Santa Rosa School Board votes to move school opening date to Oct. 19

Linda Sanborn, a former educator and current board member, seemed to have heard those pleas and made the motion for Santa Rosa County to begin school on Oct. 19, which the board approved in a 5-0 vote.

The vote scraps the initial plan to reopen schools on Oct. 14.

District officials announced Oct. 12 that schools would reopen that week, five days after Hurricane Isaias made landfall as a Category 2 storm in Destin. By a directive from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office and the Florida Department of Education, it was announced that all schools in the Panhandle would reopen by midweek.

Karen Barber, the superintendent of schools, said the situation was more complicated than it originally appeared and that there has been a lot of work behind the scenes between state and local agencies to move forward following the storm.

“We do appreciate everything the state has done for us,” Barber said.

Ultimately, School Board attorney Terry Harmon told members of the board that they, not the state, have the final say on when students can return to schools.

Speakers, who were a mix of local advocates and teachers, described homes still without power, running water or air conditioning, with roads still narrowed by debris and teachers not having a lesson plan ready for the Wednesday deadline.

“A box lunch does not mean a school is ready,” said Josie Barlin, a teacher and mother of two with kids in the district. “You cannot rush recovery. You cannot schedule your way out of a disaster.”

Michael Schultz, Milton High’s band director, said he has been without power since Friday and noted the district’s school overview that was colored like a traffic light. Green meant go, while red meant the school was without power.

“Whenever I was growing up and learning how to drive, I get to a red light, and red meant stop,” he said. “When there’s that much red, yellow, and it’s not all green, we need to stop.”

Schools outlined in red included Milton High School, Avalon Middle School and Bennett C. Russell Elementary, which were still without power as of midday Tuesday.

Other schools, like Jay Elementary, were also red, as water had seeped into the school and district officials were drying it out.

During public comments, Barber said schools without power or water would not open.

Following the vote, local parent advocate Kyle Connolly said the vote was a move in the right direction for parents, teachers and children across the district to let families recover before students return.

“We made huge strides in the first 96 hours,” she said. “Giving us some additional five days is massive, honestly.”

She added that a Wednesday reopening would have left teachers watching students rather than teaching.

Sanborn, who made the motion, said after the meeting that the board made the right call.

“I’m grateful that we made that decision,” Sanborn said. “It was the best decision. It was the only decision we could have made.”