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Update from The Island School

October 13, 2024
By Staff Report

Editor’s Note: The following letter went out to families, students, donors and friends from The Island School from Christine Oliver, Head of School, today.

We hope you are all doing well and recovering from Hurricane Milton. Experiencing impacts from two hurricanes back-to-back has been challenging for us all. Please let us know how we can help you and your family.

As we’re sure you are aware, Gasparilla Island and Boca Grande were heavily affected by Hurricane Milton. The island had unprecedented damage from storm surge. Access to the island is currently limited due to impacts to the island’s roads and infrastructure. At this time, there are three primary concerns that are affecting our return to school: the island’s access to power and running potable water, and the extent of damage within the interior of the school. Because of these issues, I can not confirm an exact date for reopening The Island School. Decisions about the following school days will be made as more information becomes available. Please know we are looking into alternative locations off island if our three primary concerns can not be met within the next week or two. 

Due to The Island School policies, no spots will be held in the case of any student withdrawal, even if that withdrawal is temporary. If you choose to withdraw your student, your spot will be offered to someone on the waitlist and therefore will not be available when The Island School reopens. Please understand that we are working diligently to reopen The Island School.

According to Chief C.W. Blosser, there is no power or running water on the island at this time. The island’s water line that runs under the Boca Grande Causeway was fractured during the storm and will require major repairs. We do not have a current estimate of when power and water will be restored to the island and to The Island School.

Once again, there was water intrusion into the school from the storm surge, despite the best efforts of staff and parents to sandbag the school. Lee County is in the process of assessing the damage and determining what restoration or repairs must be done inside the school so that it is safe for students and staff to return. We do not currently have a timeline of when the school will be ready. It is our hope that we will know more tomorrow when we get an update from Lee County’s representatives. 

We know that many of you want more concrete answers. Be assured that we are doing everything we can to get reliable information from Lee County to make a plan for our school.

Despite these difficult circumstances, it was heartening to see so many parents and family members come out to fill sandbags and fortify our school against Hurricane Milton. Attached is a picture we snapped of our group of volunteers. We truly are part of the best community, and we will make it through this together.