6:58 PM on Jun 8, 2020 CDTUpdated 10:00 a.m. June, 11, 2020 with comments from Dallas ISD spokesperson and former DISD police chiefFive advocacy groups are urging the Dallas school district to disband its police force because black students and those with disabilities are often more likely to face harsher run-ins with officers than their peers.On Monday, they sent Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa a letter saying that many students of color feel less safe when police are at their schools because of traumatic experiences.“As our nation mourns the murder of George Floyd, we are...…6:58 PM on Jun 8, 2020 CDTUpdated 10:00 a.m. June, 11, 2020 with comments from Dallas ISD spokesperson and former DISD police chiefFive advocacy groups are urging the Dallas school district to disband its police force because black students and those with disabilities are often more likely to face harsher run-ins with officers than their peers.On Monday, they sent Dallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa a letter saying that many students of color feel less safe when police are at their schools because of traumatic experiences.“As our nation mourns the murder of George Floyd, we are...WW…

7:28 PM on Jun 5, 2020 CDTBlack lives matter in the Dallas Independent School District.During a special-called meeting Friday afternoon, the district’s board of trustees unanimously passed a resolution “declaring unequivocally that the lives of black students and Black people in our community matters.”The resolution also asked that district administration and the board reconvene in 30 days and begin work to address various inequities for DISD’s black students, on issues such as over representation in discipline statistics to under representation in Advanced Placement classes and talented...…7:28 PM on Jun 5, 2020 CDTBlack lives matter in the Dallas Independent School District.During a special-called meeting Friday afternoon, the district’s board of trustees unanimously passed a resolution “declaring unequivocally that the lives of black students and Black people in our community matters.”The resolution also asked that district administration and the board reconvene in 30 days and begin work to address various inequities for DISD’s black students, on issues such as over representation in discipline statistics to under representation in Advanced Placement classes and talented...WW…

10:43 AM on Jul 17, 2020 CDTUpdated at 4:35 p.m., July 17, 2020 with comments from Richardson ISD Superintendent Jeannie Stone.Texas public schools will be allowed to offer virtual-only instruction potentially as late as November, and high schools won’t be required to offer five days of in-person instruction per week, according to new guidance issued Friday by the Texas Education Agency.The change in the state’s guidance -- which was originally issued by the TEA in early July -- comes a day after Texas saw its largest single-day number of deaths from COVID-19, as well as the number of...…10:43 AM on Jul 17, 2020 CDTUpdated at 4:35 p.m., July 17, 2020 with comments from Richardson ISD Superintendent Jeannie Stone.Texas public schools will be allowed to offer virtual-only instruction potentially as late as November, and high schools won’t be required to offer five days of in-person instruction per week, according to new guidance issued Friday by the Texas Education Agency.The change in the state’s guidance -- which was originally issued by the TEA in early July -- comes a day after Texas saw its largest single-day number of deaths from COVID-19, as well as the number of...WW…

3:11 PM on Jul 9, 2020 CDTDallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa isn’t sure that schools should be opening their doors in a little over a month.On Thursday, , Hinojosa said that he was starting to have “second thoughts” about schools reopening on Aug. 17, the Dallas Independent School District’s scheduled start date.He also told MSNBC that he was doubtful that Texas high school football would happen in 2020; Hinojosa later clarified to The Dallas Morning News that was just his opinion regarding football, and that the ultimate decision would be up to the state’s extracurricular governing...…3:11 PM on Jul 9, 2020 CDTDallas ISD Superintendent Michael Hinojosa isn’t sure that schools should be opening their doors in a little over a month.On Thursday, , Hinojosa said that he was starting to have “second thoughts” about schools reopening on Aug. 17, the Dallas Independent School District’s scheduled start date.He also told MSNBC that he was doubtful that Texas high school football would happen in 2020; Hinojosa later clarified to The Dallas Morning News that was just his opinion regarding football, and that the ultimate decision would be up to the state’s extracurricular governing...WW…

2:10 PM on Jul 17, 2020 CDT — Updated at 5:30 PM on Jul 17, 2020 CDTUpdated at 5:30 p.m.: Revised to include comments from Todd Webster, former acting Texas Education Commissioner and current lobbyist at HillCo Partners.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a guidance letter to the state’s private religious schools on Friday stating that they “need not comply” to recent local and county health orders barring in-person instruction until after Labor Day.“As protected by the First Amendment and Texas law, religious private schools may continue to determine when it is safe for their...…2:10 PM on Jul 17, 2020 CDT — Updated at 5:30 PM on Jul 17, 2020 CDTUpdated at 5:30 p.m.: Revised to include comments from Todd Webster, former acting Texas Education Commissioner and current lobbyist at HillCo Partners.Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a guidance letter to the state’s private religious schools on Friday stating that they “need not comply” to recent local and county health orders barring in-person instruction until after Labor Day.“As protected by the First Amendment and Texas law, religious private schools may continue to determine when it is safe for their...WW…

1:46 PM on Apr 5, 2021 CDTDallas school officials want all seniors — as well as high school students who have fallen behind — to return to in-person classes for the rest of the school year..Administrators will discuss the plan with trustees at Thursday’s board briefing, but steps are already underway to get the district’s 8,800 seniors back to campus by April 12, the start of the final nine-week grading cycle.“We started looking at how we could get more students engaged in the district, especially as we saw COVID numbers go down,” said Mark Ramirez, deputy chief of school leadership.In...…1:46 PM on Apr 5, 2021 CDTDallas school officials want all seniors — as well as high school students who have fallen behind — to return to in-person classes for the rest of the school year..Administrators will discuss the plan with trustees at Thursday’s board briefing, but steps are already underway to get the district’s 8,800 seniors back to campus by April 12, the start of the final nine-week grading cycle.“We started looking at how we could get more students engaged in the district, especially as we saw COVID numbers go down,” said Mark Ramirez, deputy chief of school leadership.In...WW…

3:45 PM on Sep 17, 2020 CDTThere have been 4,519 documented cases of COVID-19 in Texas public schools since the start of the 2020-21 school year, according to new state data released by the Texas Education Agency and the Department of State Health Services.Thursday’s announcement, which only included a statewide aggregate, is the first attempt to track novel coronavirus cases in Texas schools. A district-level breakdown will be available next week, TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky said.The new dashboard is .The total represents around 0.2% of the estimated number of staff and students...…3:45 PM on Sep 17, 2020 CDTThere have been 4,519 documented cases of COVID-19 in Texas public schools since the start of the 2020-21 school year, according to new state data released by the Texas Education Agency and the Department of State Health Services.Thursday’s announcement, which only included a statewide aggregate, is the first attempt to track novel coronavirus cases in Texas schools. A district-level breakdown will be available next week, TEA spokesperson Jake Kobersky said.The new dashboard is .The total represents around 0.2% of the estimated number of staff and students...WW…