School Board Member Lisa Miller said she was interested in seeing an in-progress efficiency audit of current contracted services with the district. Some School Board members and the Polk Education Association teachersunion president agree. The District will not tolerate unlawful bullying and harassment of any type. Access is anonymous. We are located in the southeastern corner of Tennessee in the heart of the. The district operates 540 buses and transports more than 51,000 students for a total of 60,670 miles travelled each day. website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless We are always striving to improve the accessibility standards of our The bulk of the current general fund budget goes toward salaries and . Our Services may display content that does not belong to Emerald Data Solutions or its affiliates. The investigator shall document in his/her report the reasons for needing up to an additional ten (10) days. Using that information, it bases the state's financial contribution to school districts on the number of full-time students the district teaches. There are 13,588 districts in the U.S. By comparison, New York spends $24,800 per student and the average teacher salary is$87,738. Use the Password Reset Tool to reset your password now. Information on identifying and reporting bullying. Anti-bullying Assemblies - e.g., Jaylen's Challenge, Yellow Dress, Omega Man, etc. Cyberbullying also includes the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person or the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons, if the distribution or posting creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying. The Polk County School Board kicked off itsbudgeting process for the next school year with a report that showed the district ranks among the poorest both nationally and statewide for such a large district. If you have forgotten your Polk County Schools password click here. The District will not tolerate unlawful bullying and harassment of any type. "Bullying" and "harassment" also encompass: Retaliation against a student or school employee by another student or school employee for asserting or alleging an act of bullying of harassment. Learn about how to get $$$ for your education. This authorization is to remain in effect until withdrawn by me, in writing, with sufficient notice to The School Board Payroll Department to . The mission of Polk County Public Schools is to provide a high-quality education for all students. Step 2: Search For Qualified Applicants. Log In Sign in with Staff Sign in with Students Florida Department of Children and Families Abuse Hotline 1-800-962-2873 Students: Forgot Password? Their adult daughter, Jenna,alsogotsickand has recovered. There is even a mobile app, so you can access the system from your smartphone or other mobile device. Information for planning the next steps of your education and beyond. The contracts are not necessarily the most expensive items in the budget but they could add up and a review could free up funds needed elsewhere, she said.
Implementation of the plan by each principal will be ongoing throughout the school year and will be integrated with the school curriculum, the bullying and prevention program, District disciplinary policies, and violence prevention efforts. Butler state police said in a criminal complaint that it was a little before 7:45 p.m. Thursday when Dakota Hughes, 22, called 911, identified himself by his name and date of birth, and said he . View school menus and replenish your accounts. In West Virginia, it spends $12,270 per student and pays an average teacher salary of$50,261. The meetings are held in the Board Room at the Stearns Education Center. Consequences and appropriate remedial action for a school employee found to have committed an act of bullying or harassment or found to have falsely accused another as a means of bullying or harassment shall include discipline in accordance with District policies, administrative procedures, and the collective bargaining agreement. State funding covers just 60% of the district's mandated transportation services. Register an account or Add a Student: Click Here TDOE has a preview site located here. ", Students, parents, teachers, school administrators, counseling staff, and school volunteers shall be provided training and instruction, at least annually, on the District's policy and administrative procedures regarding bullying and harassment. All records generated under this policy and its related administrative procedures shall be maintained as confidential to the extent permitted by law. "I am so sorry, said School Board member Lisa Miller. "Within the scope of the District" means regardless of ownership, any computer, computer system, or computer network that is physically located on school property or at a school-related or school-sponsored program or activity. The Polk Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that directly supports Polk County Public Schools. The next work session and board meeting will take place Oct. 26 at the Jim Miles Center in Highland City. I'm confident we will get it extended,though, and anyone having to take their own time for quarantine will be given their time back, Yocum said. Use your Polk County Schools username as follows: Staff: (firstname.lastname only, do not include @polk-fl.net) to access Moodle. through the use of data or computer software that is accessed at a nonschool-related location, activity, function, or program or through the use of technology or an electronic device that is not owned, leased, or used by the District or school, if the bullying substantially interferes with or limits the