Inside Dallas ISD

Curbside meal grab-and-go service now open to all children Starting Thursday, Oct.1, all children ages 1–18 can pick up a week’s worth of meals at no charge through curbside grab-and-go service at participating Dallas ISD schools. The district is switching to the Seamless Summer Option to ensure no child goes hungry during the pandemic. “This new strategy gives more children access to qualify for the grab-and-go meal service, while allowing our department to distribute more food per person,” FCNS Director Julie Fletcher said. “It will look very similar to our summer meal distribution.” Meals are being distributed on Thursdays from…

National Hispanic Heritage Month gives us a chance to recognize the stories, contributions, achievements, and lived experiences of those leaders who embrace the culture as their own and educate our youth. Richard Heffernan is currently the executive director of the Bilingual ESL department. Heffernan supports the development of bilingualism, biliteracy, and biculturalism for all participating students in the Dallas ISD, which currently leads the largest dual language program nationally, serving 158 schools. “Dual Language is the most powerful tool we can leverage in serving historically marginalized students,” said Heffernan. “For Spanish speaking students, the Dual Language program not only validates…

Chef Juanita Mejia is a food service specialist in Dallas ISD’s Food and Child Nutrition Services, where she has the honor of training school cafeteria staff members to provide delicious food and impeccable service to students and staff members. In her role, Mejia utilizes her more than 20 years of culinary experience to empower trainees to be more efficient in the kitchen, read recipes, and prepare food that is tasty and visually appealing. Mejia is well respected and regarded by those in her charge, because she has an amazing ability to connect with each individual in a personal way. “I…

Dallas ISD’s goal is to educate every single student for success. In order to make that mission a reality, district principals strive every day to provide equity, safety and excellent educational opportunities. Each campus leader has a passion to help their community. They are the men and women who ensure day-to-day that our students receive a quality education, a secure environment and an opportunity for a brighter future. Derek Thomas, the new principal at Adelle Turner Elementary, and Executive Director Sheryl Wilson talked to us about the greatest qualities of a principal the district’s rigorous hiring process. Why did you…