All Broward County Public Schools were already scheduled to be closed on Sept. 2 due to the national holiday, Labor Day. However, students have been holding out hope that the storm will be delayed until Tuesday, Sept. 3, calling off yet another day of school. 

“If [Hurricane] Dorian hits then I would really like for it to hit on Tuesday,” junior Madeline Dwyer said. “I just kind of want to experience it.”

The portables within Eagle’s Manor have brought up their own array of safety concerns. Teachers in possession of computer carts have been asked to bring them back into the main campus before the end of the school day on Aug. 30. The MSD administration has not yet decided what the course of action will be regarding the Recordex boards. 

“All the laptop carts will get moved into the media center for safekeeping,” assistant principal Daniel Lechtman said. “If we do end up removing the Recordexes from the portable classrooms, they will go into a conference room we have set aside for this specific purpose.”

Teachers and staff alike have their own worries about the upcoming hurricane as it ventures closer to South Florida.

“Typically in any situation like this we usually ensure that all electronic devices are unplugged,” history teacher Michael Nastasi said. “Right now we’re just waiting on word about what to do with the Recordex boards.”

The Broward County District sent out an email to all MSD staff on Aug. 29 detailing that all school and district offices will indeed be open on Friday, Aug. 30. However, a parent-link phone call was sent out on Aug. 29, cancelling all school activities over the weekend. Also, the varsity football game against Fort Pierce Westwood High School, scheduled for Aug. 30 at 7 p.m., was cancelled. 

“Fort Pierce Westwood was not permitted to travel because their county was closing schools on Friday,” football coach Quentin Dorian said.

Broward’s Emergency Management Unit has assured the staff that they will be keeping a close eye on Hurricane Dorian and will release any further information they receive.

As Dorian grew in both size and strength the residents of Parkland, FL began to prepare themselves for the worst. Local businesses such as Walmart, Costco and BJ’s were quickly bombarded with concerned residents searching for water, as well as gasoline in preparation for a potential power outage.

“My family and I went to Walmart and it was crazy,” freshman Lily Tomek said. “There was no water left and the parking lot was just a mess. Although, it’s not weird to see stores like this during hurricane season.”  

A few MSD teachers have also been doing their own classroom safety planning. Yearbook advisor Sarah Lerner has been taking her own precautions.

“We’re going to start unplugging the computers today and then start working on getting them all into the closet,” Lerner said. “That way, they’re up high in case there’s a flood in the classroom. These computers are so nice, I really don’t want them to get ruined.”

In addition to the county’s emergency unit, the National Hurricane Center also has vital information regarding hurricane readiness and updates. Local 10’s weather station is keeping a close eye on the developments of Hurricane Dorian as well. A Hurricane Preparedness guide has been made available by Broward County.