Staff News

Dallas ISD will pay retiring employees cash for their unused local days. The more days employees have remaining, the higher the retirement award. But you must notify payroll of your intent by April 1.

Employees who notify Human Capital Management by entering their intent to retire date in Oracle Self-Service by April 1 can receive a flat daily rate for any unused local days accrued by July 31. If employees complete the separation process in Oracle by April 1 and work the remainder of the school year, they will continue to have pay and benefits through Aug. 31. The exact daily rate to be paid will be determined upon calculation of all the participants’ remaining days for the year, and there is no cap to the number of local days for which an employee can get paid.

Those who do not enter their separation date in Oracle Self-Service by April 1, will not be eligible for the award. For additional questions, employees may contact the HCM Benefits Department at 972-925-4300 or email Retirement@dallasisd.org.

Never too early to start planning

The Benefits Department will host virtual retirement information seminars for all employees planning to retire within the next five years. Attendees will receive information regarding the district’s procedures, Teacher Retirement System benefits and helpful planning tips leading up to retirement. All seminars will take place via Microsoft TEAMS.

• Tuesday, Feb. 23 • 5-7:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 23 • 5-6:30 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 27 • 5-630 p.m.

Those interested in participating should RSVP by Feb. 15 by calling (972) 925-4300 or emailing Retirement@dallasisd.org.

For additional information regarding the seminars, please contact the Benefits Department at (972) 925-4300 or email benefits@dallasisd.org.

Eating a consistently healthy diet and getting adequate exercise are part of the recipe for a healthy heart. Whether you have had heart problems or are working to avoid them, making some diet and lifestyle changes can make a difference.

As part of a balanced and heart-healthy diet, herbal supplements can add extra help. Remember to always check with your doctor before you start taking herbal or natural supplements, many of which have been used for thousands of years by many cultures around the world.

Some of these herbal supplements include:

• Cinnamon: It has been used for thousands of years and loved for numerous medicinal properties—lowering unhealthy cholesterol levels and possibly blood pressure.
• Garlic: It gives a kick to your heart health. This kitchen staple may help a variety of conditions, ranging from the common cold to infections, high blood pressure, bad cholesterol and swelling, which could reduce the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke.
• Cayenne: It helps keep the blood flowing. Capsaicin, a compound in cayenne that may help lower blood pressure, increases blood flow.
• Turmeric: Curcumin, what gives this spice its yellow color, may help lower bad cholesterol, reduce inflammation and help prevent blood clots.
• Ginger: This cooking staple can lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, keep blood vessels open, and stop the hardening of arteries.
• Coriander: (cilantro in the U.S.) acts as a diuretic (a substance that flushes extra fluids and sodium from your body) and can help keep your blood pressure down.

These herbs along with a healthy diet can help reduce risk factors for heart attack.

Dallas ISD’s Counseling Department is offering a series of virtual informational sessions on Feb. 17 so seniors and their parents can have an opportunity to learn more about the Free Application for Federal Student Aid and the Texas Application for State Financial Aid, FAFSA/TASFA. All sessions are offered with Spanish interpretation.

The virtual sessions will take place:

• Register here to participate in the 10-11 a.m. session.
• Register here to participate in the 2-3 p.m. session
• Register here for the 6-7 p.m. session

Seniors who participate will be able to connect with an advisor and get help filling out the application. They will also have an opportunity to win a $1,000 scholarship sponsored by DSAA. For more information about the sessions, download the flyer.

If you want to access the forms, visit https://www.dallasisd.org/counselingservices.

David Bates was promoted to assistant superintendent of Maintenance and Facility Services/Construction Services Support. A 22-year veteran of Dallas ISD, Bates most recently served as interim executive director of Construction Services as well as the executive director of Maintenance and Facilities managing the almost 300 district facilities.

Prior to his work in maintenance and construction, Bates was director of Special Projects in School Leadership, where he held several other positions. His career in Dallas ISD began in 1999 as a Leadership Cadet Corps Instructor, athletic coach and campus leader. He is a veteran of the U.S. Army and holds a bachelor’s degree in Applied Arts and Sciences and a Master of Educational Leadership from the University of North Texas at Dallas.

