Escambia, Santa Rosa schools will have delayed start Friday due to potential storms

Escambia and Santa Rosa school districts are delaying school start times Friday due to the potential for severe weather.

Escambia County Public Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard announced Thursday afternoon that school start times will be delayed by one hour on Friday.

Pensacola area weather: Pensacola area could see three separate rounds of severe weather over next 24 hours

Santa Rosa County Schools will be delayed by two hours. This means if a child starts school at 7:15 a.m., they wouldn't start school until 9:15 a.m. Buses will be delayed by 2 hours. So, if a child normally goes to the bus stop at 6 a.m., they wouldn't go to the bus stop until 8 a.m.

The National Weather Service forecasts severe weather moving through the area early Friday morning, bringing with it the potential for high winds in certain portions of the county which could impact safe bus travel, severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash flooding.

Escambia County School delay

In Escambia County, parents should plan to have students at bus stops one hour later than normal, or make plans to drop their children off at schools one hour later than normal.  All scheduled before-school activities are canceled.

All employees should plan to adjust their schedules accordingly and arrive at their work locations one hour later than their usual start time.

Lunch service will not be affected.  Additionally, schools will dismiss at their normal times.

Santa Rosa County School delay

All before-school activities and school-related activities affected by the weather delay are canceled. Field trips, state assessments, and AP exams will be rescheduled (if applicable).

Schools will not have breakfast because of the delay, but schools will serve lunch as normal.

See the latest watches and warnings in effect for Escambia, Santa Rosa, counties

Radar for Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa counties, including Pensacola, Fort Walton Beach

Rainfall expected? See the latest forecast for Pensacola

This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Escambia, Santa Rosa schools will have delayed start Friday