Polk County’s first day of school opens with three new public schools

3 new schools welcome Polk County students on first day

Ken Suarez reports

MULBERRY, Fla. - Parents and teachers may call the first day of school an organized chaos – especially at a new one.

Willow Oak Elementary in Mulberry is one of three new schools opening Polk County on Tuesday. The other two are in Davenport --- Davenport High and Bella Citta Elementary.

At Willow Oak, hundreds of parents dropped of their kids on Tuesday morning with plenty of hugs and kisses, and for the youngest ones, the last-minute reassurance, "You’re gonna be OK."

The entire school is about 127,000 square feet and has a capacity for 1,000 students. The school’s cost was about $34 million. The mascot is the Blue Jay.

The campus features an art patio, music suit and a science laboratory. In January, an early childhood learning center is scheduled to open.

COVID or a cold - How to interpret your kids' symptoms

As children return to classrooms this month, pediatricians said the symptoms of a common cold, allergies, flu or COVID-19 often overlap, making testing for the coronavirus important for parents to consider if their child gets sick.

This year, Polk County has a new superintendent, Fred Heid, who has only been on the job for a few months. Heid, says he is frustrated over COVID-19, but masks will remain optional in school. He says he is not willing at this point to join several other school districts that are mandating masks against the governor’s orders.

MORE: COVID-19 cases double weekly in Polk County; majority are unvaccinated, health officials say

In the last two weeks in Polk County, the number of COVID-19 cases has increased seven-fold primarily because of the delta variant and at least one out of ten are kids.