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. 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. Through the Benefitplace platform, you can log in anytime to see your chosen benefits, dependents and beneficiaries. Polks spending on administrative costs is the third lowest in Florida. You can visit the Password Reset Tool to reset your district password. The student may also report concerns to teachers and other school staff who will be responsible for notifying the appropriate administrator. Information on dress code, Code of Conduct, attendance, and Student Progression Plan. MetaSearch is intended for research, information and reference purposes only. The District will not tolerate unlawful bullying and harassment of any type. Polk County Public Schools Moodle Site Home Alsoin the contract:If per-student funding, which provides staff raises, fluctuates greater than 2% of the current funding up or down, both sides can come back to the bargaining table to work out a new agreement. Documented interviews of the victim, alleged perpetrator, and witnesses shall be conducted privately and shall be confidential. The investigation of a reported act of bullying or harassment is deemed to be a school-related activity and begins with a report of such an act. Staff Directory - Bartow Academy - Polk County Public Schools Eligible employees who worked one day more than half the 2020-21 contract year will advance one salary level. The District expects students to conduct themselves in keeping with their levels of development, maturity, and demonstrated capabilities with a proper regard for the rights and welfare of other students and school staff, the educational purpose underlying all school activities, and the care of school facilities and equipment. 68 0 obj <> endobj The total adopted Polk County Schools budget was $2.35 billion this year. Why Polk School District? Employees of Polk County Schools who are unable to access this folder, please email Laura Barnett, lbarnett@polkcountyschools.com. Links to additional information for the community. According to the level of infraction, the victim's parents will be notified by telephone and/or in writing of actions being taken to protect the child; the frequency of notification will depend on the seriousness of the bullying or harassment incident. Employees of Polk County Schools who are unable to access this folder, please email Laura Barnett. 6A-10.081). Charter school monies pass through the district coffers and that is expected to be $128 million for the 2022-2023 fiscal year. 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. 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. Florida spending $9,980 per student and pays teachers an average salary of$49,583. Complaints against the superintendent should be filed with the Board Chair. Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. If you have forgotten your Polk County Schools password click here. Polk County Public Schools offers many programs for qualified, high-achieving students. 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. Such retaliation shall be considered a serious violation of Board policy and independent of whether a complaint is substantiated. He added the state lottery provides funding that amounts to five days of the districts operations. A step-by-step guide for becoming licensed to drive. PDF Logging into Office 365 Webmail (after Email Migration) But after year of COVID-19, a new reality sets in. Paul Nutcher can be reached at pnutcher@gannett.com. Funded 995th out of the top 1,000 largest school districts. Using our Services does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Services or the content you may access. Thank you for visiting the official website of the Polk County Department of Education. Lakeland, Florida Area. It is defined as any unwanted and repeated written, verbal, emotional (relational), sexual aggression, cyberbullying, or physical behavior, including any offensive, threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture, by an adult or student, that is severe or pervasive enough to create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive educational environment; cause discomfort or humiliation; or unreasonably interfere with the individual's school performance or participation; and may involve: "Harassment" means any threatening, insulting, or dehumanizing gesture, use of data or computer software, or written, verbal or physical conduct directed against a student or school employee that: places a student or school employee in reasonable fear of harm to his/her person or damage to his/her property; has the effect of interfering with a student's educational performance, opportunities, or benefits; or. Journey - Personnel Evaluation & Professional Learning System | A Polk County Public Schools Project Journey is an evolving resource designed to support educators at all levels in student-centered professional learning and personnel evaluation activities. 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. "Bullying" means systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one (1) or more students or employees. Learn about the many ways were protecting our students. These programs focus on correcting behaviors and developing attitudes and skills that will help students make positive changes in their lives. We worked over the last two years as our union to try to be more collaborativewith the district, Yocum said. She said some contracts have been renewed for up to 10 years and the audit could shed light on unnessessary or duplicated services. Fieldsattended via zoom,Sarah Fortney was at a function for international teachers, and Lynn Wilson had a prior engagement and arrived late. 