Superintendent Michael Hinojosa told trustees during the Aug 13 board briefing that Dallas ISD will follow the guidance of the Dallas County Heath and Human Services (DCHHS) in deciding whether to start the school year on Sept. 8 by only offering distance learning or offering the choice of distance or on-campus learning. Hinojosa said a meeting next week with DCHHS will guide the district’s decision on how to start the school year. The district has the option of only offering distance learning for the first four weeks and, if a significant Covid-19 threat remains, the board of trustees has the…

The start of the 2020 school year is right around the corner. With the decision made to open schools Tues., Sept. 8, Dallas ISD is preparing to welcome staff to the new normal of an unprecedented school year. Current plans are to open schools with both in-person and remote learning options. COVID-19 is prompting feelings of uncertainty and anxiety in some employees who have questions about the safe reopening of schools. The district is holding three virtual information sessions to answer those questions and to reassure staff that the safety of staff and students is the district’s top priority. The…

From safety protocols for health and wellness to how to use Parent Portal, the first day of Dallas ISD Virtual Parent Conferences on Aug. 11 provided parents with a wealth of practical information going into the new school year. The Dallas ISD Family and Community Engagement Department is organizing the educational workshops to help ensure parents and students have a smart restart to the school year that begins Sept. 8. These three-hour informational sessions will be taking place on Zoom every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the next two weeks from 3–6 p.m. On Tuesday afternoon, Assistant Superintendent of School…

A $20 million investment by Dallas ISD will allow the district to deploy iPads to approximately 46,000 students in pre-K through 2nd grade and Chromebooks for 14,000 students in grades 3–5 prior to the start of school on Sept. 8. The Dallas ISD Technology Department will host technology deployment events at each elementary school campus in the weeks leading up to the start of school (see the schedule of deployment events for every elementary school). Parents will receive a backpack of supplies for each student. Inside that backpack will be the assigned computing device, charger, earbuds, a mobile Internet hotspot…