victim's ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by the District or school or substantially disrupts the education process or orderly operation of a school. The intended audience is 6th -12th grade students and parents. Polk County Schools does get special revenues, including title funds, food service and other grants of $188 million, Pitts said. LAKELAND Polk County Public Schools paraprofessionals and support staff can expect a whopping paycheck at the end of October, thanks to a contract negotiated in recent months andapproved by the School Board during a special meeting on Tuesdaythat retroactively grantsraises and salary increases. Need Password Help? You can visit the Password Reset Tool to reset your district password. Thank you for visiting the official website of the Polk County Department of Education. Safety comes first at PCPS. Implementation of the plan by each principal will be ongoing throughout the school year and will be integrated with the school curriculum, the bullying and prevention program, District disciplinary policies, and violence prevention efforts. District Office:1915 South Floral Ave., Bartow, FL 33830, 2022 Polk County Public Schools | Equity & Compliance | About | Sitemap. The programs of training and instruction authorized by the District shall include, but not be limited to: Dating Violence Prevention: CDC's Choose Respect. Click the icon to log in to ourdistrict applications. The districthas lost a third of taxable value from the increases in home values since the Great Recession because of the rollback on millage rates, he added. The salary increase was part of a constitutional amendment passed by Florida voters in November to incrementally increase minimum wage each year until 2026, when it will reach $15 an hour. This page contains links to important documents, including the Code of Conduct, Student Progression Plan, School Board polices, and more. Polk County Public Schools offers a variety of programs for children ages 3-5. Employees of Polk County Schools who are unable to access this folder, please email Laura Barnett, lbarnett@polkcountyschools.com. Its not rocket science.. Cyberbullying also includes the distribution by electronic means of a communication to more than one person or the posting of material on an electronic medium that may be accessed by one or more persons, if the distribution or posting creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying. Egregious acts of harassment by certified educators may result in a sanction against an educator's State-issued certificate. The doctor gave hera prescriptionandsent her home. The district has high transportation cost because it covers so much land encompassing more square miles than the state of Rhode Island, Pitts said. You can search, save, and share with ease. Upon the completion of the investigation and if criminal charges are to be pursued against the perpetrator, the appropriate law enforcement agencies shall be notified by telephone and/or in writing. During the first semester, the Superintendent shall inform school staff, parents/guardians/other persons responsible for the welfare of a student of the District's student safety and violence prevention policy. If you have forgotten your Polk County Schools password click here. The Superintendent will also provide such notification to all District contractors. Learn about the wide variety of school options Polk County Public Schools offers for students of all ages. of technology or ability. The District shall provide a referral procedure for intervening when bullying or harassment is suspected or when a bullying incident is reported. Learn about the history of Polk County Public Schools and the mission that is guiding it into the future. The School District will respect the privacy of the complainant, the individual(s) against whom the complaint is filed, and the witnesses as much as possible, consistent with the Board's legal obligations to investigate, to take appropriate action, and to conform with any discovery or disclosure obligations. Students are expected to conform to reasonable standards of socially acceptable behavior; respect the person, property, and rights of others; obey constituted authority; and respond to those who hold that authority. ; Bullying Information on identifying and reporting bullying. Learn about our career academies that help students prepare for the workforce. Step - 1: Welcome I have forgotten my password or my password has expired. The next largest category is contracted services at $56.3 million. This content is the sole responsibility of the entity that makes it available. Reports may be made anonymously, but formal disciplinary action may not be based solely on the basis of an anonymous report. Reporting an act of bullying or harassment that is not made in good faith is considered retaliation. It seems like an arbitrary date was chosen for the purpose of choosing a date, when vaccines are just rolling out and COVID numbers are growing,saidWools, who has enough sick time stockpiled to cover it. 1006.147 (known as the Jeffrey Johnson Stand Up for All Students Act) to address both bullying and harassment that does not rise to the level of or is comprised of discriminatory conduct. In 10 years, the Polk County millage rate peaked at 5.42 in 2012 and sank to 3.998 in 2019. If a provision of this policy is or becomes illegal, invalid, or unenforceable in any jurisdiction, that shall not affect the validity or enforceability in that jurisdiction of any other provision of this policy. The District will provide bullying incident, discipline, and referral data to the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) in the format requested, through Survey 5 from Education Information and Accountability Services, and at designated dates provided by the Department. Bullying Curriculum for Students - developed by the District - This curriculum includes education on recognition, prevention, and intervention at all grade levels. ); intervention which includes assistance and support provided to parents; analysis and evaluation of school culture with resulting recommendations for interventions aimed at increasing peer ownership and support. . %%EOF