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. There is even a mobile app, so you can access the system from your smartphone or other mobile device. About 300 teachersinPolk County,bothpublic and private, have contracted COVID-19 betweenSept.6 and April3,according to records with the FloridaDepartment of Health. Information for vendors and potential business partners, including purchasing and construction bids. 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. 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 and approved . 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. School Board Member Justin Sharpless wanted something done to improve revenues. This policy should not be interpreted as to prevent a victim or accused from seeking redress under any other available law either civil or criminal. Search . The Polk County School District operates 135 schools; 84 elementary schools, 24 middle schools and 17 high schools. Polk County Public Schools Curriculum Tech Resources Records Request Health & Wellness Crime Stoppers FortifyFL Family Empowerment Scholarship Florida Department of Education provides educational options for qualifying families through the Family Empowerment Scholarship. -Serve as Guidance/Student Services department chair for middle school, grades 6-8. Open Enrollment - Health & Wellness - Polk County Public Schools This did elapse, according to the memorandum of understanding with the Polk Education Association, PCPSspokesman Jason Geary said in a statement Friday. 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. View state and district assessments by grade level; includes tips on preparing for exams. Reports may be made anonymously, but formal disciplinary action may not be based solely on the basis of an anonymous report. I need to reset my password. practices and standards defined by Section 508 of the U.S. Polk County Board of Education meetings are held at 6:30 PM on the second Monday of each month. 1915 South Floral Ave. | Bartow, FL 33830 | 863-534-0500. Each principal shall implement a process for discussing, at least annually, the District policy on bullying and harassment with students. a written report by the principal/assistant principal. Growth: As development comes to Lake Wales, some residents worry about changes to quality of life. Employees are not required to contribute to the districts self-insuredplan, but do pay for spouses and dependents. Is the 10 days no longer a thing? 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. Please use your Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) credentials to access the Staff Portal Admin System. The Polk Education Foundation is a nonprofit organization that directly supports Polk County Public Schools. Polk County also has unique challenges having both a rural and urban population as well as being an inland county, Pitts said. Information on identifying and reporting bullying. Click the icon to log in to ourdistrict applications. Pitts saida reduction in spending for the Polk County School Board to consider would be to start charging a premium for health insurance and looking for duplicate services provided in current contracts for services as budget deliberations continue. Conduct that constitutes bullying and harassment, as defined herein, is prohibited: during any education program or activity conducted by the District; during any school-related or school-sponsored program or activity or on a District school bus, or at a District school bus stop ; through the use of data or computer software that is accessed through a computer, computer system, or computer network of the District; or. acting in a manner that has an effect similar to the effect of bullying or harassment. The investigator shall collect and evaluate the facts including but not limited to: whether there were past incidents or past continuing patterns of behavior; the relationship between the parties involved including whether the individual was in a position of power over the individual allegedly subject to bullying or harassment; the characteristics of the parties involved; where the bullying and/or harassment occurred; whether there have been other incidents in the school involving the same or other students; whether the conduct adversely affected the student's education or educational environment; the context in which the alleged incidents occurred; and. Data reporting on bullying, harassment, unsubstantiated bullying, unsubstantiated harassment, sexual harassment, and threat/intimidation incidents, as well as any bullying-related incidents that have as a basis of sex, race, or disability should include the incident basis. K-12 Students: (username only, do not include @mypolkschools.net) to access Moodle. Log in using the same username and password you created during the self-registration process. Password Reset Tool. Step - 1: Welcome - MyPolkSchools Valuable information and resources for families who are already homeschooling their children or those interested in home education. In addition,all active employees will receive a 2% increase on their current salary level. PBS LearningMedia is your destination for easy, instant access to tens of thousands of classroom-ready, digital resources including videos and presentations perfect for the Interactive Whiteboard, plus audio and photos, and even in-depth lesson plans. COVID Florida: Polk schools' coronavirus sick-time policy expires All rights reserved. Use your PCPS username and password to login.