Hurricane Helene disrupted school schedules, leading to three days of closure for Anna Maria Elementary.
And then AME classes were moved to the mainland.
The first notice of closure came Sept. 24, with the School District of Manatee County announcing schools would close Sept. 25 and Sept. 26.
On Sept. 26, the district issued a notice that schools would be closed Sept. 27 and would not resume until Sept. 30.
The additional closure was to allow schools serving as shelters to complete operations and to give maintenance teams time to inspect campuses, according to communication director Michael Barber.
During the closure, several AME events were postponed, including the first school advisory council meeting and an awards assembly.
Barber said there were enough missed days to require make-up time, meaning students will not need to extend their school year due to the closures.
And AME students as of Sept. 30 were not resuming classes on AMI.
Devastation across Anna Maria Island forced the school to remain closed until further notice.
The district announced Sept. 28 it would move AME students and teachers to Stewart Elementary, 7905 15th Ave. NW, Bradenton. The two schools will share classrooms and adopt a team-teaching model until AME students and staff return to the island campus.
For more information, call AME at 941-708-5525 or go online to www.manateeschools.net/annamaria.
— Robyn Murrell
