Communication Builds Our Community
Communication Builds Our Community
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Finding a new superintendent for the Lake Wales Charter School System is a painstaking process, with huge focus on finding the ideal candidate, according to Bill Vogel. Vogel, 72, is himself a former school superintendent who is providing services to the Charter Schools Board of Trustees as a consultant to the Florida School Board Association. "We're very impressed with the commitment of the Board of Trustees to finding the right candidate," he told the LakeWalesNews.Net...
The Florida Department of Education has finally submitted a plan outlining how federal relief funds will be used to help schools recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan is four months late and Florida was the last state in the nation to submit one. On the line is $2.3 billion in additional COVID relief funds, adding up to a total $15 billion earmarked for Florida's COVID recovery in schools. The Florida Phoenix has been writing about the issue for months now, with the...
Students and parents involved in the Polk County Public Schools may wish to offer comments to the School System about the future direction of Polk Public Schools. According to officials at the county-wide system, they are seeking public input to create a new strategic plan to improve schools and better serve students. A community survey has been developed, and stakeholders are being invited to tell them what they think are the top qualities for an ideal PCPS graduate. The...
Editor's Note: Florida public schools seem to be purposefully forgotten by state leaders, leaving teachers scrambling to work miracles with scarcely a loaf or fish in sight. This story from Florida Phoenix highlights the problem. Florida is now one of only two states in the nation that has not submitted a plan to the U.S. Department of Education for providing billions in federal dollars to help public schools during the pandemic. Overall, 48 states and Washington D.C. have...
In a dramatic turnabout involving Florida’s new surgeon general, the state Department of Health has created a new COVID-19 related emergency rule that allows parents to keep kids in school even if they have been exposed to the virus. Previously, students would have to quarantine at home for a certain time period before going back to school, raising Constitutional questions about who controls public schools — the executive branch, local school boards or parents. New Sur...
More than six months after the departure of lauded Lake Wales Charter Schools Superintendent Jesse Jackson, the process of seeking his replacement being conducted by the Board of Trustees is in disarray. Board Chairman Danny Gill has written a memo calling for an opportunity for citizens to voice their opinions at the September 20 meeting of the board. His memo states that “This is not a meeting to discuss who the next Superintendent should be or will be. This meeting will b...
A Polk County Commissioner is coming under fire for promoting a common ulcer medication as a cure for Covid-19. There is no medical or clinical evidence to support his claim. Neil Combee, who represents the northwest corner of Polk but is elected county-wide, asserts that "the government knows" that the over-the-counter medicine is effective but is covering it up for unknown reasons. He offered no explanation as to why any authority would do so but says that he "doesn't trust...
The largest proposed development in Lake Wales history has taken another step forward. City Commissioners have approved a new zoning designation for over 1,800 acres of vacant land south of Thompson Nursery road and west of U.S. Highway 27 at the request of the Winter Haven Corporation, which has owned the property for decades. The property will now be zoned as Planned Development Mixed Use. Previously, there was no zoning classification on the land. The plan calls for 2,800...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools and the local community are mourning the passing of Dr. Damien Moses, principal of Bok Academy South. "It is with our deepest sorrow that we inform you of the passing of our beloved principal and colleague, Dr. Damien Moses," said Superintendent Alricky Smith in a July 23 email announcing Moses' death. "Dr. Moses was a pillar with the Lake Wales Charter Schools system serving since its inception." Prior to being appointed principal of Bok...
Some viewed his email as a threat to withhold future funding, but Henry McCance says that's not what he intended. The largest donor to Lake Wales Charter schools, McCance says he just wants officials to know that he expects them to show "leadership" to ensure students can safely attend school in-person this year. His recommendation: Mandatory vaccines for all teachers and staff and mandatory masks for students, teachers and staff. "I feel strongly enough about these issues...
George Dixon (Dick) Chandley, age 90, passed away on Thursday, July 15, 2021 in Lake Wales. He was born December 12, 1930, in the Lake Wales Hospital, the son of Myra and Ed Chandley (both deceased), longtime residents of Lake Wales. After completing the Lake Wales public schools, Dick attended Davidson College 1948-1949 and Massachusetts Institute of Technology 1949-1955, receiving both a BS and an MS in Metallurgy, cum laude. Mr. Chandley was in the Army Ordnance Corps from...
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...
Polk County Public Schools is no longer requiring students and staff to wear face coverings. During its June 8 meeting, the Polk County School Board voted unanimously to lift a requirement that students wear face coverings. The requirement for PCPS employees to wear face coverings is also being lifted. Beginning June 9 face coverings will no longer be mandatory in PCPS schools, offices, and buses. Face coverings will be optional for students and staff members for the 2021-22...
