Southwest Middle School is slated for a $50 million makeover with most of the campus being demolished and rebuilt. Construction, expected to begin around the end of the year, will be done in stages in a way that classes will remain on campus, The Ledger reports. A conditional use permit was approved by the Lakeland […]
Category: Schools
Posted inHealth, Schools
Dashboard: More Than 11,000 Polk Students Have Quarantined Over 2 Weeks
Polk County Public Schools’ new COVID-19 dashboard shows that 11,163 students and 323 staff have had to quarantine during the last two weeks. Quarantined students without access to digital devices and wifi are having difficulty keeping up with classwork, the head of the teachers’ union tells News Channel 8. | View the dashboard
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Polk Schools Preliminary Data: 1,170 Students, 297 Staff Reported Positive for COVID-19
A preliminary report of COVID-19 cases in Polk public schools released Friday shows that 1,170 students and 297 staff have been reported as positive for the virus since Aug. 2. In addition, 8,228 students and 223 staff have quarantined after exposure to infected individuals.
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High School Football Scores
Check results of Friday night’s high school football action:
Posted inHealth, Schools
Polk School Board Takes No Vote on the Mask Issue
Masks remain optional in Polk public schools. Polk School Board members heard passionate debate from both sides of the mask debate on Tuesday, but did not vote on the issue. Vice Chair Kay Fields tried to make a motion for an emergency mask mandate, but Chair Lori Cunningham ended the meeting without calling for a […]
Posted inHealth, Schools
Kay Fields Calls for School Board to Consider Masks for 30 Days
Citing rising public concern about school safety as COVID numbers increase, Polk School Board Vice Chair Kay Field has called for the board to consider a 30-day mask requirement. She also says that her three requests to hold a special School Board meeting to discuss safety concerns have been ignored.
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South McKeel Academy Requiring Masks for Two Weeks
Starting Friday, students and staff at South McKeel Academy, a charter elementary school, will be required to wear masks indoors and on school buses for two weeks. Students at a sister elementary, McKeel Academy Central, will also be required to wear masks while riding school buses. Alan Black, director of schools for The Schools of […]
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Polk Schools Not Planning to Challenge State Ban on Mask Mandates
Local medical professionals say the science shows that children should mask up in schools to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but Polk School Superintendent Fred Heid said his hands are tied by the state, News Channel 8 reports. Polk’s school district has no plans to defy Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order on masks, as other […]
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Five Lakeland Schools Get New Principals, Assistants
With public school classes starting Tuesday, several campuses in Lakeland are getting new principals and assistant principals. They include:
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Polk Public Schools Trying to Fill 428 Jobs
With classes beginning next week, Polk public schools are trying to fill 428 jobs, The Ledger reports. Among them are 193 teaching positions; in most years there are around 130 teaching vacancies at this time, spokesman Jason Geary said. | MORE: Check vacancies Source: The Ledger