Among changes expected this year, students in grades six and up, are required to have clear backpacks. This is after the tragic response to the Uvalde school shooting last May.
National experts have called the move security theater and it appears to have drawn widespread criticism for first year Dallas Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde.
Back To School 2022 Calendar
The base Dallas ISD calendar is below.
Superintendent Elizalde’s first public meeting was with the Next Generation Action Network. That calendar decision draws questions about her work with Dominique Alexander.
USA Today shoots down security theater Dallas ISD is applying to the new school year.
In a Wednesday article, USA Today quoted security experts saying this was “theater.” They went on to say that this “funnels resources away from more effective approaches.” Dallas ISD did not respond to requests for comment.
USA Today Shoots Down Security Theater After DISD Decision
From the article: “It comes across as a knee-jerk reaction to make people feel as though something is being done,” said Jaclyn Schildkraut, associate professor of criminal justice at the State University of New York at Oswego. “But it’s really not going to do what people think it’s going to do, and it’s sending the wrong message.”
DISD says it will distribute free clear backpacks to students before the school year. DISD says the decision came from recommendations from an internal safety task force.
“Clear bookbags are a well intended but relatively ineffective measure,” said Michael Dorn. Dorn is a former police officer and Executive Director of Safe Haven International.
The group is the world’s largest K-12 school safety center. The group produced the video below showing the ease of moving weapons into a school.
Marjory Stoneman Douglas schools trialed a clear backpack policy. They abandoned the policy shortly. It became clear to school administrators that contraband was still coming into schools.
Parents at several high schools told Other Side Dallas that metal detectors are not used. The devices are time limiting and staff does not focus on them.
“They are a physical deterence, but only when they are actually used,” one parent said.
DISD Mandates Clear Backpacks – Unclear Reason
Dallas ISD has not released the results of its parent survey on clear backpacks. They did say they will issue a single backpack to students.
If it becomes damaged or otherwise unusable the student will supply a replacement. It is unclear how many students this will effect given district socioeconomic challenges.
It is not clear how this poplicy will stop incidents like last year’s.
The Next Generation Activist Network – or NGAN – for short hosted the event which was the first welcome reception for newly appointed superintendent Dr. Stephanie Elizalde.
The Next Generation Action Network (NGAN) self describes as one of North Texas’s largest social justice organizations, with several chapters nationwide. With a mission of lobbying for social change and equality for all regardless of race, religion, nationality, gender, sex, or age, the Next Generation Action Network focuses on legal advocacy and education. Daily NGAN bridges and fills individual and community needs as a catalyst for impactful change.
They claim to focus on education, but in the host committee graphic above it is clear they do not do their own editing. One person is listed twice and a member of the Dallas ISD Board of Trustees had his name misspelled.
Early Super Mistake? NGAN Hosts Stephanie Elizalde
A giant question is was this a good move for Stephanie Elizalde.
It is unclear why Elizalde feels NGAN serves the needs of minority students whose test scores reveal abysmal results by her predecessor’s administration.
NGAN’s focal point – the “CEO Minister” Dominique Alexander – is alleged to be in a relationship with former Dallas Police Chief U. Reneé Hall.
Once this allegation was public, confirmed by four separate police and civilian sources at Dallas Police, Hall left office within twenty-four hours.
Additionally, Alexander was convicted of shaking a 2-year-old baby in 2011. He was sentenced to five years but released on probation shortly after his sentencing. Alexander has also been convicted of theft, making a false police report and evading arrest. He’s also been indicted in Denton County for felony theft.
The threat came one day after a student was arrested at Berkner High School in possession of long rifles.
the threat came just two days after nineteen students were murdered in Uvalde, Texas along with two teachers.
Pinkston Threat
Reports indicate the student was detained, but is not being arrested.
The Dallas Independent School District has made suspensions and expulsions harder to “keep kids in the classroom,” but this is another incident involving a potential firearm on campus.
Dallas ISD dead end is becoming more than amoniker thrown at students in the city ISD, but is statistically becoming more true.
Dallas ISD high school graduates immediately seeking secondary education has declined.
This comes despites millions being poured into postsecondary options, testing, and preparation. These results also come with a superintendent who consistenty begs for more money.
New Superintendent Elizalde has been quick to request new dollars for expensive plans that never work.
Most school systems suffered some learning loss after COVID19, but Dallas ISD seemed to excel in this area.
Dallas ISD Dead End Predictable?
The response from Board of Trustees members immediately after the coronavirus pandemic was to lower standards.
In January 2021, a learning loss town hall occurred with these exact results predicted, but Dallas ISD glossed over the issues.
Overall DISD graduates who enrolled into college immediately after high school slid from 58% to 46%.
Brian Lusk complained about “summer melt” when students chose other paths, but had no answers other than more advisors and more money, not more teachers.
In a shock to the local political ecosystem, Camille White wins in Dallas Independent School District‘s District 4 Board of Trustee election beating education reform movement darling Karla Garcia.
The Dallas Morning News endorsed Garcia in her previous election despite issues with her filing affidavit that appeared at the time to be potentially criminal.
One issue that may have motivated turnout for Camille White was the recent report of moldy and spoilt food being served by Dallas ISD kitchens to children in low income areas.
Camille White Wins – The Data
In another low turnout local election with less than 1000 votes cast, White won 51.65% of the vote beating Garcia by 2.5 points.
The lack of intensity in the race may be a precursor of things to come in 2023 city council races.
A petition is circulating after rotten food at Dallas Independent School District‘s Geneva Heights Elementary School by Redistricting Commission Member Randal Bryant goes viral.
Superintendent Hinojosa’s who is planning a run for Mayor did not respond to a request for comment, nor did Dallas ISD communications.
Bryant and other parents document multiple cases of food spoilage and incorrect temperatures on refrigerators at the Dallas school campus.
The principal at Geneva Heights, Patricia Lane, sent out a message to parents in late March 2022 indicating she was aware of the problem.
In social media posts, Bryant plans to present a petition at next week’s Board of Trustees meeting, if he is allowed to speak. (Parents have previously been kept off the speaker agenda by Dallas ISD staff.)
Additionally, Trustee Maxie Johnson, lept for the chance to represent the school at the Board of Trustees despite him admitting this was not in his district and his previous nonchalance about other schools in his constituency.
Something Smells: Rotten Food At Dallas ISD
Dallas schools food programs had generally gotten high marks after a free food benefit at the start of the pandemic.
The site hopes to make it easier on parents to choose between public Montessori and TAG programs, between Townview’s campus programs including Health or Science and Engineering, or Booker T Washington’s arts programs.
Dallas Magnets Site Details
The Dallas magnets site was launched by the Townview Dallas Magnets Foundation after parents repeatedly complained about not having a single location for information on magnet programs, ISD calendar deadlines, and particular information about schools.
The nonprofit does not anticipate things will be busy with the site initially, but expect a strong push by early August, when parents are seeking back to school information that often is updated after the fact on school websites. They are actively adding schools and information to the site using an all volunteer core of parents and community members.
Chapa is planning on becoming a physician when she completes her studies in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We have reached out to Townview to learn what area of focus Ms. Chapa hopes to pursue after college and medical school.
On a related note, another alumni from Townview’s Science and Engineering (Townview SEM) program Class of 2021 is being honored for putting together a baseball nonprofit for children with cancer.
