Thanks to Helene, school is still closed for some Tampa Bay students

MADEIRA BEACH — When Pinellas County students return to school Monday, children from two schools flooded by Hurricane Helene will not be there.

“Two of our schools suffered severe damage,” Principal Kevin Hendrick said Sunday during a news conference outside Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8. “It will take months to repair both schools.”

Children at Madeira Beach Fundamental K-8 and Gulf Beaches Elementary, both located right on the coast, will have Monday and Tuesday off while their principals prepare alternative plans for their classes.

Students at a Pasco County school — West Pasco Education Academy in Hudson — also will not be at its campus, which was hit by the flood. District officials said they would contact each family to discuss plans for the alternative school.

All schools in Hillsborough County will reopen Monday, spokeswoman Tanya Arja said. They suffered only minor damage during the storm.

Plans for relocation to house the Pinellas students displaced by Helene quickly emerged.

Starting Wednesday, the nearly 1,400 students attending Madeira Beach Fundamental will be split between two different campuses. The elementary-aged children are educated at Walsingham Elementary, about 7 miles north of their usual campus. The middle school-aged students are educated at Osceola Fundamental High, about 2 miles south of Walsingham.

About half of Osceola's students previously attended Madeira Beach, and district officials said that was a goal while exploring ways to keep families as close together as possible during this time.

To accommodate the influx, both Osceola and Walsingham will move to modified double sessions, with Madeira Beach students starting around noon after other students leave for the day.

Gulf Beaches' approximately 300 elementary school students will also move, but their schedules will not be affected in the same way. They will go to school at Disston Academy, about 4 miles away on the mainland side of Gulfport. The 70 children going to Disston will instead travel to Lealman Innovation Academy, a similar alternative school about 6 miles north.

The district will provide child care to affected families at Tyrone Middle School on Mondays and Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Families do not need to register in advance, but must register on site.

The biggest problem at the two damaged schools was the electrical systems, which were flooded with seawater, Hendrick said. A crew from Duke Energy was already on site Sunday, but Hendrick said he expected repairs to take months.

In schools, water also rose 3 to 4 feet in classrooms. Despite sitting on the water, Hendrick said, “It has never made it into classrooms in the last few decades. “That’s unprecedented.”

Principals at both schools said they would be ready if everyone returned.

“We are ready to reunite our families and begin rebuilding the community,” said Bob Kalach, director of Gulf Beaches.

Madeira Beach principal Chris Ateek said schools were aware of the difficulties many families had experienced. He said he hopes returning to school as families are able will help them all.

Students will stay with their teachers and classmates, both said, noting it is a crucial part of recovery.

“If everything is an emergency, nothing is an emergency,” Ateek said. “So we will treat everything with ease.”

Hendrick said he understands many families are disrupted, particularly at Osceola High, where classes will begin before 7 a.m. That could be problematic, he admitted.

“Of course I'm worried. But it’s only temporary,” Hendrick said. “Look at the bigger picture. A small sacrifice for a few months is all we ask.”

Further details can be found on each school's website.

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