Some Bay District students go back to school November 5

Superintendent Bill Husfelt and Bay District Schools are pleased to announce the first wave of schools expected to open November 5, 2018.

"We know that opening our schools is an important step towards returning our community back to a semblance of normalcy," said Superintendent Bill Husfelt. "Our staff has been working diligently towards opening as many schools as quickly as we possibly can."

Schools not included in the first round of openings will be opened as soon as possible and all students will be back in school no later than the week of November 13th.

Superintendent Husfelt praised first responders, the linemen who responded from around the country and Canada, community leaders, school employees, parents, students, volunteers and everyone else who played a role in the district's ability to open schools so quickly after the devastation wrought by Hurricane Michael.

"Our community has truly come together in this crisis," he said. "This is a community that values education, loves our children and knows that they need to be back in school. A lot of people have worked tirelessly to make this happen and we look forward to welcoming our employees back on Monday and our students back as soon as possible."

Bay District Schools is working with the Florida Department of Education on an adjusted 2018-19 calendar and hopes to be able to release a finalized version by early next week.

"We know that some of the days we missed will have to be made up," Husfelt said. "What we are hoping to do is keep the disruption to our normal schedule to a minimum and ensure that our students still have a Thanksgiving and Christmas Break and that we break for Summer close to the same time as we usually do."

The early opening, the Superintendent noted, would not be possible without the dedication of the district's maintenance team and the coordinated efforts of countless contractors who are working around the clock to repair damaged schools.

"This truly has been a team effort and everyone has worked together to ensure our students have safe facilities that are ready to welcome them back as soon as possible," he said.

Tentatively, the following schools will open on November 5, 2018:

Northside Elementary School

Mosley High School (split schedule with Merritt Brown Middle School)

Oakland Terrace Elementary School

Parker Elementary School (with Patterson Elementary displaced students)

Tommy Smith Elementary School

West Bay Elementary School

Patronis Elementary School

Waller Elementary School

Hutchison Beach Elementary School

New Horizons Learning Center

Southport Elementary School

Lynn Haven Elementary School

Lucille Moore Elementary School

Deer Point Elementary School

Callaway Elementary School (with Tyndall Elementary displaced students)

All other school sites (except Springfield Elementary, Tyndall Elementary, and Patterson Elementary) will be opening no later than the week of November 13.