More than 30 schools will be temporarily closed on 20 May 2025 due to flooding in parts of the Mid North Coast, Central Coast and Hunter regions.
Parents and carers have been and will continue to be updated by their schools, which are their first source of advice.
Importantly, schools do not offer minimal supervision when schools are temporarily closed due to flooding.
Deputy Secretary of Public Schools Deb Summerhayes said the department was taking a safety-first approach and made the decision with information provided by emergency services.
“Please do not send your child to school if it is closed,” she said.
“The decision to temporarily close schools is not one that is made lightly. It is always done with the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff in mind.”
While the schools are temporarily closed, students will be provided with learning from home resources.
“We encourage parents and carers to always follow the advice of Police and Emergency Services,” Ms Summerhayes said.
“We will continue to update our school communities and will reopen schools as soon as we receive advice from the State Emergency Operations Centre.”
The NSW Department of Education also requires all early childhood education and care (ECEC) services to operate safely, including during extreme weather events.
The department urges services to assess the risk of severe weather in their community and if necessary, activate their emergency plans and procedures. We encourage services to follow the advice of local authorities and the SES.
Never drive, walk, ride through, play or swim in flood water, and any avoid unnecessary travel.