K-12 Students: (username only, do not include @mypolkschools.net) to access Moodle. Complaints against the superintendent should be filed with the Board Chair. The issue came up. PEA President Stephanie Yocum said the school district received more than enough federal relief money to extend the COVID sick leave to those who need it, as other counties have done. The Polk County School District operates 135 schools; 84 elementary schools, 24 middle schools and 17 high schools. Polk County Public Schools English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) department supports the academic success and acculturation of English language learners. The district has a $900 million capital shortfall, his report showed. "Cyberstalking" means to engage in a course of conduct to communicate, or to cause to be communicated, words, images, or language by or through the use of electronic mail or electronic communication, directed at a specific person, causing substantial emotional distress to that person and serving no legitimate purpose. Whether a particular action or incident constitutes a violation of the policy requires a determination based on all the facts and surrounding circumstances and shall include: a recommendation of remedial steps necessary to stop the bullying and/or harassing behavior; and. PCPS and the PEA signed a memorandum of understanding on this issue, which did not need a votefromthe School Board. Each principal shall implement a process for discussing, at least annually, the District policy on bullying and harassment with students. They can share this with their significant other if they want that person to handle benefit-related matters. False charges shall also be regarded as a serious offense and will result in disciplinary action or other appropriate sanctions. The intended audience is 6th-12thgrade students and parents. About 300 teachersinPolk County,bothpublic and private, have contracted COVID-19 betweenSept.6 and April3,according to records with the FloridaDepartment of Health. "Bullying" means systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one (1) or more students or employees. The principal shall report the occurrence of an incident of suspected bullying as defined by District policy to the parent/guardian of all students known to be involved in the incident on the same day an investigation of the incident has been initiated. Log In Using Your polk-fl.net Account. There are lessons for all grade levels, plus materials for parents as well. But she warned that the health plan might not be free to employees for long. If the action is outside the scope of the District and believed not a criminal act, the principal shall inform parents/guardians of all minor parties. The law went into effect Sept. 30. LAKELAND Polk County Public Schoolsand the Polk Education Association teachers union arein final talks toextenduntil June 4the 10 days of COVID sickleave. Yocum said in a text message that the teachersunion has been in talks with PCPS Associate Superintendent for Human ResourcesTeddra Porteous about the extension. Valuable information and resources for families who are already homeschooling their children or those interested in home education. View state and district assessments by grade level; includes tips on preparing for exams. The total adopted Polk County Schools budget was $2.35 billion this year. Pitts said the decade-long losses in revenues because of millage rollbacks amounted to nearly $271 million. Using our Services does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Services or the content you may access. Flyers, posters, and bookmarks are being distributed at schools with QR codes for easy access. Polk County Public schools has partnered with Benefitfocus to provide the members of our insurance plan with a secure, efficient and convenient platform to manage their benefits online. Information on identifying and reporting bullying for parents and students. Username. The bulk of the current general fund budget goes toward salaries and benefits at $625 million. All school employees are required to report alleged violations of this policy to the principal or as described above. The Student Progression Plan describes requirements for students to be promoted to the next grade. "I know that we have not charged anything to the employees and we have talked about it for a long window of time and we wont needtodo it for the next year or two, but I think at some point,that might change, Fields said. Polk K12 Parents: Forgot Password? Fieldsattended via zoom,Sarah Fortney was at a function for international teachers, and Lynn Wilson had a prior engagement and arrived late. The district employs 6,312 teachers; 1,065 paraprofessionals; 334 counselors, social workers and nurses; 432 principals, 437 secretaries, 599 custodians, 755 food service workers and 580 bus drivers. Your principal has materials for you to certify that you have viewed the training video and have taught the required lesson for your grade level, but there are lots of other materials on the website if you want to explore the topic further with your students.