With data showing that the pandemic has caused students to struggle with social isolation, mental health and learning loss, Dallas ISD will offer summer camps focused on improving the whole child’s academic and emotional wellbeing. In addition to offering breakfast and lunch, the summer camps will build in circle time with emotional check-ins, reflective journaling and light exercise breaks such as yoga into each day of summer learning. Dallas ISD schools can opt into offering the summer camps to students. Participating schools will be announced some time in April. “The way we need to respond to unfinished instruction is to…

CoSN, a association of K-12 education technology leaders, and AASA, The School Superintendents Association, this week named Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa and  Jeff Stephens, superintendent of Weber School District (WSD), the 2021 EmpowerED Digital Superintendents of the Year in recognition of their efforts to assist schools in making the digital leap during this particularly transformational year. The EmpowerED Digital Superintendent of the Year Award, sponsored by ClassLink, is given annually to a district leader that has championed the use of technology to enhance teaching and learning. This year, as superintendents across the country navigated massive shifts in the education…

Following Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order lifting the mandatory mask-wearing requirement, Texas Education Agency released guidance for schools to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19. Schools must continue to require students and staff to wear masks. Based on these guidelines and our commitment to student and staff safety, Dallas ISD will continue following our current health and safety protocols requiring that students and staff wear masks over their nose and mouth and adhere to hand-washing and social distancing practices when on district property. We appreciate everyone’s understanding and cooperation. We will bring updates as they are provided.

Transparency, equity and collaboration are three words Construction Services executives are using to describe their approach to the rollout of bond 2020 renovations and construction projects. In their first public report to trustees on Feb. 11, the leadership team shared the philosophy they said will guide the construction plan and shared a list of  29 construction projects underway,  21 set to begin and 13 schools assigned for replacement. Also announced was news that the 2020 bond program will fund new furniture for all district schools and that middle and high schools will all receive wrought iron fencing and all high…