Staff News

The recent frigid temperatures and winter storms that hit Texas left many Dallas ISD families facing expensive repairs to their homes and other hardships. Fortunately, there is assistance at the federal and district levels.

President Joe Biden declared an emergency for most counties in Texas, which made federal disaster assistance funds available to families to help with home repairs and other needs not covered by insurance. FEMA programs do not pay for fuel or spoiled food.

Federal assistance

To start a claim, call 800-621-3362 or go to https://www.disasterassistance.gov/ to apply for federal FEMA funds. Homeowners must be able to provide FEMA with information on insurance coverage available to them as well as documentation on insurance settlements or denials to process the application. Additional information you will need to file the claim includes:

• Social security number or the social security number of a minor child in the household who is a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien
• Annual household income
• Contact information such as phone number, mailing address, email address, and address of the damaged home
• Insurance information (coverage, insurance company name, etc.)
• Bank account information (if you are eligible to receive financial assistance, the money can be deposited in your account)

District assistance

Dallas ISD has two types of leave that district staff can access if they need to take time to deal with major repairs in their homes or other hardships related to the recent winter storms.

Emergency Leave—Emergency leave includes, but is not limited to, unforeseen natural disasters or destruction of a vehicle or domicile by flood, fire, or storm involving the employee or a member of the employee’s family. Employees may be granted three paid days of emergency leave by the BRC.

The days will not be deducted from the employee’s time off. Additional days of absence will result in a deduction of accumulated time off.

Hardship Leave—Hardship leave may be granted only if the employee is not eligible for or has exhausted any other leave (e.g., FMLA leave, temporary disability leave, general medical leave, or workers’ compensation). The leave may be granted for serious illness of the employee or a family member or personal hardship for circumstances beyond the employee’s control.

Leave may be paid if the employee has available time off. Hardship leaves may be granted up to 20 business days in a school year. An extension of an additional 20 business days may be granted by the BRC with proper documentation.

For additional information about leaves and to requests one, visit the Benefits Department webpage or contact BenefitsLeaves@dallasisd.org.

You can help

Partnership and Volunteer Services is accepting donations of gift cards in amounts of $25 and $50 for distribution to families displaced or impacted by the recent snowstorm. District staff or members of the public can drop off cards purchased from retail stores, MasterCard or Visa to the PVS team at 9400 N. Central Expressway during business hours Tuesday through Friday or make a drop off appointment by calling (972) 925-5440. Family and Community Engagement Services will deliver the donated cards to families that have been identified by campuses as being in need. Families displaced from apartment complexes that suffered water damage from burst pipes are especially in need of assistance.

The 80 high priority campuses across the district are looking for outstanding teachers who are passionate about their profession and whose heart lies with helping students succeed no matter what. Teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists who are eligible and interested in working in one of these campuses can participate in a virtual high priority job fair via Brazen that will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9.

To sign up for the March 9 job fair, click here.

Then, they can take advantage of the district’s open transfer period for high priority campuses that started last week and continues through April 23. For eligibility requirements, go here.

Open transfer process

Each year, Dallas ISD teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists who meet certain guidelines can accept a position at another campus for the following school year during the open transfer period.

Eligible employees must apply online using their EAD login at www.dallasisd.org/careers using the Current Dallas ISD Employee link. Employees who do not apply will not be eligible to participate.

Working at a high priority campus has benefits beyond making a difference. Eligible teachers serving at high priority campuses in the 2021-2022 school year will:

• Earn additional DTR points on the TEI Scorecard, replacing the existing Tier I process.
• Earn additional stipends. Proposed stipend amounts are shown in the chart below.

PROPOSED 2021-22 High Priority Campus stipend amounts are below.  More information about stipend eligibility can be found here.

Nutrition deals with how the food you consume works in your body and how your body uses it to function. Dallas ISD is celebrating good nutrition during the month of March to help be healthier.

Because what we eat has an effect not just on weight but also on health, energy and focus, good nutrition dietary choices are crucial to reduce your risk of disease and to function during the day.

A balanced diet—or good nutrition—involves the right combinations of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water. If you don’t have the right balance of any of these in your daily diet, your risk of developing certain disease or health conditions increases dramatically.

What are macronutrients that are the building block of nutrition?

Macronutrients are nutrients that we need in high quantities: carbohydrates, proteins, fats and water.

Carbohydrates—The best carbohydrates are not sugars. They are whole grains like brown rice, wild rice, oatmeal, whole-grain barley, bulgur, farro, buckwheat, starchy vegetables including regular and sweet potatoes, and corn. It takes the body a while to break fiber down and absorb, but afterward your body will feel fuller longer and may reduce risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colorectal.

