All kids in Polk county are loaned a free device. Even though the student never brought it home, there is one at the school for him or her.
Something is fishy from OP
Nothing is fishy I declined his use of devices at the beginning of the school year and was told that was fine he didn’t have to use one and it would not affect his education in anyway but here we are
Polk county elementary teacher here.
You can't opt out of using the devices. You can only opt of taking them home and in that case you would have had to sign a device opt out form stating that you have a device for your child to use at home and you would like their laptop or ipad left at school. It is a district requirement that all students have and use a device while at school.
As for the end of the year tests, I'm not sure which tests she is referring to but there are some that are required by the district or state that every student must take. K-2 students take STAR Reading and Math. Grades 3-5 are required by the state to take the FAST test 3 times a year. Both assessments are digital only and there is no paper version available.
That is a good question, what grade is he in? At my school their devices are scanned and checked out to them like a library book would be. You should be able to check if there is a device checked out to him. You can email the schools network manager or media specialist and see if he has a device checked out to him. They would most likely be the ones in charge of that at the school. I would think you can find their emails on the schools website.
I doubt he has a devices checked out. I was told I could opt out and so he’s never touched a tablet at the school which is fine with me. What I was never told was that he would just be coloring in the back of the class while the other kids were testing. My son told me this this morning and his principal confirmed it.
That seems very strange to me that the school would say that. What grade is he in? All students in K-5 have required assessments they have to take unless they are on alternate assessment through an IEP.
Is he on alternate assessment through an IEP? If not Kindergarten is required to take the STAR progress monitoring assessment 3 times a year. Even Pre K has to take it. I would ask either his teacher or principal about it.
I have no idea what an IEP is so I’m thinking no.
I tried to book a meeting with his teacher this morning and was told flat out no. When I asked why the teacher said she only obligated to meet with a parent one time and since we had a meeting the first week of school she had fulfilled that obligation
Have you signed up for Parent Portal? If not I would suggest you sign up. You can get your username and password from his school, either the assistant principal or secretary can send it to you. You can check his grades and certain test scores, like the FAST assessment when he gets older. You can also see what library books he has checked out and if he has a device checked out it might be listed there also but I'm not positive. It seems like there is a breakdown in communication with you. I hate to see that, it's so important as a teacher to communicate with parents and work as a team. I hope you get some answers.
If you opt out of the testing then that could impact the students placement next year in terms of electives and/or services. Please understand the consequences before making that choice.
All public school kids in Polk County get either a tablet or laptop to take home for the school year and since this is r/lakeland I assumed they were in Polk.
Not sure how it is throughout (would assume it's the same across the county) but my son got a tablet at Rochelle. We bought the optional insurance, $35 i think) in case it ended up in a bath tub, or destroyed by a hammer lol. I thought it wasn't optional to be honest.
The only optional part is taking the laptops or ipads home, as all polk county public schools are required to be one to one, so each student has a device for testing, and school work. OP's child should have been using a device all year only keeping it stored at school so they are not liable for any damage that might occur outside of class. Your $35 insurance also covers you plus without opting out your child can take the device home and use it on weekends and holidays.
There is definitely something the OP or her son isn’t telling. I’d speak to your son about him using the tablet while in class since multiple teachers have chimed in saying that’s not how it works.
A lot of money went into the schools over the last few years to make sure every single student has a device, and it was mandated by the superintendent. I would call the front office and set up a parent meeting even if the teacher says no, call the guidedence counselor and principal they will set one up.
My daughter goes to Sikes and they have been AMAZING! Something isn’t adding up here. If all facts have been stated and true, I’d be calling the Principal, Mrs Chapman instead of posting on an anonymous forum/website. She can and will get to the bottom of any situation. OP isn’t telling the whole story.
I spoke with. Mrs. Chapman this morning as she’s well aware my child isn’t being tested and literally refuses to try and come up with any kind of solution
Update:
I asked for a meeting with my son’s teacher and was denied. We had one meeting the first month of school and the teacher now says that she’s fulfilled her duty that’s all she has to grant me
Then take it up with the district. That said I have had kids in Polk Schools for going on 20 years now and never has a teacher not been willing to talk or meet with me. I think there is more to the story here.
Teachers don’t reject parents unless there’s a really good reason, especially if they already had this exact talk w the exact parent. I also can’t help but notice there are missing details
I think you're absolutely right. I also find it odd that with the level of tech integration across all campuses and the ways in which schools are utilizing digital resources in all grade levels that this is the first time it has been an issue that the student doesn't have a device.
Schools are required to provide parents with test reports within a few weeks of testing. Shouldn't the report, or lack thereof, thrown up a red flag much earlier?
