Caroline Glenn

FLORIDA TODAY

BPS K-12 schools open today, closed Thursday and Friday.

Eastern Florida closed today at noon through Sunday.

Florida Tech closed today at 1 p.m. through Monday.

All UCF campuses closed 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

Schools will be closed Thursday and Friday due to Hurricane Matthew, Brevard Public Schools announced Tuesday night.

Schools will remain open on Wednesday, a regularly scheduled early release day. A mandatory evacuation was issued Tuesday night for the barrier islands, but this will not affect release times. Elementary schools will get out at 1:30 p.m., middle schools at 2:30 p.m. and high schools at 3:30 p.m.

All extracurricular activities and child care programs Wednesday night through the weekend, apart from after-school care Wednesday night, are also canceled. Schools are expected to reopen Monday morning.

Hurricane warnings in effect for Florida coast

Classrooms teachers are permitted to leave school as soon as their students are dismissed Wednesday, district teachers can leave at 2:30 p.m. and after school child care workers can leave as soon as services end at 6 p.m. All other employees are expected to work their normal day.

Several schools will be used as shelters if emergency services instruct residents to evacuate. Those schools include Mims Elementary, Imperial Estates Elementary, Manatee Elementary, Sherwood Elementary, Meadowlane Intermediate Elementary and Bayside High School.

Space Coast prepares for Hurricane Matthew strike

The Category 4 storm is forecast to brush very close to Brevard's coast, beginning Thursday night. Even so, some of Wednesday's National Walk to School events at Golfview Elementary, Stone Middle, University Park, Central Middle and Cambridge Elementary were postponed as a precaution. Walks at Columbia Elementary, Eau Gallie High, Enterprise Elementary, Jackson Middle, Longleaf Elementary, Manatee Elementary, Riviera Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, Sea Park Elementary, Tropical Elementary, West Melbourne Elementary, Westside Elementary and Williams Elementary happened as planned.

This weekend is also homecoming for Astronaut High, Merritt Island High, Eau Gallie High and Cocoa High. At Astronaut, Saturday's homecoming dance has been moved to Oct. 15 and Thursday's homecoming parade and bonfire — the school's first in more than 30 years — has been tentatively rescheduled for Oct. 20.

Logistics for other homecoming parades and dances remain up in the air, although football games have already been rescheduled.

Dawn Melcher, spokeswoman for Brevard and Volusia Catholic Schools, said Catholic schools in Brevard will follow the directions of the public school board. Those schools include Ascension, Melbourne Central and Our Lady of Lourdes in Melbourne, Holy Name of Jesus in Mims, St. Mary's in Rockledge, St. Teresa in Titusville, Saint Joseph in Palm Bay, Our Saviour in Cocoa Beach and Divine Mercy in Merritt Island.

Colleges and universities

Eastern Florida State College announced Wednesday morning that all four of its campuses will close at noon on Wednesday, due to the mandatory evacuation. All classes and events are canceled then through Sunday, and expected to resume Monday morning.

University of Central Florida satellite campuses in Cocoa and Palm Bay will follow suit and also close Wednesday at noon. Sign up for Titan Text Alerts here.

The Florida Institute of Technology also announced Wednesday morning that the campus will close today at 1 p.m. through Sunday. The university will reopen Tuesday morning, following its Columbus Day holiday.

Only essential employees will be notified by their supervisors and asked to report to work during these times.

Students living on campus will be alerted through the Florida Tech website, Residence Life staff and the campus safety alert system if they need to evacuate to the school's assigned shelter at Meadowlane Intermediate Schools. However, students are advised to make arrangements with family and friends now.

Port Canaveral closing to ships, business on Wednesday

Evacuated students without transportation can use the shuttle service, provided by the Dean of Students Office. Bus schedules will be posted at the Panther Dining Hall, residential facilities and Campus Security. Sign up for Florida Tech university alerts here.

The University of Central Florida in Orlando announced Wednesday that its main campus will close today at 3 p.m. and remain closed through Friday. The Rosen College of Hospitality Management, College of Medicine in Lake Nona and downtown offices will follow the same procedure.

Satellite campuses in Cocoa and Palm will follow EFSC procedures and close today at noon through Sunday. The Knights' game against Tulane scheduled for Friday has been moved to Nov. 5.All satellite campuses will be closed by 10 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday.

“The safety of our students, faculty and staff, and visitors was paramount in our decision to close,” said UCF President John C. Hitt in a release. “We urge everyone in our UCF family to take precautions so they and their loved ones are fully prepared for the storm.”

Students who live in Rosen, Towers, Northview, Knights Circle and Pointe at Central can ride out the storm in their residences, however, the university recommends students make arrangements to stay with friends or family now. Students living in Greek houses, Lake Claire, Neptune, Apollo, Libra, Nike and Hercules must relocate to ride-out locations on campus by 7 p.m. Thursday. Lake Claire residents go to the Nicholson School of Communication, Greek housing and Neptune residents go to Health and Public Affairs I, Apollo residents and those with special needs go to Mathematical Sciences, and Libra, Nike and Hercules residents go to Classroom I.

For those who need transportation to ride-out locations, shuttles will be at the Black and Gold shuttle stops from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m..

High school sports cancelled through the weekend

To subscribe to weather bulletins for the UCF area, email listserv@listserv.cc.ucf.edu with “subscribe OEM-NOTICE” in the body of the message and the subject line blank. Sign up for UCF alerts here.

FLORIDA TODAY is monitoring the weather and will continue to update its impact on Brevard schools.

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Contact Glenn at caglenn@floridatoday.com or 321-576-5933, and follow her on Twitter @bycarolineglenn and like "Education at Florida Today" on Facebook.

Brevard Public Schools weather updates on Twitter and Facebook

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UCF weather updates on Twitter and Facebook