Dallas ISD – Page 12 – The Other Side Dallas

June 24, 2020June 12, 2021

Record Breaking COVID19 Cases

Texas reported 5000 new COVID19 cases. This is a single day-high for new coronavirus cases as of Tuesday and reached a new all-time high of hospitalized COVID-19 patients for tweve straight days.

This includes 1000 new Dallas cases and almost a dozen new deaths.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 5,489 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and 4,092 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. Tuesday’s hospitalizations were a jump of 381 patients from the previous record of 3,711 hospitalized Monday.

Gov. Greg Abbott had previewed the new single-day high during television interviews Tuesday afternoon before DSHS released specific figures.

The previous single-day high was 4,430 cases on Saturday. Since last Wednesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services has reported over 3,000 new cases each day, with 3,866 on Sunday and 3,280 on Monday. At least 2,192 deaths have been reported through Monday.

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the next couple of weeks would be critical to address recent surges in states like Texas.

COVID19

Gov. Abbott continues to plan for business as usual.

A recent draft plan leaked shows the Texas Education Agency plans to re-open schools in the fall despite numbers continuing to rise.

June 22, 2020June 12, 2021

Dallas ISD Survey

Dallas ISD parents are being asked for their opinion about how they want their children to return to school for the 2020-2021 school year per a post on the Townview Magnet Foundation website.

Parents can let Dallas school administration know what you think by filling out a survey for each of their children. You will find a video explaining the latest plans the district is considering and links to the survey for each school by visiting www.dallasisd.org/parentsurvey2020.

Despite schools being shortchanged by the state withholding federal dollars, it appears the Texas Education Administration wants students in school despite the threat of coronavirus spread.

Dallas ISD Contact

If you have any questions or need help with the survey, please click on the Contact Us-Let’s Talk link you will find on that page.

Dallas ISD is scheduled to return to campus August 17, 2020.

June 18, 2020June 12, 2021

Failing Governor Plans To Fail Students…Again

Governor COVID19 strikes again. State legislators were informed Thursday morning in a conference call that Texas students will be returning to public schools in person this fall.

Per a Texas Tribune article: “It will be safe for Texas public school students, teachers, and staff to return to school campuses for in-person instruction this fall. But there will also be flexibility for families with health concerns so that their children can be educated remotely, if the parent so chooses,” said Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath.

The TEA is expected to release additional guidance for school districts next Tuesday, but the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) standards are clear.

This is another poor decision by a Governor and his team that is seeing massive growth in COVID19 numbers as he mangles the response to the disease.

Centers for Disease Control COVID19 Standards

Governor Abbott Plans To ReOpen Despite COVID19

The more people a student or staff member interacts with, and the longer that interaction, the higher the risk of COVID-19 spread. The risk of COVID-19 spread increases in school settings as follows:

Lowest Risk: Students and teachers engage in virtual-only classes, activities, and events.
More Risk: Small, in-person classes, activities, and events. Groups of students stay together and with the same teacher throughout/across school days and groups do not mix. Students remain at least 6 feet apart and do not share objects (e.g., hybrid virtual and in-person class structures, or staggered/rotated scheduling to accommodate smaller class sizes).
Highest Risk: Full sized, in-person classes, activities, and events. Students are not spaced apart, share classroom materials or supplies, and mix between classes and activities.

COVID-19 is mostly spread by respiratory droplets released when people talk, cough, or sneeze. It is thought that the virus may spread to hands from a contaminated surface and then to the nose or mouth, causing infection. Therefore, personal prevention practices (such as handwashing, staying home when sick) and environmental cleaning and disinfection are important principles that are covered in this document. Fortunately, there are a number of actions school administrators can take to help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure and spread during school sessions and activities.

June 15, 2020June 12, 2021

Dallas ISD Free Food Benefit

Dallas ISD families can receive a free food benefit. Dallas ISD offers free meals to all its students making all families eligible to receive the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer (P-EBT), a one-time benefit provided by the State of Texas for eligible families to buy food.

The P-EBT of $285 per child is available for families that may have temporarily lost access to free and reduced-price meals because of school closures due to COVID-19. The amount is based on the average number of days schools are closed for the remainder of the school year.

More On Dallas ISD Free Food Benefit

Families who received benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, in March of 2020 will have the benefit deposited into their account. Those families who are not receiving SNAP benefits but whose children attend Dallas ISD schools will have to fill out an application to receive the funds. You can apply for this benefit by visiting https://yourtexasbenefits.com/Learn/PEBT.

The Pandemic Electronic Benefit Transfer program, authorized through the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, provides states a critical opportunity to provide support, efficiently and comprehensively, to families that rely on free or reduced-price school meals when school is open. Through P-EBT, states can issue eligible households an EBT card with the value of the free school breakfast and lunch reimbursement rates for the number of weekdays that schools are closed due to COVID-19 (estimated to be around $5.70 per day).

Eligible households include those with children certified to receive free or reduced-price school meals and children who attend schools that offer free school meals to all students. Schools must be closed for five or more consecutive days for families to participate.

Per the Townview Magnet Foundation website Dallas ISD is in need of volunteers for food distribution also. This is a positive step being taken beyond just Dallas ISD and we hope it continues in a transparent way.