Five Days Off In Two Weeks For Public School Students. Private Schools In Session.

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) -- For the fourth time in four days and the fifth time in two weeks, Palm Beach County public schools are closed again today. This time, it's Columbus Day/Indiginous Peoples' day. We tell you that because the kids in public school are certainly not there enough to learn what the holidays are and why they're celebrated, as education is apparently secondary to vacation in Palm Beach County.

For those of you not playing the home game, or should we say "stay at home" game, Palm Beach Couty public schools closed for Hurricane Helene which was nothing. Then the school district closed again on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday for Hurricane Milton which did lead to some power outages in very small parts of Palm Beach County, but certainly not widespread power outages. Damage -- and it was minimal damage -- was contained to a very small portion of the county.

Parents, and we mean lots and lots and lots of parents, have reached out to BocaNewsNow.com suggesting that the Palm Beach County School District divide the county into two operating units. North and south. That way, kids in Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, Lake Worth Beach, and nearby communities won't miss school when bad things happen in the northern and northwestern parts of the area. And conversely, should something bad happen in Boca, Delray, Boynton, or other nearby areas, kids in the Glades and other rural parts of PBC won't miss school.

We note that area private schools Pine Crest and St. Andrew's also closed for the hurricanes. But American Heritage, which boasts more National Honor Society semi-finalists than any other school in Florida, held mandatory virtual education while all the other schools were closed. The good news: the American Heritage kids will need employees for their future businesses.

All area private schools -- including American Heritage, Pine Crest, St. Andrew's, and North Broward Prep -- are in session today.