Dallas ISD is offering help to register the community to receive the COVID-19 Vaccine from Dallas County during several registration events.  

At these events, volunteers will assist parents and community members without Internet access to register to receive the COVID vaccine. Individuals who can complete the form will be asked to complete the form and return it to the campus to be entered electronically the following workday. Individuals who cannot complete the paper form will be offered assistance with entering the information directly into Dallas County COVID Registration Site via iPad.

COVID Vaccine Registration Link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=rc-tUfFynEeyj1JBLgQBS27MxRuhoUxLlfv_l-XuFzdUNVNQQklRVlQzVjA0RTBXVkdSMUhQUllZNC4u

The DCHHS Vaccine Registration Hotline number is 469-749-9900. Hotline hours are Monday-Friday, 8 am to 5 pm. Registration assistance is available in English and Spanish.

Dallas ISD Vaccine Registration Dates and Sites

During February, Dallas ISD is highlighting ways to keep your heart healthy as part of National Heart Health Month. Several studies have shown that pets can have an effect on heart health, and not just because they warm your heart. According to the American Heart Association, pet ownership may help increase fitness levels, relieve stress, lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and boost overall happiness and well-being. Walk your dog, play with your cat, and make a habit of keeping your heart healthy.

As the upcoming election nears, district employees must be aware of election laws related to political electioneering and political advertisement. Please make sure you notify your entire staff of the following guidelines to ensure compliance during this election time.

Although district employees do not shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate, neither an employee nor anyone else has an absolute constitutional right to use all or parts of a school building or its immediate surrounding areas for unlimited expressive purposes. Therefore, the time, place and manner restrictions outlined below are imposed regarding electioneering on District property.

Definitions:

1. Electioneering is defined as advocating for or against a candidate, measure or political party and includes the posting, use, or distribution of political signs or literature.
2. Voting period means the period beginning when the polls open for voting and ending when the polls close or the last voter has voted, whichever is later. “Early voting period” is described at Election Code section 85.001.
3. Political advertising is a communication that advocates a particular outcome in an election. It can be a communication in almost any written or broadcast form, such as a billboard, flier, newsletter, poster, television or radio ad, or an Internet site.

Use of District Funds and/or Resources:

An officer or employee of the district shall not knowingly spend or authorize the spending of district funds or other resources of the district to electioneer for or against any candidate, measure, or political party. Tex. Edu. Code § 11.169 [See BBBD (Legal)].

An officer or employee of the District shall not knowingly use or authorize the use of an internal mail system for the distribution of political advertising unless the political advertising is delivered by the United States Postal Service. Tex. Election Code § 255.0031 [See CPAB (Legal) and BBBD (Legal)]

Individuals who violate election laws may be criminally prosecuted. Also, the Texas Ethics Commission has authority to impose fines for violations of election rules.

Prohibited use of District facilities/resources:

An officer or employee of the District shall not:

• Use district-owned copy machines, fax machines, and phones to send out political information advocating for or against any candidate;
• Post political advertisements in any classroom, workroom, lounge, newsletter, or school/facility bulletin board;
• Use a sound amplification device or a vehicle with a loudspeaker within 1,000 feet of a building in which a polling place is located;
• Use District e-mail to advocate for or against any candidate whether a candidate e-mails the employee from a non-governmental e-mail account;
• Use District and internal staff mailboxes to distribute any political advertisement;
• Display election bumper stickers or signs on any school district owned vehicle including cars, trucks, buses, tractors, etc.;
• Link to another website that does advocate for or against a measure or candidate;
• Tweet, retweet, and/or email from District email accounts and District social media accounts any website that advocates for or against a measure, candidate, or political party;
• Use employee time for political advocacy such as wearing any clothing, badges, buttons, or symbols that advocate for or against a measure, candidate or political party;
• Use the classroom or other District facility to advocate support for or against a measure, candidate or political party;
• Use positions or titles in connection with political activities except to denote or clarify work history.
• Create or distribute a political advertisement using district resources and/or during work time;
• Have students work on political advertising during school time;
• Use district property, funds, and other resources for political purposes such as enhancing candidacy;
• While running for office, hold meetings on District property during the period between candidates’ filing deadline and the election.

