Polk State College will reopen Monday following Hurricane Milton

Posted on by Polk Newsroom

Polk State College will reopen on Monday, October 14, following Hurricane Milton. Saturday classes will not take place as crews continue to clear debris and ensure the safety of all College locations ahead of returning to normal operations on Monday. It is important that students, employees, and visitors do not return to campus until Monday as cleanup continues to ensure everyone’s safety.

The following events are postponed: the October 12 FallFest, the October 15 Haines City-Davenport Campus groundbreaking ceremony, and the October 15 open house on the Winter Haven Campus. New dates will be shared when determined.

Faculty and staff are encouraged to exercise flexibility with students who may not have power, internet, or transportation. Additionally, the College has compiled a list of resources available by clicking here to assist students, employees, and community members with recovering from the impacts of the storm.

Students are encouraged to communicate with their professors as feasible and monitor their my.polk.edu and Canvas accounts as connectivity is available.

As hurricane season continues, the College urges all members of the Polk State community to ensure their contact information in Passport is up to date to receive emergency alerts from Polk State. Students should check under “My Details” and employees should check under “Personal” and “Change Contact Info.” Numbers entered in the “Cellular Number” field in the “Personal Information” section will be used for emergency voice and text messages. Although the College has recently transitioned from Passport to the Polk Portal for registration and financial aid, it is important to note that the emergency notification system is still connected to Passport, which remains accessible to students, faculty, and staff at this time.

Individuals can also sign up for AlertPolk and monitor messaging from Polk County Emergency Management, Florida Division of Emergency Management, and the National Hurricane Center.