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 . website. Information on identifying and reporting bullying for parents and students. Using our Services does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Services or the content you may access. Reports may be made anonymously, but formal disciplinary action may not be based solely on the basis of an anonymous report. Cyberbullying includes the creation of a webpage or weblog in which the creator assumes the identity of another person, or the knowing impersonation of another person as the author of posted content or messages, if the creation or impersonation creates any of the conditions enumerated in the definition of bullying. Find critical coverage information, insightful plan details, and relevant benefits that meet the needs of your unique life circumstances. Wools, 53,woke up April 1 withunbelievably intensemuscleaches, fever and a pounding headache. She tested positive for COVID-19 and went to apply for the special sick leave on Sunday. . Password Polk County Public Schools Let's get started! 110 East Polk Avenue, Lake Wales, FL 33853 PH: 863.678.4244 | FX: 863.678.4680. Use tab to navigate through the menu items. Documented interviews of the victim, alleged perpetrator, and witnesses shall be conducted privately and shall be confidential. Any student or student's parent/guardian who believes s/he has been or is the victim of bullying or harassment should immediately report the situation to the school principal. The ultimate winner: It takes more than numbers to sum up Castle's career. Nikki Jones Assistant Principal nikki.jones@polk-fl.net . This includes two high schools, one college and career academy, two middle schools, and six elementary schools. Polk tops 200 new COVID-19 cases for 3rd-straight day, Polk teachers see a pay bump, but no raise for paraeducators or school staff, Polk teachers 'just thought it was adisruption.' Florida spending $9,980 per student and pays teachers an average salary of$49,583. She said some contracts have been renewed for up to 10 years and the audit could shed light on unnessessary or duplicated services. The doctor gave hera prescriptionandsent her home. Monthly Meeting Agenda and Meeting Materials Monthly meetings are live streamed. 1915 South Floral Ave. | Bartow, FL 33830 | 863-534-0500. The meetings are held in the Board Room at the Stearns Education Center. Such retaliation shall be considered a serious violation of Board policy and independent of whether a complaint is substantiated. Polk County Public Schools strives to reduce its energy footprint. "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. Staff Directory Administration. Library Media Services 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. Anti-bullying Assemblies - e.g., Jaylen's Challenge, Yellow Dress, Omega Man, etc. In West Virginia, it spends $12,270 per student and pays an average teacher salary of$50,261. This authorization is to remain in effect until withdrawn by me, in writing, with sufficient notice to The School Board Payroll Department to . However, we are working with the union on this matter and reviewing available options., More:Polk tops 200 new COVID-19 cases for 3rd-straight day, More:Polk teachers see a pay bump, but no raise for paraeducators or school staff, More:Polk teachers 'just thought it was adisruption.' Users can also select how they wish to receive communication about their benefits (text and/or email). Find your Board member, access Board meeting calendars and agendas, and learn how you can watch meeting broadcasts. Teachers, CommonSense Media has developed lessons for Digital Citizenship and Literacy. Student Home Links to additional information for students. Check out your childs grades, attendance, and more! Reminders of the policy and bullying prevention messages will be displayed, as appropriate, at each school and at District facilities. The district has a $900 million capital shortfall, his report showed. 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. The issue came up. The Staff Portal has been redesigned to be easier to use on a large variety of devices. About 300 teachersinPolk County,bothpublic and private, have contracted COVID-19 betweenSept.6 and April3,according to records with the FloridaDepartment of Health. The Staff Portal is where you can update your address & phone number, view remuneration statements, tax information, and more! Extending the FFCRA COVID leave that covers quarantines through the remainder of the school year is a common-sense move, said Yocum, whose union represents 9,000 Instructional staff, paraeducatorsand clerical personnel. Safety comes first at PCPS. A school employee, school volunteer, students, parent/guardian, or other persons who promptly reports in good faith an act of bullying or harassment to the appropriate school official and who makes this report in compliance with the procedures set forth in District policy is immune from a cause of action for damages arising out of the reporting itself or any failure to remedy the reported incident. Click here for more information Community Resources accessibility concerns, please contact the webmaster. Cunningham and Fields left before the vote was takenduring a special meeting at 11 a.m., although the work session, set to run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., had been scheduled months in advance. Some School Board members and the Polk Education Association teachersunion president agree. A victim of bullying and/or harassment, anyone who witnessed the act, and anyone who has credible information that an act of bullying and/or harassment has taken place may file a report. The School Board then votes on the general fund millage rate, he said. She commended new Polk County Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid, who began in June. During this time, Mrs. Blackman was an integral part of the leadership team that dramatically raised and maintained student achievement at Oscar J. Pope Elementary School. "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). Best of all, PBS LearningMedia is free for educators. After his presentation, several School Board members wanted more information or called for legislative action on seeing the outlook for its next spending plan. PCPS provides students with access to a variety of free resources, including eBooks, videos, articles and much more, to conduct research and build literacy skills. Polk County also has unique challenges having both a rural and urban population as well as being an inland county, Pitts said. While Polk's average teacher salary is 35th in the state. I hereby authorize The School Board of Polk County to initiate credit entries and if necessary, debit entries and adjustments to my account at the above financial institution named. respond to bullying in schools. You can search, save, and share with ease. Forgot Your Password? There are also three career centers, five alternative education (Department of Juvenile Justice) facilities, two adult schools and 33 charter schools. The issue came upthis week in Polk afterWendell Watson Elementary School fifth-grade teacher Susan Woolsasked The Ledger about it. School Board member Lisa Miller said she wants to see the employee contribution left at zero,especiallyfor staff and paraeducators. The Superintendent shall develop a comprehensive plan intended to prevent bullying and harassment and to cultivate the school climate so as to appropriately identify, report, investigate, and respond to situations of bullying and harassment as they may occur on school grounds, at school-sponsored events, and through school computer networks. TDOE has a preview site located here. (See the Principles of Professional Conduct of the Education Profession in Florida F.A.C. Notification shall be by telephone or by personal conference and/or in writing and shall be consistent with the student privacy rights under applicable provisions of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA). Stephanie Yocum, president of the Polk Education Association teachers union, whichrepresents 7,000 teachers, along with534 support staff and 1,546paraeducators, said she and the 26 union negotiators are ecstatic to get a contract ratified this early in the process. Is the 10 days no longer a thing? School administrators, faculty, staff, and volunteers serve as role models for students and are expected to demonstrate appropriate behavior, treating others with civility and respect, and refusing to tolerate harassment or bullying. 