Inside Dallas ISD

At its June board meeting, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees unanimously approved the addition of the words “immigration status” in the district’s Student Welfare Freedom From Bullying FFI (Local) policy. The district’s policy prohibits any acts of bullying, including those based on one’s immigration status. All Dallas ISD schools are welcoming and protective environments, as stated in the resolution adopted by the Board in February 2017. Under federal and state law, Dallas ISD has no authority or role in determining the immigration status of its students or families, as such, they do not enforce federal immigration laws. Dallas ISD embraces the diversity…

The audience at Dallas Councilman Rick Callahan’s recent town hall meeting gathered to hear elected officials discuss future plans for the Pleasant Grove community.  Topics included code enforcement, litter control, parks development, state legislative priorities and the future of public education. Updates by Callahan, State Senator Royce West, State Representative Toni Rose, and Dallas ISD Trustees Jaime Resendez and Justin Henry were followed by a Q&A session. Also on hand for the meeting were the administrators of the new School for the Talented and Gifted in Pleasant Grove. The first of its kind in Texas, the school will bridge the…

Kelli Yonker will happily tell anyone who listens that she has one of the best jobs in the world. As the library media specialist at Stonewall Jackson Elementary School—and the Dallas ISD 2018–2019 Librarian of the Year—she inspires a love of reading and researching in students. And while she appreciates the Librarian of the Year honor, nothing for her can top helping students succeed. “Watching the lightbulb go off in students’ heads when they realize they know how to research and learn something new—or seeing their eyes light up when they pick out a book and get excited about reading—is…

More than 50 volunteers renovated the library and computer lab at Charles A. Gill Elementary School thanks to the AbbVie Foundation’s Week of Possibilities global volunteering program. Volunteers assembled furniture, painted the walls, and created a maker space that will engage students in learning when they return in August. “We are working to create a better environment for students when they return,” said Nicole Mowad-Nassar, AbbVie vice president of commercial analytics and operations. Gill Elementary Principal Shawki Freelon thanked the volunteers for their hard work. “This maker space that our students are going to have gives them an opportunity to…