Staff News

Cybercriminals want your information and can be creative in the ways they try to get you to provide it. Internet-enabled crimes are on the rise and getting harder to spot, so be vigilant and learn how to avoid them.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, the last calendar year saw both the highest number of complaints of internet-based crimes and the highest dollar losses reported since the center was established in May 2000. In a recent year, the center received 467,361 complaints and recorded more than $3.5 billion in losses to individual and business victims. Hackers use email, social media, texts, phone calls, and other forms of communication to steal valuable data.

Phishing attacks are among the most common security challenges that both individuals and organizations face when keeping personal information secure. Phishing is a crime where a cybercriminal sends out a fraudulent communication that appears to come from a legitimate source. The goal of these criminals is to steal sensitive data like log-in information, personal details used to answer security questions, or to get the recipient to click on a link that will install malware on the device.

Four most common types of phishing attacks:

• Email phishing – a broad approach where the hacker sends the same email to thousands of users requesting to fill in personal details or click on a link that will compromise the device being used.
• Spear phishing – a personalized approach in which the hacker knows which specific individual or organization they are after, a sophisticated approach that increases the likelihood of the target falling for the trap.
• Smishing (SMS) – attempts to entice a user into revealing personal information via a link that leads to a phishing website.
• Vishing (voice) – attempts to obtain personal information about credit cards, banks or even social security numbers with a phone call, usually from a fake number.

Avoid being the victim of a cybercrime by staying vigilant and keeping the following advice in mind:

• Never give out personal information over the phone. Government agencies like the IRS and banks and credit cards never call asking for personal information. If you get a call, hang up and call the legitimate number for the agency or business.
• Think before you click. Criminals have gotten more sophisticated about sending emails from addresses that are similar to the legitimate one. If the email asks for personal information or asks you to click on a link to log into your account, make sure you thoroughly check the address.

The Texas Education Agency and The Texas Department of State Health Services are launching a new COVID-19 Testing project for the remainder of the 2021-2022 school year. Dallas ISD is working to transfer all testing materials and train test administrators in the coming weeks.

All testing for students and staff will be put on pause until further notice. All campuses, service centers, administration buildings, and the test site at 3609 Botham Jean Blvd (formerly Lamar ST.) will cease administering tests.

Please email EmployeeTesting@dallasisd.org with any questions.

Dallas ISD’s United Way employee giving campaign is under way, and as an extra giving perk, staff can wear jeans one day a week with a donation.

To accommodate diverse schedules, district employees can wear jeans one day per week during the campaign in exchange for a $5 donation per jeans day during the following weeks:

• Oct. 18-22
• Oct. 25-29
• Nov. 1-5
• Nov. 8-12
• Nov. 15-19
• Nov. 29-Dec. 3
• Dec. 6-10
• Dec. 13-17

You can make individual donations every week through Giving UNITED or a one-time, minimum donation of $40 through Oracle or Giving UNITED and wear jeans one day every week through Dec. 17.

In preparation for the start of Dallas ISD’s annual employee giving campaign, in collaboration with the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and benefiting the Dallas Education Foundation, schools and departments are asked to each choose a champion to represent them.

DEF is the philanthropic arm of Dallas ISD, and in 2020 provided over $3 million in funding that supported grants for teachers, campus needs, programming, technology, and project Dream Big. This year, the district has committed to raising $150,000 between Oct. 18 and Dec. 17.

All departments and campuses must identify an individual who will serve as champion the core of the employee giving campaign. Selecting the right individual who embodies the district’s cultural tenets is key to each department/campus reaching its fundraising goal. This individual should be someone who understands the importance of collaboration, is goal-oriented, has a philanthropic spirit, and has a go-getter attitude! Champions will receive weekly calendar invitations to attend virtual check-ins with the campaign coordinator to cover questions, receive fundraising tips and best practices.

Complete the following champion identification form.

https://forms.gle/G1q6H72HNctNRe179

Campaign resources are located on the district webpage at www.dallasisd.org/unitedway.

During its regular monthly briefing, the Board of Trustees will consider several items and reports from district departments, including the superintendent’s report that will provide the following updates:

• ESSER—Group 1A Activities
• Afterschool Expansion
• Racial Equity—Programmatic Equity
• District of Innovation (DOI)
• UT Southwestern Project

The board will also consider several other items, including proposed changes to various board policies and approval of an interlocal agreement with the University of North Texas to offer a master’s degree in autism intervention and a graduate academic certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis.

Briefings are scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. and are broadcast online through a link available on www.dallasisd.org once the meeting starts. To see a copy of the agenda and presentations associated with this meeting’s reports, visit  https://go.boarddocs.com/tx/disd/Board.nsf/vpublic?open and click on the Oct. 14 briefing to access the agenda.

The Board of Trustees will also hold a called board meeting at 2 p.m. to discuss:

• Presentation of Initial Redistricting Maps and Community Feedback
• Discussion of Initial Maps and Community Feedback
• Discussion of Timeline & Next Steps, Including Community Meetings and Tele-town halls

In Dallas ISD, we embrace the positive and expect the best of each other, which can be achieved in part by seeking to understand others and making yourself understood. Summarizing—a critical listening skill—is key to achieving understanding.

It takes effort and skill to be a good listener—to seek to understand. Whether you are on the phone with a parent or with the head of a department, it’s always a good idea to avoid miscommunications by paraphrasing what the other person said to show you have understood. Then ask if you got that right. Even if you heard clearly what the other person said, that might not be what they meant.

Using these unique skills will help make memorable moments with staff, students, parents, and the community. Grounded in building respectful relationships through professional communication, the Friendly tenet of the Core 4 rubric encourages all to contribute to a welcoming, inclusive, and respectful working environment by seeking to understand the needs of others and making efforts to meet others’ needs without bias.