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. Woolscould not understand why the date had not been extended through the end of the school year yet. 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. Instruction regarding bullying, harassment, and the District's violence prevention and school safety efforts shall be integrated into District curriculum at the appropriate grade levels. English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL). If the action is within the scope of the District, District procedures for bullying and/or harassment shall be followed. 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. The current general fund was set at $1.167 billion. The Student Progression Plan describes requirements for students to be promoted to the next grade. 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. In-person benefit assistance is available at an upcoming health and benefit fair. Information on how to become an approved volunteer and other ways to support Polk County Public Schools. Coastal counties tend to have higher real estate values and their local property taxes generate more revenues for education. 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. 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. 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. Why Polk School District? Discipline and referral data will be recorded in Student Discipline/Referral Action Report and Automated Student Information System. Links to additional information for students. You can search, save, and share with ease. The general fund on lastyearsbills had a millage rate of 4.019, andfor the local capital improvement, which was 1.5. Learn about our career academies that help students prepare for the workforce. Using our Services does not give you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Services or the content you may access. Username. 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. We serve over 7,800 students across eleven schools throughout the Polk County community. There are lessons for all grade levels, plus materials for parents as well. 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. Use your PCPS username and password to login. Find out dates for spring and winter break, early release days, and more. 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 district has high transportation cost because it covers so much land encompassing more square miles than the state of Rhode Island, Pitts said. All rights reserved. If the action is outside the scope of the District and believed to be a criminal act, the action shall be referred to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Polk County School Board. "That's something that is really alarming to me.". Our Services may display content that does not belong to Emerald Data Solutions or its affiliates. But after year of COVID-19, a new reality sets in, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. Polk County Public Schools offers a variety of programs for children ages 3-5. Search . endstream endobj 69 0 obj <>/Metadata 2 0 R/Pages 66 0 R/StructTreeRoot 6 0 R/Type/Catalog>> endobj 70 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 648 792]/Parent 66 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 71 0 obj <>stream 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. 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. The development of such an atmosphere requires respect for self and others, as well as for District and community property on the part of students, staff, and community members. 110 East Polk Avenue, Lake Wales, FL 33853PH: 863.678.4244 | FX: 863.678.4680, Copyright 2023 Lake Wales Charter Schools. Rehabilitation Act. The current general fund was set at $1.167 billion. "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. Its not rocket science.. Perpetuation of conduct listed in the definition of bullying and/or harassment by an individual or group with intent to demean, dehumanize, embarrass, or cause emotional or physical harm to a student or school employee by: accessing or knowingly and willingly causing or providing access to data or computer software through a computer, computer system, or computer network within the scope of the District school system; or. a written report by the principal/assistant principal. Each principal shall implement a process for discussing, at least annually, the District policy on bullying and harassment with students. Growth: As development comes to Lake Wales, some residents worry about changes to quality of life. We are always striving to improve the accessibility standards of our The District shall provide a referral procedure for intervening when bullying or harassment is suspected or when a bullying incident is reported. Employees of Polk County Schools who are unable to access this folder, please email Laura Barnett. 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. The total adopted Polk County Schools budget was $2.35 billion this year. In accordance with State law, District staff may monitor as part of any bullying or harassment investigation any non-school-related activity, function, or program. This content is the sole responsibility of the entity that makes it available. The New Polk Schools Staff Portal - Now Mobile Friendly! Learn the measures were taking to operate more efficiently. The law went into effect Sept. 30. "I am so sorry, said School Board member Lisa Miller. Learn about Polk County Public Schools athletics programs and how your child can join the team! -Organize, train for, and . The bulk of the current general fund budget goes toward salaries and . But she warned that the health plan might not be free to employees for long. School Board Member Lisa Miller said she was interested in seeing an in-progress efficiency audit of current contracted services with the district. I looked through the employee COVID info in the(time card)hub, and everything I looked at expired in December, Woolssaid in a text message. Learn about the ways were safeguarding our students and schools. The programs of training and instruction authorized by the District shall include, but not be limited to. It is exhausting, but I do feel I will beat it. Password. Information for vendors and potential business partners, including purchasing and construction bids. ", Students, parents, teachers, school administrators, counseling staff, and school volunteers shall be provided training and instruction, at least annually, on the District's policy and administrative procedures regarding bullying and harassment. Follow her on Twitter at @KMooreTheLedger. hbbd```b``Z "+rLHo`7X|XdS$;; "$uI @u&A"@;Fg` I Information on ESE services, projects, and programs, and resources for families. This review process shall be conducted not less than every three (3) years thereafter. Valuable information and resources for families who are already homeschooling their children or those interested in home education. 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. 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. Consequences and appropriate remedial action for a visitor or volunteer 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 be determined by the school administrator after consideration of the nature and circumstances of the act, including reports to appropriate law enforcement officials.
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