Oct 10, 2024  
Catalog/Handbook 2024-2025 
    
Catalog/Handbook 2024-2025

College Policy on HIV/AIDS


Polk State College’s District Board of Trustees (DBOT) Rule 2.23: HIV/AIDS Policy is in compliance with The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, state and federal laws, and Florida Statutes 760.50: Discrimination in the Treatment of Persons; Minority Representation.

Polk State College does not deny admission or employment solely on the grounds that an individual has been diagnosed with HIV or AIDS. If a student with HIV or AIDS requires special accommodations, he or she should contact the Office of Disability Services; employees should contact Human Resources. The College can make reasonable accommodations for an individual infected with HIV or AIDS after the required documentation has been submitted. In addition to special accommodations that may be made, the College has established safety guidelines for settings in which students or employees may come into contact with blood or other bodily fluids; these settings include laboratories and clinical field experiences, as well as departments such as Custodial Services and Campus Safety. Records gathered by the College are kept confidential as required by federal regulations. The College, in accordance with Florida Statutes, does not require students or employees to be tested for HIV or AIDS.

Pursuant to Florida Statute 1006.68, HIV and AIDS Policy, the College President identifies offices and officials responsible for planning, facilitating, and evaluating programs related to HIV/AIDS education. These include, but are not limited to, an educational program for all students that includes information, instruction, or activities that emphasize the known modes of transmission, the signs and symptoms, associated risk factors, appropriate behavior and behavioral changes for risk mitigation, and mechanisms used to control the spread of HIV and AIDS. The College also distributes literature relative to community testing and counseling, develops and implements HIV/AIDS awareness programs on campus, and provides updated information to faculty, staff, and students in various forms.