Proteins—Some foods provide complete proteins that contain all essential amino acids the body needs while other foods have various combinations of amino acids. Most plant-based foods don’t contain complete proteins, so vegans need to eat a range of foods daily to get the essential amino acids for optimum nutrition.

Fats—The type of fat we eat makes a difference. Plant based or unsaturated fats like from olive oil are healthier than saturated fat that come from animals. Too much fat can lead to obesity, high cholesterol, liver disease, etc. A healthy balance is crucial. Fats are an important part of good nutrition because they lubricate joints, help organs produce hormones, enable the body to absorb certain vitamins, reduces inflammation, and help preserve brain health.

Water—It doesn’t contribute calories to the body, but it remains an important part of overall nutrition because it makes up about 60% of the adult body and is needed for just about every bodily process. Water doesn’t just come in a bottle; it is a big part of most fruits and vegetables, which makes it hard to gauge what is enough water based just on quantities. The recommendation is to monitor urine color, and if it’s a pale yellow, then water levels are adequate. But the rule of thumb is that if you are thirsty you are already dehydrated, which means your body doesn’t have the optimal fluids to function at its best.

Micronutrients

Micronutrients are nots as flashy, but they also contribute to good nutrition. They include including vitamins and minerals, water soluble vitamins, fat soluble vitamins, and antioxidants.

The frigid weather that recently covered the state in snow and historically low temperatures affected thousands of Dallas families and also caused damages to about 125 Dallas ISD schools. Staff from maintenance and facilities started work as soon as possible, worked over the weekend and the beginning of this week to ensure that students and staff were safe when they returned to campuses on Feb. 24. The damage to four schools—Bryan Adams and Lincoln high schools, Harold W. Lang Sr. Middle School, and J.P. Starks Math, Science and Technology Vanguard—was still being repaired this week so students and staff can return to the campuses on March 1. Dallas ISD is incredibly thankful to the outstanding maintenance and facility workers who have been tirelessly working around the clock at the schools to repair any damage caused by last week’s weather and deep freeze.

Dallas ISD’s open transfer period for the 2021-2022 school year starts in March. Principals in high priority and ACE campuses can begin sending recommendations for teachers, instructional coaches, counselors, and media specialists to HCM starting March 1 through April 23. The open transfer window for all other campuses begins March 8 and ends April 9.

The open transfer process allows current Dallas ISD teachers, instructional coaches, counselors and media specialists, who meet the guidelines outlined below, to accept a position at another campus for the following school year. During the open transfer period, current principal approval is not required.

Interested eligible employees must complete an application online by logging into www.dallasisd.org/careers with their EAD credentials and then use the internal openings link.  Employees who do not apply will not be eligible to participate.

To be eligible for an open transfer, employees must:

• Hold a valid Texas Teacher Certificate in the requested subject-area vacancy and meet TEA/SBEC Certification Standards for the position
• Not be on a growth plan or have an unsatisfactory rating on the most current evaluation
• Not be entering their fourth year of an Alternative Certification Program
• Not be identified for non-renewal at the end of the current school year due to performance and/or misconduct
• For Instructional Coaches only: must receive approval from recommending campus executive director

Food and Child Nutrition Services has launched a new platform to view daily menus, nutritional information and potential allergens.

Signing up is easy!

Go to schools.mealviewer.com or download the mobile app and register for a free account. Users can create a personalized profile by first selecting a school. Parents can set up their student’s profile by selecting the appropriate allergens favorite meals. Students will receive notifications every time any of their favorite meals are served.

The Social and Emotional Learning Department has a new discussion series just for teachers. The SEL In Action: Teacher Discussion Series will meet every fourth Wednesday through May, to engage Dallas ISD teachers in informal discussions centered around important topics educators are facing.

These open forums will be a safe place to discuss these topics, build community, form healthy relationships, and discuss social and emotional wellness.

SEL In Action: Teacher Discussion Series Schedule:

February: Celebrating Black Educators | *Wednesday, March 10, 4:45-5:30 p.m.

February discussion articles: Teaching While Black: An Open Letter to School Leaders by Sharif El-Mekki, and Breaking through the Burden of Strength by Kel Hughes Jones

March: Managing Stress | Wednesday, March 24, 4:45-5:30 p.m.

March discussion article: Coping with Change and Uncertainty by Phyllis L. Fagell

April: Creating Spaces of belonging: Dallas ISD PRIDE + Allies | Wednesday, April 28, 4:45-5:30 p.m.

April discussion article: Being Accepted, Not Just Tolerated, Is Good for Mental Health by Peter DeWitt

May: Reigniting our sense of purpose | Wednesday, May 26, 4:45-5:30 p.m.

May discussion article: The Lowdown on Burnout by Elena Aguilar

Teachers can sign up at https://forms.gle/gHpnCeiUbrw5QhBX7. Contact Aileen Mokuria, SEL manager, for additional support. For additional SEL resources, visit www.dallasisd.org/sel.

