News
See the new Polk County high school attendance zones, by district
2+ hour, 53+ min ago (12+ words) See the new Polk County high school attendance zones, by district'theledger.com...
Southeastern grad leads promotion of autistic Barbie doll
1+ day, 7+ hour ago (85+ words) Southeastern graduate leads promotion of autistic Barbie doll'theledger.com Aarushi Pratap, a graduate of Southeastern University's SEU Link program, was recently featured in the launch of the first Barbie doll representing someone with autism. Pratap is a Barbie Role Model…...
Schools of McKeel Academy hosting job fair for 2026-27 school year
6+ day, 3+ hour ago (155+ words) Schools of McKeel Academy hosting job fair for 2026-27 school year'theledger.com Schools of McKeel Academy hosting job fair for 2026-27 school year The Schools of McKeel Academy will host a job fair Saturday, Jan. 31, from 9 a.m. to noon at South McKeel Academy,…...
Polk school district opens school choice application window
2+ week, 3+ day ago (129+ words) The school choice application window for Polk County Public Schools opens Jan. 12. This is the period in which families can apply for places in magnet schools, career academies and programs such as International Baccalaureate and Cambridge for the 2026-27 school, the…...
Petition asks Polk school district to take action in combating violence from students
4+ mon, 1+ week ago (1072+ words) A local teacher has started an online petition drive, pressing Polk County Public Schools to address student violence. The petition on Change.org had attracted 560 signatures as of Sept. 16. The petition calls on Polk Schools Superintendent Fred Heid and the…...
Florida Poly students ascend with creation of device for potential use by astronauts
6+ mon, 3+ day ago (920+ words) The notion of college students perching poolside during their summer break might seem utterly ordinary. For a trio of undergraduates from Florida Polytechnic University, though, that recent experience was extraordinary. "It was surreal," said Eduardo Jirau, a rising senior at…...
How much does child care cost in Florida? This list ranks Florida among most expensive states
6+ mon, 2+ week ago (687+ words) Although it's an unavoidable cost for parents, child care in the U.S. usually comes with a hefty price tag. According to a recent study from personal finance company WalletHub, Florida ranks in the top 15 most-expensive states when it comes to child…...
How did Polk students do on FAST tests this year? Here are the highs and lows. Find your school
7+ mon, 1+ day ago (301+ words) Students in Polk County's public schools improved in 24 of 36 categories on standardized subject matter tests for the 2024-2025 school year, according to newly released figures from the Florida Department of Education. The Florida Assessment of Student Thinking tests cover nine academic…...
Following sister's lead, Lakeland teen gains bachelor's degree before high school diploma
7+ mon, 4+ week ago (1143+ words) When Emily Burse strolled across the stage at the RP Funding Center on May 24 to receive her diploma from McKeel Academy of Technology, she might have experienced a moment of de'ja" vu. Earlier that month, Burse had been in Jenkins…...
In lawsuit, former Polk schools employee says district is letting developers off the hook
8+ mon, 4+ hour ago (954+ words) A lawsuit has been filed by a whistleblower and former employee of the Polk County School Board who had worked for its building department. The lawsuit claims the district withheld information about the available student stations in state-mandated school concurrency…...