Restrictions on Electioneering near Polling Places:

• Electioneering during the voting period and within 100 feet of any outside door through which a voter enters the polling place is prohibited. Texas Election Code § 61.003(a)
  • Ban on Political Attire: a person cannot wear a badge, insignia, emblem, or other similar communicative device related to a candidate, measure, or political party appearing on a ballot, or to the conduct of the election, in the polling place or within 100 feet of any outside door through which a voter enters the polling place. Election Code § 61.010
• An offense under section 61.003 is a Class C misdemeanor.

All erected signs shall be erected and maintained in compliance with all applicable state laws and with the building code, election code, and other applicable ordinances of the City of Dallas.  In the event of any conflict between this regulation and other laws, the most restrictive standards apply.

Permissible Actions:

The following are allowable:

• Get out the vote campaigns so long as no public funds are used to electioneer or for political advertising;
• Announcements, including newsletters and social media, to share factual information about voter registration, polling sites, and dates and hours of voting;
• Engagement in political activities on employee’s off time and without use of district funds, equipment, or other resources;
• Attendance at a non-campaign school event as a parent, volunteer or invited guest for non-political purposes; candidates may not use the event as a campaign opportunity. As a practical matter, speech cannot be easily controlled, extreme caution should be exercised for such events as the candidates may innocently be asked about the office that they are actively running for by attendees. Any discussions concerning the candidates’ office would appear to support their candidacy in violation of Texas Election Code, Section 255.003 and Texas Education Code, Section 11.169, which prohibits the District from using work time and other district resources for political advertising.
• Use of District facilities for political forums attended by multiple candidates. Sponsorship of the forum will need to be by an external organization as District resources may not be used;
• Oral conversations regarding the election during employee break times, if it does not disrupt the school day;
• Classroom discussions or post political advertisements in class when it is directly tied to a lesson taught in the class, such as a lesson on the presidential election in government class.

Questions should be directed to the Board Services Office at 972.925.3720.

Because heart disease is one of the most common chronic conditions among people living in the United States—as of 2018, 30.3 million adults have been diagnosed with heart disease—Dallas ISD is promoting heart health with information and a series of activities. Love your heart and join in! 

Go Red for Women

Friday, Feb. 5, is national Go Red for Women Day to raise awareness about cardiovascular disease that affects women and save lives. According to the American Heart Association, cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer of women – and too many women, particularly our youngest most diverse women, remain unaware. The price of cardiovascular disease is high, and 1 in 3 women will pay that price with their life. Losing even one woman is simply not an option.

Wear read on Friday and learn more about how cardiovascular disease affects women by watching “Heart to Heart: Why losing one woman is too many,” a panel conducted by the American Heart Association.

Heart healthy activities

Keeping heart health in mind is not just a one-day affair. Dallas ISD is planning a series of activities and ways to help staff can be heart healthy:

• Keep an eye out for a heart-healthy recipe and the opportunity to share your own heart-friendly culinary creation or adaptations.
• Keep a healthy heart in mind the week of Feb. 15-19 by wearing red. Employees may choose one day that week to wear jeans if they wear a red top.
• Keep track of your steps for the month with health apps on your phone or fitness tracker. At the end of the month, send a screen capture of your monthly step average to benefits@dallasisd.org. The top five with the greatest monthly step averages among campus staff and top five among central staff will be recognized in The Beat and get a surprise.
• Keep reading informative articles to improve your heart health.

Catch some Zs for your heart

Early to bed early to rise doesn’t just bring you wealth and wisdom, it can also lead to good heart health. According to medical experts, getting enough sleep is critical for healthy heart function.