*Due to the 2021 winter storm, February’s discussion has been rescheduled from its original date to Wednesday, March 10.

The Racial Equity Office works to improve principal engagement in two ways through the Theory of Action. REO aims to improve programmatic equity by identifying key indicators to remove system differences and create equitable access to programs. In addition, REO collaboratively promotes programs that support equitable leadership and operations. Specific programming includes:

Anti-Defamation League (ADL): No Place for Hate

No Place for Hate (NPFH) is a program that enables schools to challenge all forms of bias, bullying, and discrimination, by creating more inclusive environments. During Fall 2019, nine Dallas ISD high schools and nine middle schools registered to become NPFH sites. All participating schools attained a No Place for Hate Designation from the ADL in May 2020. To achieve this status, schools designed and implemented at least two schoolwide activities on bias and social justice. In conjunction with the Dallas ISD Social Studies department, forty-nine additional Dallas ISD middle and high schools have been selected as prospective NPFH sites for the 2020-2021 school year.

Magnet Mentor Program

The Magnet Schools Application Initiative is a collaborative effort of the Department of Magnet Programs and the REO to increase the number of qualified in-district African American students applying to and accepted by the district’s Magnet Schools. Thirty schools have Magnet Mentors. Each mentor is assigned five students and helps those students throughout the completion of the application process.

​African American Success Initiative (AASI) Student Advocates

The REO is supporting both male and female mentoring programs aimed at African American students, serving ALL district schools, during the 2020-21 school year. In addition to individual and group mentoring sessions for students, these programs offer a broad range of wraparound services at their partner schools.

Student activities include lunch period clubs, virtual field trips, virtual career fairs, virtual college visits, financial literacy activities, and community service projects. Support provided by the REO includes resources for schools to acquire materials and supplies, host and participate in program events, and funding for mentor training and responsibilities.

Campuses interested in these supports should visit the Racial Equity Office website at www.dallasisd.org/racialequity to learn more about programmatic equity and equitable leadership programming.

For additional information, contact Ariss Rider, director of Community, Schools and Partnerships at ahollis@dallasisd.org.

The United States faces an obesity epidemic, which contributes to cardiovascular disease among other health issues. One of the leading causes of this epidemic is the amount of sugar people consume on a daily basis.

While many common processed foods like cereals and pastries have a high sugar content, according to the American Heart Association, the main source of added sugars—46% of all added sugars—are beverages:

• Soft drinks – 25%
• Fruit drinks – 11%
• Sport/energy drinks – 3%
• Coffee/tea with sugar– 7%

How does sugar affect the Heart?

When we eat excess sugar, the extra insulin the body produces has a greater chance of affecting the arteries. Insulin is the hormone produced in the pancreas that regulates the amount of glucose in the bloodstream. Added insulin causes the arterial walls to inflame, grow thicker than normal and stiffer, which stresses the heart and damages it over time. This can lead to different types of heart diseases like heart failure, heart attack and stroke.

People who eat excess sugar—at least 25% of net calories coming from sugar—are twice as likely to die of heart disease than those whose diets include less than 10% of total calories from sugar. This is added sugar from processed foods and not the sugar that naturally occurs in fresh fruits and vegetables that is easier for the body to process and less likely to lead to obesity.

The American Heart Association recommends:

• Men consume no more than nine teaspoons (36 grams/ 150 calories) of added sugar per day.
• Women consume no more than six teaspoons (25 grams/ 100 calories) per day.

For example, one 12- ounce can of soda contains eight teaspoons (32 grams) of added sugar, which is more than the recommended daily amount for women and the daily recommended amount for men.

Changing habits is not always easy, but substituting sugary beverages for water, even if it’s just one a day to start with, can lead to better heart health. Watching intake of added sugar has been made easier because food producers are required to list the amount of added sugars in the Nutritional Facts label. Studies show that with time, labeling will educate consumers enough that it could potentially prevent nearly 1 million cases of cardiovascular disease and Type 2 diabetes over the next two decades.

The W2 forms are now available for all the employees who were set up to receive them online.

To access the form:

1. Inside the district network, go to Oracle Self-Service, choose Payroll Information and Employee W2
2. From the district’s main web page, click on Staff from the district’s main page and choose Oracle Login. Once logged in, go to Employee Self-Service, choose Payroll Information and Employee W2.
3. Outside the district’s network, go to https://disdportal.dallasisd.org, go to Apps Logon Links into Oracle, go to Employee Self-Service, Payroll Information and Employee W2.

If you have any problems, please send an email to notifypayroll@dallasisd.org and include your employee ID number, name and the issue or question you might have to receive prompt assistance.

Those who are not set up to retrieve the form online can change their preferences. The instructions are posted in the Payroll website under Staff Resources.