InTec- Instructional Technology at Polk County Schools

Another exciting day of JAMF training with our Instructional Television - PCSB staff! This time we are learning how to manage shared iPads!

Our Instructional Television - PCSB staff is hard at work with JAMF training today!

Students return on Monday so please allow for a little extra time in your commute.

School Bus Safety - Let's ALL DO OUR PART to ensure kids are safe getting on or exiting school buses.

PAY ATTENTION - USE CAUTION - PUT DOWN THE DISTRACTIONS

Know When to STOP!
• All drivers moving in either direction on a two-way street must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal, and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children AND the school bus stop arm is withdrawn. (see diagram, TWO-LANE)

• On a highway divided by a paved median, all drivers moving in either direction must stop for a school bus displaying a stop signal, and must remain stopped until the road is clear of children AND the school bus stop arm is withdrawn. (see diagram, MULTI-LANE)

• The only time traffic approaching an oncoming school bus does not need to stop, is if there is a raised barrier such as a concrete divider or at least five feet of unpaved space separating the lanes of traffic. (see diagram, DIVIDED HIGHWAY)

• On a highway divided by a raised barrier or an unpaved median at least 5 feet wide, drivers moving in the opposite direction do not have to stop for the bus (painted lines or pavement markings are not considered barriers). However, these motorists should slow down and watch for students loading or unloading from the bus. (see diagram, DIVIDED HIGHWAY)

Penalties for passing stopped school bus include:
• Moving violation subject to citation
• Requirement to complete a basic Driver Improvement Course upon conviction
• Four points on your driver license
• Minimum fine of $165, if you pass on the side where children enter and exit, you will receive a minimum fine of $265.

On July 1, 2017, the Cameron Mayhew Act took effect in Florida, which increases the minimum penalty for drivers who illegally pass a stopped school bus, resulting in the injury or death of another person. Cameron Mayhew was killed by a motorist that failed to stop as he was walking to his stopped school bus in 2016.

Penalties for passing a stopped school bus that causes or results in the serious bodily injury or the death of another person include:
• Serving 120 community service hours in a trauma center or hospital;
• Participating in a victim’s impact panel session, or if such a panel does not exist, attending a DHSMV approved driver improvement course;
• Six points on your driver license;
• Suspension of license for a minimum of one year; and
• $1,500 fine.

Congratulations to teachers, students, parents and administrators in making Polk County Public Schools a B district! Your hard work and dedication shows everyone what we already know: You are the best!!!!

Polk County Public Schools is a “B” district for the first time in eight years, according to grades released by the Florida Department of Education on Wednesday.

“I’m thrilled, absolutely thrilled,” said Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd. “Our 'B' is the result of a huge amount of hard work on the part of every single student, employee, parent, and community supporter of our school district. I am immensely proud of this grade and the huge steps forward our district is taking.”

Polk County Public Schools last earned a “B” in 2010. In each of the years since, it has received a grade of “C.”

For the first time in seven years, none of the school district’s schools earned a grade of “F”; in the 2016-17 school year, the district had three “F” schools.

The district also reduced its number of “D” schools to seven, down from 17 in the 2016-17 school year. Meanwhile, the number of schools earning a “B” or “C” increased. There are 27 “B” schools, up from 23 last school year, and 66 “C” schools, up from 57 a year ago. Twenty-three of the district’s schools earned a grade of “A,” down slightly from 25 in 2016-17.

The two schools that made the biggest jumps were Garner Elementary, which improved from an “F” to a “C,” and Mulberry High, which improved from a “D” to a “B.”

Garner was among six schools in the second year of a turnaround process after having earned a grade of “D” or “F” for more than two consecutive years. The other schools were Bartow Middle, Griffin Elementary, Kathleen Middle, Lake Alfred Polytech Academy and Lake Marion Creek Middle.

All but two of those schools, Lake Marion Creek and Griffin, improved their grades to a “C.” Earlier this year, the School Board contracted with an external operator, Educational Directions, to manage any of the six schools that did not improve to a “C” or better.

An additional highlight from the data released Wednesday is that four high schools, including Mulberry High, improved their grades to a "B": Mulberry High jumped from a "D" to a "B," Fort Meade Middle-Senior increased from a “C” to a “B,” George Jenkins High improved from a “C” to a “B,” and Lakeland High improved from a “C” to a “B.” In 2016-17, no traditional public high school in Polk County scored higher than a "C."

Polk County is now ranked 50th out of 67 school districts in the state, a jump from 56th a year ago.

Polk County Public Schools’ school grades data includes both traditional and charter schools. See the complete reports on Florida’s latest school grades at https://tinyurl.com/yd2yjqk2.

Can you guess Heather’s favorite app?

Ready for tech coach training today!!!!

Ready to work with a new group of teacher leaders who want to become Technology Integration Coaches at their schools. See you soon teachers!

We are ready to celebrate our Model Instructional Classroom teachers this evening with a “Drop the Mic” party!! See you soon teachers!

7th grade US History students at Citrus Ridge Civics Academy are racing against the clock to break IN to an escape room box! This educational spin on the popular escape room concept requires students to work together, use common sense and their knowledge of history to solve puzzles, unlock combination locks and escape the “box” before the bell rings!

We cannot wait to celebrate this year’s winners!

The 26th annual Polk County Video Awards are happening TONIGHT, featuring the best work from our schools' TV and video production programs.

Tune in for the elementary school awards at 5 p.m., followed by middle and high schools at 7 p.m. Visit this page for the YouTube live stream links: itv.polk-fl.net.

Instructional Television - PCSB