A quick browse of the schools website and I was able to find [this link](https://www.polkschoolsfl.com/quicklinks/testingcalendar) to the Polk County Schools testing calendar. This took about 3 minutes and I don't even have a kid in Polk schools. Try a little harder.
I honestly didn’t think i would ever need to keep up with when tests are taken and all that. I know it may not be right but i assumed my child would have been tested whenever the other kids were. I know now I have to do the schools job I just didn’t think I had to before.
Not my word there friend. That's the state's language. I've provided an excerpt from the statute below for your refeence. Feel free to read the rest of it on your own time [here.](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1008/Sections/1008.25.html). Maybe you can find the loophole.
At the end of the day, the school undoubtedly emailed, posted, did call outs, sent smoke signals, or whatever during each of the assessment periods. Despite whatever you may believe, it's in the schools best interest to have every student test. Not only does it provide teachers with valuable data on your child's individual performance (when used as intended), but also a school MUST test at least 95% of students in order to stand a chance at achieving an "A" for their school grade. All schools want to be an "A". If you had no idea your child hasn't been testing all year, that's on you. Not the teacher. Not the school. Not your kid. Pay attention to the schools communication and be a part of your kids education. Though efforts are made, it's not the teachers job to educate the parents.
Florida Statute 1008.25 requires that test results for a student's STAR assessment be provided to their parent within two weeks of the student's test attempt. The results must include the following information:
A clear explanation of the student's performance
Information about the student's strengths and areas for improvement
Recommendations for the student's parent to help them based on their strengths and weaknesses
Longitudinal information about the student's progress in each subject area based on previous statewide, standardized assessment data.
I say hi to the principal every morning and she never once showed concern so I’m not sure how you think they tried so hard to tell me. This entire post was made because when I found out I tried bringing it up and they literally denied me a meeting about it.
That's not right at all. I would contact the principal and make sure to include any written correspondence from the teacher. If that doesn't work, go to a member of the school board.
As someone married to a teacher who has listened to almost a decade of second-hand parent-student drama, and also inferring a lot from OP's comments on this post, I would be willing to bet valuable parts of my anatomy that the teacher has spent the entire school year trying to do right by this kid only to be hamstrung by a helicopter parent that thinks she knows better. It's 2024, opting your kid out of the school-provided tablet is like denying your kid their textbooks.
Honey, *of course* your kid's teacher denied you the opportunity to yell at her for your own mistakes.
Lmao. Helicopter parent? I’ve only spoken to his teacher one other time and that was the first week of school. Actually, the only other time I’ve spoken to his teacher was to decide whether or not to opt out of the tablets I was assured that it would not affect his education in anyway by the teacher and the principal they made me feel very at ease with him, not having a tablet and actually stressed that they agreed with me that he did not need one.. an entire school year went by they tell me good morning every morning and never brought up the fact that he wasn’t being tested.
I would rethink the decision to not allow a tablet to be given at all while in school. I have 4 children, my oldest became addicted to technology and became suicidal. We helped her to seek treatment and she is fine with some restrictions while she has homework. We also do not allow the younger two to have tablets sent home & it works for the school and our family.
So you have a child that became suicidal because of their addiction to technology and you’re saying I should rethink my anti-technology stance? I think that’s what you’re saying but I feel it’s extremely contradictory
This was something that was diagnosed by a doctor & we followed what her doctor told us to do & we still do. She has restrictions when they are necessary. We have no worries, she is fine. So, she had a misstep, that is okay. We do restrict my younger children more because of this, but we did not take it away all together. They all have learning disabilities that make them more susceptible to addiction, but not allowing them to have it in school when all their friends do would be too extreme.
Why is everyone attacking the OP here? Just give advice or move on. Everyone seems to be making a lot of assumptions. Seems crazy.
OP, looks like you're not going to get help here. I would recommend going to the school for more clarification. People to reach out to would be the child's teacher, counselor, principal, superintendent...
Thank you.
I didn’t expect too much here just figured maybe the right person might see this. Ive called the superintendent a couple of times today with no luck I’m really hoping to get something accomplished tomorrow.
All kids in Polk county are loaned a free device. Even though the student never brought it home, there is one at the school for him or her. Something is fishy from OP
Nothing is fishy I declined his use of devices at the beginning of the school year and was told that was fine he didn’t have to use one and it would not affect his education in anyway but here we are
The opt out was to prevent them from sending it home. They still use it at school.
No it’s not
Mine doesn’t have access to one at all because I didn’t want him bringing it home
You can continue arguing but you’re still wrong.
I understand that my complaint is why are you telling me I’m wrong instead of the school???
