{"id":84863,"date":"2026-10-13T19:20:51","date_gmt":"2026-10-13T23:20:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/?p=84863"},"modified":"2026-10-13T19:20:57","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T23:20:57","slug":"polk-school-district-plans-meetings-on-rezoning-of-middle-schools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/2026\/10\/13\/polk-school-district-plans-meetings-on-rezoning-of-middle-schools\/","title":{"rendered":"Polk school district plans meetings on rezoning of middle schools"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) has scheduled a series of regional in-person and virtual town hall meetings to gather community feedback on proposed middle school rezoning options.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"cfb9b1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"565\" height=\"542\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 565px) 100vw, 565px\" src=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images-2-6.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-84865 not-transparent\" style=\"--dominant-color: #cfb9b1; aspect-ratio:1.0424462609748713;width:390px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images-2-6.webp 565w, https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/images-2-6-300x288.webp 300w\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Regional Town Hall Schedule<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">All town halls are scheduled from <strong>6:00 PM \u2013 7:00 PM<\/strong>:<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Northeast Region:<\/strong> Thursday, Oct. 15 | <em>Haines City High Auditorium<\/em> (2800 Hornet Dr., Haines City)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus Schools:<\/strong> Alta Vista K-8, Bella Citta K-8, Boone Middle, Citrus Ridge: A Civics Academy, and Lake Marion Creek Middle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Southwest Region:<\/strong> Thursday, Oct. 22 | <em>Bartow High Auditorium<\/em> (1270 S. Broadway Ave., Bartow)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus Schools:<\/strong> Bartow Middle, Fort Meade Middle-Senior High, Lakeland Highlands Middle, and Mulberry Middle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Central Region:<\/strong> Thursday, Oct. 29 | <em>Lake Region High Auditorium<\/em> (1995 Thunder Rd., Eagle Lake)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus Schools:<\/strong> Crystal Lake Middle, Denison Middle, Stambaugh Middle, and Westwood Middle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Southeast Region:<\/strong> Thursday, Nov. 5 | <em>McLaughlin Academy of Excellence Cafeteria<\/em> (800 S. 4th St., Lake Wales)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus Schools:<\/strong> Frostproof Middle-Senior High and McLaughlin Academy of Excellence.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Northwest Region:<\/strong> Thursday, Nov. 12 | <em>Harrison School for the Arts Theatre<\/em> (726 Hollingsworth Rd., Lakeland)\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus Schools:<\/strong> Kathleen Middle, Lake Gibson Middle, Sleepy Hill Middle, and Southwest Middle.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>All Regions (Virtual):<\/strong> Thursday, Nov. 12 | Live on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/polkcountypublicschools\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">PCPS YouTube Channel<\/a>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Focus:<\/strong> Overview covering proposals for all district middle schools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Key District Timeline &amp; Policies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>No Immediate Changes:<\/strong> Current boundaries remain in place for the 2026\u20132027 school year.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Nov. 17 Work Session:<\/strong> District staff present initial survey data and community feedback.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Dec. 8 Board Meeting:<\/strong> Public hearing to review proposals (no vote taken).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Jan. 26, 2027 Board Meeting:<\/strong> School Board public hearing and final vote.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Grandfathering Provision:<\/strong> Students who have already started middle school will be allowed to finish at their current school.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Interactive proposed boundary maps and district details are available via the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/experience.arcgis.com\/experience\/31b7c6d126704675b9a264e551870272\">PCPS Rezoning Portal<\/a>.<sup><\/sup><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Polk County Public Schools (PCPS) has scheduled a series of regional in-person and virtual town hall meetings to gather community feedback on proposed middle school rezoning options. 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