Careers

Are you interested in a rewarding experience helping students become better readers?
Earn a Living Allowance to help with expenses.
Earn the Segal Education Award to help pay for college courses or pay off student loans? ($2,960 – $4,144) or if you are 55 or older you can gift the award to a child or grandchild.

Applications are now being accepted for our AmeriCorps Polk Reads program.  We are a grant-funded program under the Polk Education Foundation that has members (Volunteer Tutors) helping K-3 students become better readers.  The program will look to hire 38 members to start their two weeks of training in August.  Members are then placed at one of 10 elementary schools in teams of three or four.  Members can serve either in a Full-Time or Half-Time capacity.

• Serve locally, and be connected to the National Service network
• Gain leadership, problem-solving, communication and other career skills
• CPR and First Aid Certification
• Receive the Segal Education Award

For more information about National Service and about being an AmeriCorps member, visit www.cncs.gov

Interested in becoming a part of our Corps for the 2019-2020 school year, contact Steve Chapman at steve.chapman@polk-fl.net

You will receive automated email notifications regarding your application status. You may search and apply for positions for which you are fully qualified. You may accept or decline interview invitations.

Per Florida Statute 119.071(5), this is to notify you of the purpose for collecting and utilizing your Social Security number. Providing your Social Security number is a condition of employment at Polk County Public Schools. To protect your identification, we will secure your Social Security number from unauthorized access, and strictly prohibit the release of your Social Security number to unauthorized parties.

Polk County Public Schools collects your Social Security number for legitimate business purposes during the recruitment, selection and hiring process. Once you are employed, your Social Security number will be used for completing state and federally mandated reports and actions that require such, including but not limited to the following:

• Cost reporting [237.34 F.S.]
• Employment application for determining certification eligibility [1012.56 F.S.]
• Completion of federal I-9 form for the filing and issuance of federal employment forms [8 USC 1324a(b)]
• Completion of federal W-4 form for filing and issuance of federal employment forms [8 USC 1324a(b)]
• Florida Retirement Contribution Report [119.071(5)(a)6.b.]
• Conducting criminal background screening [1012.56 F.S.]

The procedures for the security, privacy and retention of automated student and staff records shall be in accordance with the requirements of U.S.C 1232g(b)(3), 34 C.F.R. Part 99 and Section 1002.22.F.S.

Applicants must be prepared to share any and all criminal history and to respond to the questions posed within the online application. Please read this section in its entirety:

• Have you ever been found guilty, entered a plea of nolo contendere (no contest), or had adjudication withheld in a criminal offense other than a minor traffic violation? (DUI IS NOT A MINOR TRAFFIC VIOLATION.) Are there any criminal charges pending against you?
• The following are examples of criminal traffic offenses that must be reported: driving while under the influence of alcoholic beverages, drugs etc., fleeing to elude the police, driving with a suspended or revoked license, willful and wanton reckless driving (not careless driving), unauthorized possession of a forged/counterfeit or altered driver’s license, allowing an unauthorized operator to drive and certain “no valid driver’s license” charges. There are other criminal traffic charges that may require disclosure. Please refer to chapters 316 and 322 of the Florida State statutes or the statutes in the state in which you were cited to assess any additional criminal traffic convictions you may have to disclose.
• SEALED or EXPUNGED records must be reported pursuant to §.943.0585 and 943.059, F.S. In Florida, the entire arrest record is revealed to school districts, including sealed and/or expunged records and military court proceedings. Applicants must disclose this information even if told differently by a lawyer, judge, or other law enforcement individual. Information that must be disclosed includes any offense that occurred whether as a juvenile or adult; therefore all adult and juvenile offenses must be listed. Failure to disclose all convictions, regardless of adjudication, will result in the applicant being barred from consideration for employment with Polk County Public Schools for a period of one calendar year from the date of discovery.
• If all convictions are disclosed, but the accuracy of the information provided is in question, then it may cause denial of employment or termination if already employed. A YES or NO answer is required by Florida law. If you check the YES box, you must give the information requested for each charge.

Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, sets forth certain requirements for public employers to accord preferences, in appointment, retention and promotion, to certain veterans and spouses of veterans who are Florida residents. All veterans requesting veterans’ preference must complete the form below titled, “Veterans’ Preference,” and submit it, along with additional documentation such as DD Form 214, to the hiring administrator for each position for which he/she applies. Veterans’ Preference Form

If you require any type of accommodation to complete the application process due to a disability, please call the Office of Equity and Compliance in the Human Resource Services Division at 863-534-0781. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, please contact Polk County Public Schools by calling the Florida Relay Service at 1-800-955-8771.

Drug Testing Policy Summary