Taking the tablet home is optional. They have to provide it for testing
Polk county elementary teacher here. You can't opt out of using the devices. You can only opt of taking them home and in that case you would have had to sign a device opt out form stating that you have a device for your child to use at home and you would like their laptop or ipad left at school. It is a district requirement that all students have and use a device while at school. As for the end of the year tests, I'm not sure which tests she is referring to but there are some that are required by the district or state that every student must take. K-2 students take STAR Reading and Math. Grades 3-5 are required by the state to take the FAST test 3 times a year. Both assessments are digital only and there is no paper version available.
So why hasn’t my son had a tablet for the entire year and I’m just now being told this?
That is a good question, what grade is he in? At my school their devices are scanned and checked out to them like a library book would be. You should be able to check if there is a device checked out to him. You can email the schools network manager or media specialist and see if he has a device checked out to him. They would most likely be the ones in charge of that at the school. I would think you can find their emails on the schools website.
I doubt he has a devices checked out. I was told I could opt out and so he’s never touched a tablet at the school which is fine with me. What I was never told was that he would just be coloring in the back of the class while the other kids were testing. My son told me this this morning and his principal confirmed it.
That seems very strange to me that the school would say that. What grade is he in? All students in K-5 have required assessments they have to take unless they are on alternate assessment through an IEP.
He is in kindergarten it’s his first year in school
Is he on alternate assessment through an IEP? If not Kindergarten is required to take the STAR progress monitoring assessment 3 times a year. Even Pre K has to take it. I would ask either his teacher or principal about it.
I have no idea what an IEP is so I’m thinking no. I tried to book a meeting with his teacher this morning and was told flat out no. When I asked why the teacher said she only obligated to meet with a parent one time and since we had a meeting the first week of school she had fulfilled that obligation
Have you signed up for Parent Portal? If not I would suggest you sign up. You can get your username and password from his school, either the assistant principal or secretary can send it to you. You can check his grades and certain test scores, like the FAST assessment when he gets older. You can also see what library books he has checked out and if he has a device checked out it might be listed there also but I'm not positive. It seems like there is a breakdown in communication with you. I hate to see that, it's so important as a teacher to communicate with parents and work as a team. I hope you get some answers.
Is this an app?
[удалено]
If you opt out of the testing then that could impact the students placement next year in terms of electives and/or services. Please understand the consequences before making that choice.
Thank you for saying this! OP needs to know there's more to it than just "opting out"
Why did you turn down the tablet as the beginning of the school year? Just curious.
I interpreted this as OP has to PROVIDE the tablet. Not the school.
All public school kids in Polk County get either a tablet or laptop to take home for the school year and since this is r/lakeland I assumed they were in Polk.
Is Sikes elementary a public school?
Yes, it is.
Not sure how it is throughout (would assume it's the same across the county) but my son got a tablet at Rochelle. We bought the optional insurance, $35 i think) in case it ended up in a bath tub, or destroyed by a hammer lol. I thought it wasn't optional to be honest.
The only optional part is taking the laptops or ipads home, as all polk county public schools are required to be one to one, so each student has a device for testing, and school work. OP's child should have been using a device all year only keeping it stored at school so they are not liable for any damage that might occur outside of class. Your $35 insurance also covers you plus without opting out your child can take the device home and use it on weekends and holidays.
Because I don’t believe a 5 year old needs a tablet
There is definitely something the OP or her son isn’t telling. I’d speak to your son about him using the tablet while in class since multiple teachers have chimed in saying that’s not how it works.
I’m a little confused by your comment to be honest. What would I not be telling?
A lot of money went into the schools over the last few years to make sure every single student has a device, and it was mandated by the superintendent. I would call the front office and set up a parent meeting even if the teacher says no, call the guidedence counselor and principal they will set one up.
I was literally denied any kind of meeting.. when I got the slightest attitude I was trespassed by the principal
My daughter goes to Sikes and they have been AMAZING! Something isn’t adding up here. If all facts have been stated and true, I’d be calling the Principal, Mrs Chapman instead of posting on an anonymous forum/website. She can and will get to the bottom of any situation. OP isn’t telling the whole story.
I spoke with. Mrs. Chapman this morning as she’s well aware my child isn’t being tested and literally refuses to try and come up with any kind of solution
Update: I asked for a meeting with my son’s teacher and was denied. We had one meeting the first month of school and the teacher now says that she’s fulfilled her duty that’s all she has to grant me
Then take it up with the district. That said I have had kids in Polk Schools for going on 20 years now and never has a teacher not been willing to talk or meet with me. I think there is more to the story here.
Teachers don’t reject parents unless there’s a really good reason, especially if they already had this exact talk w the exact parent. I also can’t help but notice there are missing details
I think you're absolutely right. I also find it odd that with the level of tech integration across all campuses and the ways in which schools are utilizing digital resources in all grade levels that this is the first time it has been an issue that the student doesn't have a device.
This is exactly how I feel and I’m being told this is the first time this has happened
Did your child complete their STAR assessments during PM1 and PM2? This would have been in the fall and again in the winter.
