September 2025

The Dallas ISD Police Department earlier this summer earned state accreditation, recognizing its strong commitment to safety, service, and high professional standards.

“This is a reflection of the hard work, integrity, and professionalism demonstrated by every member of our department,” said Albert Martinez, chief of police. “We are proud to serve the students, staff, and community of Dallas ISD and will continue to uphold the highest standards of policing.”

Accreditation is awarded through the Texas Police Chiefs Association foundation only to agencies that demonstrate compliance with best practices specifically designed to enhance professional service, reduce risk, and protect the rights of individuals, Martinez said. 

This places Dallas ISD Police among top agencies and ensures the district receives high-quality service, he added.

“When the community encounters a Dallas Independent School District police officer or security officer, they will receive service that meets the highest standards of policing and security,” he said. “In other words, our expectation is that a professional police officer will serve our students, staff, and community to the best of their ability, knowledge, and skills with professionalism, empathy, and respect for whomever they encounter in their moment of need.”

It also supports the district’s broader safety goals, Martinez added.

“Accreditation enhances our ability to meet the district’s safety and security goals through well-developed policies, practical application, continuous training, and strong supervision,” he said.

The accreditation process began two years ago with reviewing the best practices laid out by TPCA. Dallas ISD Police were then tasked with developing policies and procedures that proved they were compliant with those standards.

Policies include:

• Use of force
• Searching and transportation
• Training
• Emergency operations

The journey culminated in a two-day on-site review from an external audit team in June. The audit included file inspections, officer interviews, and policy evaluations to ensure alignment with TPCA best practices.

Martinez emphasized that accreditation is not the end of the road.

Among other measures, the department will be proactive about refining policies as TPCA best practices are changed. Internally, Martinez and his commanders will implement changes through training and policy review as needed.

“Every member of the Dallas ISD Police Department now has the tremendous responsibility to hold themselves and each other accountable to the accreditation standard,” Martinez said.

While the department won’t undergo another audit for three years, it will submit monthly updates and documentation to remain in good standing with TPCA.

With accreditation in place, the Dallas ISD Police Department moves forward with renewed purpose, focused on safety, accountability, and delivering the highest level of service to the students, staff, and families it proudly serves.

Putting books in children’s hands is the first step in sparking a love of reading, a fundamental skill for lifelong learning, and Beverly De Ford, librarian at B.H. Macon Elementary School is trying to do so by holding her second Free Book Fair at the school a week before International Literacy Day. 

“Putting books in kids’ hands is the first step in getting them to want to read for enjoyment and become lifelong readers,” De Ford said. “This can lead to personal and academic success.”

Research indicates that even just 15 minutes of reading can significantly improve academic success, sharpen comprehension skills, hone memory, and build a stronger vocabulary. Some households, however, can’t afford to buy many books, De Ford said. The book fair aims to help families start building a personal library for children so books can be a regular part of their lives.

“I think that’s why book giveaways in the library are so important to revitalize these areas and help children keep up,” De Ford said. “Statistically, the number of books they have access to at home can correlate with how well they do in school.”

During the event, first graders stood in line, listening to the Book Drive for Kids volunteer explain that they could each select two books from an array of carefully curated non-fiction and fiction titles in both English and Spanish. The students dashed from table to table, speaking enthusiastically about the books and deciding which one they would read first. De Ford wandered among them, stopping to look at their selections and offering suggestions. At one table stood Derrick Chance, director of co-sponsor Dallas Children’s Charities, handing out bookplates for students to personalize their books while other volunteers, including parents, handed out bookmarks and an additional reading practice book to each child.

Principal Jennifer Husband said the book fair aligns with Macon’s mission of promoting reading. The school, which recently rose from an F to a B in the Texas Education Agency’s ratings, is now requiring all students, starting with prekindergarten, to maintain a daily reading log. 

“Every kid has an opportunity to receive free books to practice reading,” Husband said, “because if they can’t read, then that doesn’t help them in math and science. Everything feeds off their ability to read.”

Husband said that engaging students in reading, writing, and discussion led to an increase in their reading scores, reflected in the school’s rating. 

“Reading opens the mind, writing shapes our thoughts, and discussion brings ideas to life—together, they empower us to learn, connect, and grow,” Husband said. “This is what we strive to do with our students.”

