Camerons Collection can also be accessed through ClassLink, the Gale GVLR site, or each schools Destiny homepage. Administrator, Teacher, Parent Education - developed by the District, Monique Burr Foundation for Children, Inc.'s Child Safety Matters, Keys to Character - developed by the District. The issue came upthis week in Polk afterWendell Watson Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Susan Woolsasked The Ledger about it. Click here for more information Community Resources Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. It was like getting hit by a train and trying to breathe with an elephant sitting on you,saidWools, who rarely gets sick. The School Board is committed to providing an educational setting that is safe, secure, and free from harassment and bullying, including cyberbullying, for all of its students and school employees and applicants for admission. The programs of training and instruction authorized by the District shall include, but not be limited to. 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. We ask all members (even if you do not plan to make changes) to login and verify their data and update their life insurance beneficiary information. Anti-bullying Assemblies - e.g., Jaylen's Challenge, Yellow Dress, Omega Man, etc. "Cyberbullying" means bullying through the use of technology or any electronic communication, which includes, but is not limited to, any transfer of signs, signals, writing, images, sounds, data, or intelligence of any nature transmitted in whole or in part by a wire, radio, electromagnetic system, photelectronic system, or photooptical system, including, but not limited to, electronic mail, Internet communications, instant messages, or facsimile communications. Such immunity from liability shall not apply to an employee, student, or volunteer determined to have made an intentionally false report about harassment, intimidation, and/or bullying. Staff Directory Administration. But she worries about other newer teachers who might not. Those at the top of their respectivesalaryschedules will receive a 3% increase,in addition to the above 2% increase. Polk County Public Schools serves at-risk students through various alternative education programs. 0 No Registration is required. The next work session and board meeting will take place Oct. 26 at the Jim Miles Center in Highland City. Learn about the ways were safeguarding our students and schools. Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. accessibility concerns, please contact the webmaster. Additionally, the Board expects school staff to conduct themselves in a manner that will protect the rights and welfare of students and other school staff and the care of school facilities and equipment. Check your childs grades, attendance, and more. After the revised policy has been adopted, it shall be submitted to the Florida Department of Education not later than September 30th. User Name. The total adopted Polk County Schools budget was $2.35 billion this year. At least 16 Polk County Public Schools teachers, staff have died of COVID-19 since the start of school, Polk County School District details plans for $202M in relief funds, Polk schools budget is estimated at $2.2B,but its not as much as it could be, See Florida and federal minimum wages over the last 20 years, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Users can also select how they wish to receive communication about their benefits (text and/or email). Rehabilitation Act. There are also three career centers, five alternative education (Department of Juvenile Justice) facilities, two adult schools and 33 charter schools. The procedure will include: referral of a student to the collaborative problem-solving team (or equivalent school-based team with a problem-solving focus) for consideration of appropriate services is made through the school problem-solving process by school personnel or parent to the principal/designee; referral of school or area/District personnel to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for consideration of appropriate services will be made by the administrator; school-based intervention and assistance will be determined by the collaborative problem-solving team and may include, but is not limited to: counseling and support to address the needs of the victim(s) of bullying; counseling interventions to address the behavior of students who bully (e.g., empathy training, anger management, etc. But after year of COVID-19, a new reality sets in, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. The district operates 540 buses and transports more than 51,000 students for a total of 60,670 miles travelled each day. . Monthly Meeting Agenda and Meeting Materials Monthly meetings are live streamed. . Each year the tax collector will then certify the taxable value of property in Polk County in July and the state sets the mileage rate the district can assess to determine its local funding amount. All complaints about bullying and/or harassment that may violate this policy shall be promptly investigated by the principal or assistant principal, who is trained in investigative procedures. "Harassment" or "bullying" also means electronically transmitted acts (i.e., internet, e-mail, cellular telephone, personal digital assistant(PDA), or wireless hand-held device) that a student(s) or a group of students exhibits toward another particular student(s) and the behavior both causes mental or physical harm to the other student and is sufficiently severe, persistent, or pervasive that it creates an intimidating, threatening, or abusive educational environment for the other student(s). In addition,all active employees will receive a 2% increase on their current salary level. MetaSearch is intended for research, information and reference purposes only. We are located in the southeastern corner of Tennessee in the heart of the. He asked his colleagues and administrators present at the session to let the district's lobbyist know about the financial presentation. The 2022 open enrollment period will be October 17-29, and employees of Polk County Public Schools will need to manage their benefits using Benefitplace. . I have forgotten my password and security questions. This authorization is to remain in effect until withdrawn by me, in writing, with sufficient notice to The School Board Payroll Department to . Search results are not intended as legal advice for you or your organization and are not a substitute for obtaining legal advice from a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction. The training and instruction shall include recognizing behaviors that lead to bullying and harassment and taking appropriate preventative action based on those observations. While Polk's average teacher salary is 35th in the state. Links to additional information for the community. What is up with that? As for Wools, she was in the emergency room on Thursday with worsening symptoms COVID pneumonia. 