Dallas ISD Trustee Joyce Foreman: Trustees Take Action To Address Coronavirus Threat

By Joyce Foreman District 6 Dallas ISD Trustee

I’d like to take a moment to encourage all our students, families, teachers and the community at large to stay safe and strong in this troubling time. Meanwhile, the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees is working to make sure that our students have all the resources they need to continue their education in this time of some uncertainty about the next steps.

I want all of the staff to know that you have done a superb job with little time to prepare for the transition to online learning.  Your great work is showing.  To the teachers, I would like to give a special “Thank You” for your dedication to making sure our students are settling into a new learning environment.

To ensure that at-home learning is available to all our students as we are social distancing, trustees approved the purchase of more than 10,000 hotspots for students who do not have wi-fi in their homes. I applaud the district’s move to help close the digital divide, something I’ve been advocating for many years.

Trustees also approved granting extended emergency leave for all active salaried and hourly employees, which allows them to continue receiving their normal paychecks while schools are closed indefinitely. This was a very important vote for the Board of Trustees.

And due to the ongoing health threat, trustees approved postponing the May 2 election for three seats on the board until Nov. 3, based on directions from Governor Abbott.

Meal Distribution Now Once a Week, for Safety 

Dallas ISD remains committed to following the recommendations from the national, county and state officials along with public health agencies in order to protect the health and safety of our students, families, and staff.   Along those lines, we will now be distributing meals on Thursdays only, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Families will be able to pick up enough meals to get them through the following Thursday.

Please visit www.dallasisd.org/grabandgomeals to identify the distribution sites and the meals that will be included in your bags for each day.

Remember also, all Dallas ISD playgrounds are closed while the city is under the stay-at-home order, to help ensure that our children stay safe while at play.

Dallas ISD Urges Families to Participate in the 2020 Census Count

We encourage all families to respond to the 2020 Census to ensure that our community and our schools receive adequate funding for the next 10 years. The allocation based on the census count includes money for school programs and services such as special education, free and reduced-price lunches, class size reduction, technology purchases, teacher training, and afterschool activities. Responses to the census questionnaire are required by law, and all answers are confidential. The census does not ask about citizenship status. Responses are accepted online, by phone, or by mail. To learn more, visit the Census Bureau FAQs page at https://2020census.gov/en/help.html.