By Joyce Foreman
DISD Board, District 6
I am honored to have another opportunity to serve as trustee for District 6. I am committed to the citizens of Dallas to continue to question, demand accountability and put students first, while also serving the parents, community and other stakeholders.
January is School Board Recognition Month, and I want to take this opportunity to recognize my colleagues on the Board of Trustees. As board members, we create policies for our schools while serving as a link between the community and the district. I am pleased to work with my fellow trustees to improve the lives and education of all our students in Dallas ISD.
Addressing Learning Loss
The district is developing a plan to help students recover from learning loss caused by disruptions in instruction due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data shows that 50% of our students are worse off in math compared to last school year, and 30% are worse off in reading. To mitigate the learning loss, school leadership has proposed new calendar options that expand the time students spend learning in the next two school years. My colleagues and I will be voting on the proposal on Jan. 28. To learn more, visit www.dallasisd.org/timetolearn.
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Vaccinations for District Staff
Dallas ISD is working with Parkland Hospital to make COVID-19 vaccines available to district staff. Staff in the Phase 1B group—those 65 years and older and with chronic medical conditions—have been notified to sign up for vaccine appointments, and all district nurses have already received their first shots.
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The district has also made free COVID tests available to all staff. Most nurses on campuses are now equipped to conduct tests with results in 15 minutes, and the district has set up a new site for staff testing, with morning appointments on weekdays.
Public Hearing on District, Campus Performance
Dallas ISD will host a TEA-mandated public hearing to share information with the community about the educational performance of each campus in relation to the district, the state and a comparable group of schools.
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Also, a required report on the effectiveness of accelerated instruction will be presented. The public hearing will take place at 6 p.m., Thursday, Jan. 28, at the Dallas ISD Turney W. Leonard Governance and Training Center conference area (5151 Samuell Blvd.). This link provides public access to the Texas Academic Performance Reports for the district and its campuses: http://www.dallasisd.org/Page/873.
From Charter School to Success in Dallas ISD
I am always happy to give a shoutout to students who exemplify the best of the district. This month, I want to congratulate a young standout athlete, Kourtlan Freeman, who is just one example of a student achieving great things after transferring from a charter school to Dallas ISD. Kourtlan led the David W. Carter High School swim team to a district championship as a freshman last year.
He attends the district’s Innovation Design Entrepreneurship Academy at James W. Fannin, a personalized learning high school; district policy allows students enrolled at a choice school to participate in activities at their home school, in Kortlan’s case Carter High.
The application period for applying to any of Dallas ISD’s choice schools or programs has been extended to Feb. 7. To learn more about the district’s specialty programs and how to apply, visit the Choose Dallas ISD website, both in English and Spanish.
