As Polk County students return to school, the district there is facing multiple schools at risk of closing.
- Five Polk County middle schools in danger of closing
- Schools are Kathleen, Denison, Westwood, Shelley S. Boone and Lake Alfred-Addair
- Polk Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd is scheduled to meet this week with principals
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The Florida Board of Education is threatening to shut down five middle schools over failing grades.
Today's first day also is the deadline for the district to present plans to the state for keeping the troubled schools open. The schools are Kathleen, Denison, Westwood, Shelley S. Boone and Lake Alfred-Addair.
The schools have had D or F grades issued from the state for the past three years.
More than 13,000 students are assigned to those schools and during the summer, the school district accepted an unspecified number of parent requests to move their children to different schools.
Polk district leaders say part of the plan they will present to the state will make it easier to move under performing teachers out of their positions. School officials said the plan would also involve getting about $1 million in additional funding and resources.
"School culture, discipline and attendance are huge, huge factors in the success or as the state will grade you, student performance," said Polk Deputy Superintendent John Small. "So we are addressing that."
Polk Superintendent Jacqueline Byrd is scheduled to meet this week with principals of the five middle schools to discuss turnaround plans.
Still, if the state does decide to close the schools, it's likely the district would receive time to transition thousands of students to different schools.