More than 11,600 employees received their $500 vaccine incentive in September and more than 3,500 will be getting theirs as part of their October paycheck. If you are feeling left out don’t wait to get your first shot because time is running out to participate.

Dallas ISD full- and part-time employees who have received all the required doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are eligible to participate in the vaccination incentive.  They must provide proof of vaccination by Nov. 15 to be eligible to receive the incentive. Employees who have not yet gotten their first shot of a two-shot vaccine should plan to get it soon so they can receive their second shot and submit proof by the deadline.

With the safety and well-being of staff and students in mind, Dallas ISD is offering a one-time incentive of $500 to district employees who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. To get the incentive, employees should fill out the vaccination incentive form and submit proof of vaccination (COVID vaccination card, IMMTrac2 print out or written confirmation from the employee’s medical provider).

For more information and to access the form to submit proof of vaccination, visit www.dallasisd.org/vaccineincentive.

Rosa Guerrero, a nursing supervisor in Health Services, one of the district’s leaders in the fight against the spread of COVID-19. A Dallas native, Guerrero is also a Skyline High School graduate and the daughter of district retirees. Early in life, her parents were migrant workers from South Texas who worked the fields picking different crops based on the season. Her mother became an assistant principal at Skyline High School and her father was a principal at Ignacio Zaragoza Elementary School.

What is something you everyone to know about you:

I attended Edna Rowe Elementary School and I am a proud graduate of Skyline High School where I was enrolled in the Cosmetology Cluster. I worked as a hair stylist after I graduated from high school.

My mother was a Ballet Folklorico instructor at North Dallas High School in the mid to late ’90s. I would also perform with her students during some events. My father was a Vietnam veteran and is buried at the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery.

What is something you want everyone to know about your heritage: 

I would like everyone to know that my heritage is rich in cultural rituals. For example, my heritage honors our loved ones that have passed away by creating altars that honor them. We honor them during El Día de los Muertos on Nov. 1.

My heritage is also celebrated by cultural dance such as Ballet Folklorico and cultural music such as mariachi. Lastly, cultural foods feed the soul and make me feel connected to my heritage.

What parts of your heritage are most important to you?

The parts of my heritage that are most important to me are family connections and cultural rituals. Family is what makes me who I am today.

How does your heritage inform how you approach health concerns with students and parents who have your same background?

Understanding my heritage helps me connect with students and their parents significantly. I am able to understand what health conditions plague our community such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and heart conditions. Our diet is high in cholesterol, sodium and sugars, which predisposes us to those conditions. Being able to educate parents on how they may continue to cook cultural foods but may considers cutting down on serving sizes.

My heritage also places a focus on homeopathic remedies such as hot teas and essential oils. We believe in a hot-cold balance and an imbalance of either results in illness. Being able to understand and relate to parents and students assists me to better educate and provide resources that can help combine both modern and cultural remedies. 

And how do you personally contribute to the success of students and the district, keeping in mind the skills and knowledge your background gives you?

I personally contribute to the success of the students and the district by ensuring students are healthy to attend school. I also ensure all health barriers are removed so families feel confident that their scholar is receiving medical services at school when needed.

How does your background and heritage help make Dallas ISD a more inclusive district for staff, students and the community?

I am able to better communicate with families and ensure they feel welcomed when arriving to Dallas ISD events, campuses or buildings. When families see individuals who are similar to them, it helps them feel welcomed and at home.

If you are bilingual, how do you relate to people in either language, and is language one of the things that helps you connect to your heritage?

I am bilingual although Spanish is my second language. I grew up speaking English and learned Spanish along the way. Being able to communicate in both languages is essential to ensure families remain informed. I have been selected to participate in media interviews with multiple Spanish news outlets in Dallas. Most media requests are related to back-to-school vaccinations, flu education and most recently COVID updates.

Language is one thing that helps me connect to my heritage. I feel like part of a bigger family when I am able to communicate with others in Spanish.

As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, what is the most important thing people should know about our culture?
Our culture is resilient and hopeful, and we are stronger together. When we realize that we are part of a bigger picture, we will then realize that we can face adversity and be successful. We must be knowledgeable of our culture and our history so that we won’t forget the fight and sacrifice others may have had to make in order for us to be here right now.  It’s important for our children and scholars to see us as role models and to remember that if they can see us, they can be us! Si se puede!

The Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Community Outreach Center—a shared space with Dallas ISD—is offering free training sessions in October for families and residents in South Dallas.

Financial literacy classes 

Learn to create balance sheets, savings plans, monthly budgets and more on the way to learning how to accumulate wealth in two financial literacy classes being offered by the Zan Wesley Holmes Jr. Community Center.  Orientation is scheduled for Oct. 20 for either the Hispanic Women’s Financial Wellness Group or the Millennial Women’s Financial Wellness Group.

Participants can expect to set financial goals and then create a realistic plan of action to help them meet those goals and objectives.

These classes are made possible through a grant from the Texas Women’s Foundation.

Learn a new skill in an emerging field 

Registration is open now through Oct. 12 for a free job skills training program to teach individuals to install fiber optic cables. Fiber optics is commonly used in telecommunication services such as internet, television and telephones.

Go to www.zwhjcoc.org and click on the Skills Training tab. Applicants will be assigned an interview time by Oct. 13, which will be conducted  with Oct. 14-15. Classes and interviews will be held in-person at Frazier House, 4600 Spring Ave., Dallas.

For more information and to register for any of the free courses, visit www.zwhjcoc.org or send an email to info@zwhjcoc.org.