Polk Vision welcomed 45 program members to accomplished ranks of Leadership Polk Alumni on Friday, May 21, 2021 at the Balmoral Estates. Those with close ties to Lake Wales included Andy Oguntola from Polk State College, David Black from the Lake Wales Police Department and Michelle Yodonis with the Polk County Clerk of the Courts. Leadership Polk says its Alumni include some of the community's best thought leaders. They understand the value of collective impact and value the...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools Trustees will hold a private meeting Monday, May 24 to discuss legal strategy now that former Hillcrest Elementary School Principal Jennifer Barrow has filed a lawsuit in an attempt to get her job back. Active litigation is the only reason trustees may hold a "shade" meeting with General Counsel Robin Gibson, outside of the public eye. Barrow's lawsuit claims she was acting as a "whistleblower" when she filed a grievance in September 2020...
City commissioners at their April 20 meeting consented to Mayor Eugene Fultz's appointment of Marcus Kirby to the Lake Wales Charter School Trustees. Kirby is transitional housing coordinator for the Lake Wales Care Center and a part-time associate pastor of High Point Church. He served in the U.S. Navy for six years and has lived in Lake Wales for 15 years. Commissioner Terrye Howell challenged Fultz's contention that he didn't need to seek input from commissioners or offer t...
Despite a recent change to the City Charter requiring more input from city commissioners on appointments, Mayor Eugene Fultz did not involve them and is bringing forth only one name for an opening on the Lake Wales Charter Schools Board of Trustees. In an exchange at the end of an April 14 commission workshop, Fultz told commissioners the charter trustee position was “my spot” and he alone had the authority to choose. Commissioners could then vote to accept or reject his app...
Applications are now being taken online for Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) for the 2021-22 school year. The VPK application process is now being conducted entirely online. Applications will no longer be accepted in person or by mail. To obtain and file a VPK application, visit polkschoolsfl.com/vpk and follow the instructions. Applications will be reviewed and sorted by school VPK program locations for the process of selection. Selections will be based on the time and date...
Throughout the month of March the Lake Wales Public Library's Local Artist Gallery has an amazing display of handmade quilts by local textile artists. The Lake Wales Quilters Guild was founded November 2008. The first monthly meetings were held in the Lake Wales Public Library's Schoenoff Meeting Room. The group currently meets the second Monday of each month, 1 p.m. at the 1st Methodist Church of Lake Wales, 230 St. N. Everyone is welcome, the fee to attend is $1. The Lake...
Lake Wales attorney Sara Jones has spent hundreds of hours volunteering to help redevelop the city's Northwest business district. On Tuesday Feb. 9 she took the first step to, as she said it, "put her money where her mouth is." Sara Jones Law submitted the successful proposal to purchase two city Community Redevelopment Agency lots on Lincoln Avenue to build a multipurpose professional office building and event venue. City commissioners, who serve as the CRA Board, accepted...
The Lake Wales Charter School System has initiated a fact-finding investigation to examine allegations that recently reassigned Hillcrest Elementary School Principal Jennifer Barrow harassed and intimidated current and former employees, creating an oppressive work environment. Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd has agreed to provide investigators to determine the facts surrounding Barrow's leadership and whether she violated the Florida Administrative Code related to ethical and p...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools Board of Trustees will consider an agreement Feb. 1 for Superintendent Jesse Jackson to exit Feb. 26 with about $59,000 owed him for accrued vacation and sick leave benefits. The negotiated separation agreement would reinstate him from the suspension issued one week ago, and he would continue receiving salary while not performing any duties as superintendent. Chief Financial Officer Alricky Smith would continue as interim superintendent. The...
EDITOR'S NOTE: Update for this story can be found here: https://www.lakewalesnews.net/story/2021/01/27/news/charter-trustees-to-act-feb-1-on-superintendents-exit-end-of-month/2075.html The Lake Wales Charter Schools Board of Trustees will consider a separation agreement with Superintendent Jesse Jackson at a special meeting at 9 a.m. Monday, Feb. 1 at the high school. Trustees late Saturday afternoon were still awaiting details and costs, which reportedly were being worked on...
The Lake Wales Charter Schools Board of Trustees suspended Superintendent Jesse Jackson with pay Monday, Jan. 25 pending a special meeting in a week to discuss whether to accept his resignation or terminate his employment. Jackson already had submitted his resignation, effective Feb. 26, but a controversy surrounding his replacement of Hillcrest Elementary Principal Jennifer Barrow might move his departure up a few weeks. More than 300 people attended the online trustee...
There are many components that combine to create a successful virtual learning experience for your child. Navigating the change from in-school learning to at-home learning requires that children receive a wide range of support from academic to technical, from motivational to psychological, and beyond. For those parents forced to navigate this changing learning environment, creating a separate quiet workspace for their children, conducive to focused, effective learning, is the...