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. You can visit the Password Reset Tool to reset your district password. Information for planning the next steps of your education and beyond. MLK Day: Events celebrating legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. planned in Lakeland. Documented interviews of the victim, alleged perpetrator, and witnesses shall be conducted privately and shall be confidential. Log in using the same username and password you created during the self-registration process. Four School Board members were in attendance for the9 a.m.work session Chairwoman Lori Cunningham, Sara Beth Reynolds, Lisa Miller and William Allen. Polk County Board of Education meetings are held at 6:30 PM on the second Monday of each month. Library Media Services offers a number of services and programs to aid students, school library staff, teachers, faculty, district office staff and members of the community. a written report by the principal/assistant principal. "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. 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. Polk County Public Schools employs school counselors who provide students with the support they need at each stage of their development. The highest level of confidentiality possible shall be provided regarding the submission of a complaint or a report of bullying and/or harassment and for the investigative procedures that are employed. If you have forgotten your Polk County Schools password click here. 1006.147 and in conformity with the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE) Model Policy. Pursuant to Florida law, "sexual cyberharassment" means to publish a sexually explicit image of a person that contains or conveys the personal identification information of the depicted person to an Internet website without the depicted persons consent, for no legitimate purpose, with the intent of causing substantial emotional distress to the depicted person. The instruction shall include evidence-based methods of preventing bullying and harassment, as well as information about how to effectively identify andrespond to bullying in schools. The District will not tolerate unlawful bullying and harassment of any type. Our Services may display content that does not belong to Emerald Data Solutions or its affiliates. 110 East Polk Avenue, Lake Wales, FL 33853 PH: 863.678.4244 | FX: 863.678.4680. Its not rocket science.. Capital is needed for the district's wish list of building projects that could add 10 more schools and multiple remodeling projects by 2041 in order to relieve already overcrowded schools and accommodate the endless waves of families with school-aged children moving to Polk County. The District will not tolerate unlawful bullying and harassment of any type. InAugust, the district implemented paid sick leave specifically for COVID through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which uses the federal funding to pay the sick leave salary, among many things. Search results from our Services may contain copyrighted material and, if so, you may not use such content unless you obtain permission from its owner or are otherwise permitted by law. Log In Username: Password: Forgot password? Polk County also has unique challenges having both a rural and urban population as well as being an inland county, Pitts said. Search . We are very proud of our students, our schools, and our communities. The Staff Portal has been redesigned to be easier to use on a large variety of devices. Information regarding dress code, Code of Conduct, attendance, and Student Progression Plan. Thank you for visiting the official website of the Polk County Department of Education. Information on how to become an approved volunteer and other ways to support Polk County Public Schools. Victims of these offenses should also have the incident basis (sex, race, or disability) noted in their student record. You do not need to provide the @polk-fl.net portion of your email address as part of your username. Ledger reporter Kimberly C. Moore can be reached atkmoore@theledger.comor 863-802-7514. In a separate section, the District shall include each alleged incident of bullying or harassment that does not meet the criteria of a prohibited act under this policy with recommendations regarding such incidents. Polks spending on administrative costs is the third lowest in Florida. Using that information, it bases the state's financial contribution to school districts on the number of full-time students the district teaches. The Polk Schools Staff Portal The Staff Portal is where you can update your address & phone number, view remuneration statements, tax information, and more! A maximum of ten (10) school days shall be the limit for the initial filing of the incidents and completion of the investigative procedural steps. Another disadvantage to public schools across the state is a Florida law imposing millage rollbacks on school districts, Pitts said. Employees of Polk County Schools who are unable to access this folder, please email Laura Barnett, lbarnett@polkcountyschools.com. Register an account or Add a Student: Click Here The District will utilize Florida's School Environmental Safety Incident Reporting (SESIR) Statewide Report on School Safety and Discipline Data as prescribed. Polk is the second largest employer in the county with about 13,500 employees (excluding substitute teachers). Since millage rates are set by the state, school boards in Florida have few options for local revenues sources, forcing school districts to cut spending to make ends meet. I know my password and it has not expired. Follow us on Social Media for the latest news and updates. 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.