How much sleep do you need?

There is no right answer but, generally, experts recommend adults get a solid seven hours of sleep a night for peak performance during the day and to maintain healthy mental and physical functions. Unfortunately, not everyone gets enough sleep. According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in three American adults say they don’t get enough sleep daily, which can lead to conditions that affect the heart and cardiovascular health.

High blood pressure: Normally when we sleep our blood pressure lowers, giving your cardiovascular system time to rest, but among people who don’t get enough sleep or have difficulty sleeping, blood stays consistently high putting stress on the heart and leading to hypertension—75 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure.

Type 2 diabetes: Diabetes is a disease that causes sugar to build up in our blood, a condition that has the potential to damage blood vessels. Studies show that getting enough sleep may help people improve blood sugar control.

What to do for better sleep:

1. Stick to a consistent sleeping and waking up pattern, even on the weekends.
2. Get some sun.
3. Get enough daily physical activity and try not to exercise in the hours before bedtime.
4. Avoid artificial light; use a blue light filter on your electronics, especially close to bedtime.
5. Don’t eat or drink a couple of hours before bedtime and avoid alcohol and high fat/sugar foods.
6. Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet.

Dallas ISD has adjusted quarantine guidelines in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updates to its COVID-19 quarantine protocols. Given that free diagnostic tests—BinaxNOW Rapid Tests—are readily available to staff, the district has adopted new quarantine guidelines to help get staff and students back to business.

As of Jan. 18, the district updated its quarantine period to the 10 days CDC acceptable alternative. Individuals deemed close contacts of a positive COVID-19 case will be required to remain at home for 10 days in quarantine. These individuals should make arrangements through the school nurse (campus staff) or Health Services (central staff) to take a district-provided rapid antigen test on day 5, 6, or 7 of their quarantine to determine if they need to move to isolation status if the test is positive. Individuals testing negative and showing symptoms should seek medical guidance and a PCR test prior to the 10th day.

Individuals with a negative test will return to work on day 11 following the start date of the quarantine. Individuals who do not report back to work on day 11 will use paid time off (PTO) beginning with day 11 to cover additional time they are not at work. Individuals who choose not to test will also be expected to return to work on day 11 or begin using PTO on day 11.

Dallas ISD ha realizado ajustes a sus reglas para la cuarentena según las actualizaciones realizadas por los Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) a sus protocolos de cuarentena para el COVID-19. Debido a que el distrito cuenta con pruebas para diagnosticar la enfermedad—BinaxNOW Rapid Tests—disponibles para el personal, el distrito ha determinado adoptar las nuevas reglas de cuarentena para ayudar a los empleados a regresar a sus funciones.

A partir del 18 de enero, el distrito actualizó su período de cuarentena a los días que son la alternativa aceptable para el CDC. Se requerirá que los individuos que hayan tenido contacto cercano con alguien que haya resultado positivo con COVID-19 permanezcan en casa en cuarentena durante 10 días. Estas personas deberán hacer planes a través de la enfermera (personal escolar) o Health Services (personal central) para hacerse una prueba rápida de antígeno el día, 5, 6, o 7 de su cuarentena para determinar si necesitan aislarse si la prueba resulta positiva. Los individuos cuya prueba sea negativa y muestren síntomas deberán buscar cuidados médicos y hacerse una prueba PCR antes del 10mo día.

Los individuos cuyos resultados en la prueba sean negativos deberán regresar al trabajo en el 11mo día basándose en la fecha en que comenzó la cuarentena. Los que no se reporten en el 11mo día tendrán que usar día de asueto pagados (PTO) a partir del 11mo día para cubrir los días adicionales que no estén en el trabajo. Los que opten por no hacerse la prueba también deberán reportarse al trabajo en el 11mo día de haber comenzado la cuarentena o utilizar su PTO para cubrir los días que estén ausentes a partir del día 11.

Whether on the pasture looking for sweet treats or greeting their human parents when they come home at the end of the day, pets continue to be essential members of the family for many Dallas ISD employees.