Mar 18, 2024  
Catalog/Handbook 2018-2019 
    
Catalog/Handbook 2018-2019 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

College Policy on HIV/AIDS


Polk State College District Board of Trustees Rule 2.23 addresses HIV/AIDS. This rule is in compliance with The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as well as other state and federal laws, including section 760.50 of the Florida Statute, titled, “Discrimination in the Treatment of Persons; Minority Representation.”

Polk State College will not deny admission or employment solely on the grounds that an individual has been diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. If a student with HIV/AIDS requires special accommodations, he or she should contact the Office of Disability Services; employees should contact Human Resources. The College will make reasonable accommodations for individuals infected with HIV/AIDS after required documentation has been submitted. In addition to special accommodations that may be made, the College has established safety guidelines for settings students or employees may come into contact with blood or other bodily fluids; these settings include laboratories and other instructional sites as well as departments such as custodial services and campus safety. Records gathered by the College will be kept confidential as required by federal regulations. The College, in accordance with s. 760.50, F.S., will not require students or employees to be tested for HIV/AIDS.

Pursuant to Florida Statute (F.S. 1006.8), Polk State College offices and officials identified by the President are responsible for planning, facilitating, and evaluating programs related to HIV/AIDS education. Instruction includes, but is not limited to, an educational program for all students that includes information, instruction, or activities that emphasize the known modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS, signs and symptoms, associated risk factors, appropriate behavior and behavioral changes, and the means used to control the spread of HIV/AIDS. The education program includes distributing literature relative to the community agencies which provide HIV/AIDS testing and counseling, developing and implementing HIV/AIDS awareness programs on campus, and making updated information available to faculty, staff, and students in various forms.