De Ford said she was excited about the Free Book Fair, which she brought to the Pleasant Grove school after partnering with Book Drive for Kids and its executive director, Michelle Cook, every year since 2022, when De Ford was the librarian at Bayles Elementary School in the Bryan Adams High School vertical team. Book Drive for Kids—which donates new and gently used books to schools with a student population that is 70% or more economically disadvantaged—also has held Free Book Fairs in six out of the 10 elementary schools in the Bryan Adams community. 

De Ford doesn’t just hold book fairs to reinforce the habit of reading in her students. She regularly conducts read-alouds, encourages students to read different genres, including biographies and poetry, and even incorporates Legos and robots into her lessons. 

“If I can teach them how to problem solve and think things through, no matter what technology the future brings, they’ll be able to manage it,” she said.

As part of its ongoing efforts to enhance transparency, streamline the requisition-to-purchase order process, and ensure compliance with procurement standards, Procurement Services is implementing a series of changes. And district team members can learn more about them by attending the monthly virtual Lunch and Learn sessions.

This month, on Sept. 10, the topic will be ​​Requisition updates (three-quote requirement, simplified PO, and category codes). For more information, download the flyer. 

Purchasing is implementing a new requirement for non-catalog purchases of goods. An example of a non-catalog purchase of goods would be if a campus is ordering medallions and medals for student awards that include engraving. The campus would enter the requisition for those goods within Oracle as a Non-Catalog Request.

In addition, effective immediately, all requisitions must include two additional quotes from awarded vendors within the same category for the requested item(s) or customization. This applies to purchases made through cooperatives or contracts where multiple vendors have been awarded. 

What this means for you:

• • You may still select the awarded vendor of your choice, regardless of price, provided they are within the awarded category.
  • The additional quotes are not intended to restrict your selection but to allow Procurement Services to review market trends and expedite approvals.
  • This requirement does not apply to:
    • Vendors that provide services
    • Punch-out contracts unless federal funds are used and the amount exceeds $10,000

• Service Center requisitions

• • Internal stores
  • Catering
  • Memberships/Registration
  • Sole source vendors 

If you have questions about these changes or need assistance identifying awarded vendors, please sign up for Procurement’s Lunch and Learn series or contact Procurement Services directly.

Along with a number of other laws passed by the 89th Texas Legislature, HB 3372 went into effect Sept. 1, amending the Texas Education Code by adding Section 11.006, which creates a new statewide prohibition on certain types of financial relationships involving public school district administrators.

The new law prohibits school district administrators, either campus based or central, from receiving financial compensation for personal services from businesses that do business with their district, education-related businesses, or other public education entities without approval from the Board of Trustees. 

The law aims to eliminate conflicts of interest, increase transparency, reinforce ethical standards, and thereby uphold public trust in school governance. Outside employment with a current vendor of the district was already a conflict of interest and unallowable under Dallas ISD Board Policy DBD(LOCAL).

Under the new law, administrators, including principals, assistant principals, and central managers and above, who want to receive a financial benefit for concurrent employment outside of the district for an “education business,” which is one that provides services regarding the curriculum or administration of any school district must seek Personal Services Exception Request. This includes organizations that could do future business with the district.  

Concurrent employment at an institute of higher education (community college, state universities, or private universities) is not interpreted to fall within the requirements of HB3372. Teachers and other campus-based employees are not required to submit a PSER and have no outside employment restrictions not currently defined in DBD-Local. 

Approval by the Board of Trustees to perform personal services is required for the following:

• Any education business that provides services regarding the curriculum or administration of any school district, including those that could do future business with Dallas ISD; or
• Any other school district, open-enrollment charter school, or regional education center.

Under the new law, administrators who fail to seek board approval would be subject to a personal civil penalty of $10,000 per violation, payable to the state.

To ensure compliance with HB3372/TEC 11.006 Human Capital Management has collaborated with Legal Services to establish the Personal Services Exception Request process:

1. Employees submit a Personal Services Exception Request form along with a copy of the contract or work agreement that outlines personal services performed to their respective executive director via email. The PSER is available here and linked on the HCM Policy and Compliance website. 
2. Executive directors will conduct an initial review of the contract to ensure the work is (1) performed entirely on an employee’s personal time, (2) does no harm to the district, and (3) does not present a conflict of interest.
3. Executive directors submit the PSER and supporting documents to HCM at HCMcompliance@dallasisd.org.
4. HCM submits the PSER to the Board of Trustees for review in closed session. The Board reviews PSER items and approves as appropriate.

Administrators who have questions about current work for an education business that will require a PSER that has not been submitted to the board for approval are encouraged to seek outside legal advice regarding their outside employment’s potential conflict with HB3372.