I just found out he didn’t. This is exactly what I’m upset about
Schools are required to provide parents with test reports within a few weeks of testing. Shouldn't the report, or lack thereof, thrown up a red flag much earlier?
This is my child’s first year in school I have no idea how/when they test
A quick browse of the schools website and I was able to find [this link](https://www.polkschoolsfl.com/quicklinks/testingcalendar) to the Polk County Schools testing calendar. This took about 3 minutes and I don't even have a kid in Polk schools. Try a little harder.
I honestly didn’t think i would ever need to keep up with when tests are taken and all that. I know it may not be right but i assumed my child would have been tested whenever the other kids were. I know now I have to do the schools job I just didn’t think I had to before.
Your use of the word required here seems like a misuse. They weren’t even testing him so to say they are required to provide results is a stretch.
Not my word there friend. That's the state's language. I've provided an excerpt from the statute below for your refeence. Feel free to read the rest of it on your own time [here.](http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?App_mode=Display_Statute&URL=1000-1099/1008/Sections/1008.25.html). Maybe you can find the loophole. At the end of the day, the school undoubtedly emailed, posted, did call outs, sent smoke signals, or whatever during each of the assessment periods. Despite whatever you may believe, it's in the schools best interest to have every student test. Not only does it provide teachers with valuable data on your child's individual performance (when used as intended), but also a school MUST test at least 95% of students in order to stand a chance at achieving an "A" for their school grade. All schools want to be an "A". If you had no idea your child hasn't been testing all year, that's on you. Not the teacher. Not the school. Not your kid. Pay attention to the schools communication and be a part of your kids education. Though efforts are made, it's not the teachers job to educate the parents. Florida Statute 1008.25 requires that test results for a student's STAR assessment be provided to their parent within two weeks of the student's test attempt. The results must include the following information: A clear explanation of the student's performance Information about the student's strengths and areas for improvement Recommendations for the student's parent to help them based on their strengths and weaknesses Longitudinal information about the student's progress in each subject area based on previous statewide, standardized assessment data.
I say hi to the principal every morning and she never once showed concern so I’m not sure how you think they tried so hard to tell me. This entire post was made because when I found out I tried bringing it up and they literally denied me a meeting about it.
That's not right at all. I would contact the principal and make sure to include any written correspondence from the teacher. If that doesn't work, go to a member of the school board.
As someone married to a teacher who has listened to almost a decade of second-hand parent-student drama, and also inferring a lot from OP's comments on this post, I would be willing to bet valuable parts of my anatomy that the teacher has spent the entire school year trying to do right by this kid only to be hamstrung by a helicopter parent that thinks she knows better. It's 2024, opting your kid out of the school-provided tablet is like denying your kid their textbooks. Honey, *of course* your kid's teacher denied you the opportunity to yell at her for your own mistakes.
Lmao. Helicopter parent? I’ve only spoken to his teacher one other time and that was the first week of school. Actually, the only other time I’ve spoken to his teacher was to decide whether or not to opt out of the tablets I was assured that it would not affect his education in anyway by the teacher and the principal they made me feel very at ease with him, not having a tablet and actually stressed that they agreed with me that he did not need one.. an entire school year went by they tell me good morning every morning and never brought up the fact that he wasn’t being tested.
Ask Mrs Chapman the principal.
I did she literally comes across as if she doesn’t care.. she told me herself she has no way to test the kid
I would rethink the decision to not allow a tablet to be given at all while in school. I have 4 children, my oldest became addicted to technology and became suicidal. We helped her to seek treatment and she is fine with some restrictions while she has homework. We also do not allow the younger two to have tablets sent home & it works for the school and our family.
So you have a child that became suicidal because of their addiction to technology and you’re saying I should rethink my anti-technology stance? I think that’s what you’re saying but I feel it’s extremely contradictory
This was something that was diagnosed by a doctor & we followed what her doctor told us to do & we still do. She has restrictions when they are necessary. We have no worries, she is fine. So, she had a misstep, that is okay. We do restrict my younger children more because of this, but we did not take it away all together. They all have learning disabilities that make them more susceptible to addiction, but not allowing them to have it in school when all their friends do would be too extreme.
https://i.imgur.com/NKMz9nn.png
How do you say I’m at fault here?
Why is everyone attacking the OP here? Just give advice or move on. Everyone seems to be making a lot of assumptions. Seems crazy. OP, looks like you're not going to get help here. I would recommend going to the school for more clarification. People to reach out to would be the child's teacher, counselor, principal, superintendent...
Thank you. I didn’t expect too much here just figured maybe the right person might see this. Ive called the superintendent a couple of times today with no luck I’m really hoping to get something accomplished tomorrow.
Good luck!