Polk County Schools Offer Two Options for Fall: In-Person or Virtual Classes

Polk County Public Schools is finalizing plans for the 2021-22 school year and will offer two learning options for students.

The first option will be traditional campus learning with face-to-face instruction.

The second option will be Polk Virtual School, the district's longstanding program that allows students to take online lessons. Students have flexibility in their daily work schedule and may work at an accelerated pace, so time management and self-motivation are essential for success. The deadline to apply for Polk Virtual is July 23. For more information about Polk Virtual and how to enroll, visit pvs.polkschoolsfl.com.

PCPS will no longer offer Campus eSchool, an online program which was temporarily in place last year and was meant to serve as a bridge for students to return to their brick-and-mortar school.

"The goal has been to get students back into the classroom because there really is no substitute for face-to-face instruction," said Superintendent Frederick Heid. "Many students struggled to adapt to an online setting and didn't have access to the full range of supports and resources available at school."

PCPS will once again have COVID-19 protocols in place to make campus learning safe for students and staff. We continue to work closely with the Florida Department of Health in Polk County to review and update our safety measures; enhanced cleaning, social distancing and contact tracing will remain important tools.

Face coverings will be optional for students and staff members for the 2021-22 school year, but PCPS encourages anyone who is not vaccinated to wear face coverings.

There is no requirement for students, employees, or their families to be vaccinated.

Once the new school year is underway, anyone fully vaccinated will not be required to self-isolate if they are determined to be a close contact to someone who tests positive for COVID-19, according to the Department of Health.

PCPS is exploring learning options for students who are required to quarantine.

"We want to limit disruptions to the learning process as much as possible," Heid said. "Hopefully, quarantines will be less frequent this year. But we simply don't know, and we are looking at options for how to keep students actively learning until they can return to the classroom."

PCPS will release additional back-to-school information in the coming weeks. Please continue to check the district's website (polkschoolsfl.com) and social media for updates. The first day of school for students is Aug. 10.