: Will reopen Wednesday.

– Renaissance Learning Center: Open.

– Seagull Academy for Independent Living (SAIL): Could not be reached Monday.

– South Tech Academy: Will reopen when regular public schools do.

– Spanish Academy Charter School: Will probably reopen when regular public schools do or sooner.

– Survivors Charter School (West Palm Beach): Could not be reached Monday.

– Survivors Charter School of Boynton Beach: Could not be reached Monday.

– Toussaint L’Ouverture High School for Arts & Social Justice: Waiting for electricity.

– Western Academy: Could not be reached Monday.

– Nirvi Shah and Christina DeNardo

nirvi_shah@pbpost.com