Staff News

Stress is part of everyday life, but the circumstances we are living through have caused unprecedented stress, and this can impact every part of people’s lives—including the ability to accomplish basic tasks, maintain relationships, and even perform physical tasks. The level of stress affecting people across the country is evident in some simple facts:*

• 61% of adults report experiencing undesired weight changes since the start of the pandemic, with more than two in five saying they gained more weight than they intended.
• Two in three people say they are sleeping more or less than they wanted to since the pandemic started.
• Nearly half of people surveyed say they delayed or canceled health care services since the pandemic started.

The American Psychological Association has developed five quick, action-oriented things to help people begin to manage the excessive stress many are currently living with. The tips also provide a brief explanation of the science behind them.

If you need professional help managing your stress, Dallas ISD provides all employees access to the Employee Assistance Program.

Calm yourself

Slowly breathe in and count to four, hold it while counting to four, and then breathe out for a count of six. Repeat 10 times.

Why it works: Slowing our breathing allows our bodies to recalibrate and lowers levels of physiological arousal.

Focus yourself

Slow your racing thoughts by counting backwards by three in your mind from 100 (100, 97, 94, etc.).

Why it works: Focusing on with structure and engaging your brain in a distracting task can disrupt unhelpful patterns.

Relax yourself

One by one, tense each muscle group in your body for 10 seconds and then release. Notice how it feels to let your muscles relax and have the tension leave your body.

Why it works: Actively relaxing our muscles can increase energy and flexibility, helping us feel calmer.

Ground yourself

Do a quick scan of your body and notice the air around you and any surfaces you are touching. If possible, close your eyes and focus on the sensations, textures, and temperatures.

Why it works: Focusing on our physical surroundings helps us become more attuned to details and make more balanced assessments of our environments.

Celebrate yourself

You are dealing with huge challenges. Think about three things that went well today. If they involved another person, recognize and thank them whenever possible.

Why it works: Slowing down to recognize even small successes can increase our sense of control over our environment and help us help others more effectively.

Download and print a card to remind you of these activities to destress.

The Employee Assistance Program

Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) by LifeWorks is a confidential and secure service that offers help with personal and work-related issues. The EAP encourages employees and those close to them to seek help early before a minor problem becomes more serious. The EAP is designed to address short-term issues, identify resources and referrals for emergency and long-term issues. The EAP can provide support, referrals and, resources related to many issues like depression, conflict at work, anxiety, drug and alcohol abuse, adoption issue, grief and loss and many other issues.

With EAP, there is no contribution that staff need to provide. Counselors are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Reach out to LifeWorks at (972) 925-4000 or visit www.dallasisd.org/benefits and click on Benefits Resources to access online EAP information.

*Source: American Psychological Association https://www.apa.org/about

Dallas ISD will continue to follow the guidance provided by the CDC and Dallas County Health to address the COVID-19 pandemic. With the uncertainty of the Delta variant of the coronavirus and the return of students and employees to schools and other facilities, many supervisors have inquired if employees have been vaccinated and/or if they can request proof of COVID-19 vaccination. While the inquiry into whether employees have or have not been vaccinated is not a disability-related inquiry by itself, district leaders should follow the guidelines in this memo if they ask employees if they have been vaccinated.

For additional COVID-related information and protocols visit https://www.dallasisd.org/covidstaffinformation.

In compliance with state and federal laws, Dallas ISD requires that all employees complete the policy acknowledgement and compliance training at the beginning of every school year. This year, the training must be completed by Monday, Nov. 1.

Annual Policy Acknowledgement

Using their email address and password, employees will log into the policy acknowledgement website at http://PolicyAcknowledgement.dallasisd.org to acknowledge the Employee Handbook, Annual Employee Notification of District Policies, Family Relationship Disclosure, and Confidentiality Requirements.

Compliance Training (Cornerstone)

The compliance training is available in Cornerstone at https://dallasisd.csod.com and includes the following: Child Abuse, Code of Ethics, Copyright Law, Dress Code, Safety Protocols, FERPA, Sexual Harassment, and Workplace Bullying. Training for campus staff will also include Anaphylaxis, Bloodborne Pathogens, Bullying, and Section 504. All sections must be completed to receive credit for the training.

Employees will log into Cornerstone using their email address and password and look for the compliance training assignment in the “Training in Progress” or the “Your Assigned Training” box located on the “Welcome” page. If the assignment is not listed, employees can hover over the “Learning” tab and select “View Your Transcript” to access the training. For assistance with technical issues in Cornerstone, go to the Live User Support tab to access the live support team.

For additional questions or assistance, please contact Policy and Compliance at HCMcompliance@dallasisd.org.

Whether already using DonorsChoose or new to the platform, teachers are invited to participate in the free DonorsChoose inaugural Teacher Summit today. Expert teachers, equity and mental health leaders, and celebrity guests will help teachers craft their vision for an exceptional year for students. Summit participants will learn how to leverage DonorsChoose to set up exceptional learning projects for their students. Don’t miss this virtual opportunity to learn, invest, connect and start the year feeling energized and ready! Reserve your spot at www.donorschoose.org/teacher-summit.

DonorsChoose is a nonprofit that connects teachers with donors on the community. DonorsChoose makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. Public school teachers create classroom project requests on the platform and people in the community donate fund to partially or completely fund the project. Once the project is funded, DonorsChoose purchases the items on the teacher’s project and sends them to the school. Projects support learning and non-perishable materials stay at the school if the teacher changes schools or leaves the district.

A recording of the summit will be available here for teachers who were unable to participate live. For more information about DonorsChoose, visit https://www.donorschoose.org/.

A little over two weeks are left for Dallas ISD staff to make changes to their annual benefits, explore options, or check out the new Health Savings Account offered to those who have a high-deductible plan during the 2021-2022 Benefits Enrollment window.

Annual enrollment runs through Aug. 20 and becomes effective Sept. 1. If you don’t make any changes, you will keep the same medical, vision, and dental plans; however, if you want to put money into a flexible spending account or FSA, you need to enroll every year. Now is also the time to enroll in the Sick Leave Bank.

Dallas ISD offers staff medical, dental, and vision coverage and life insurance. The district also provides several  supplemental, voluntary insurance plans that can help meet your financial needs when the unexpected happens. You can choose from four different plans that provide benefits for require hospitalization, when you face various types of critical illness, when you become disabled and unable to work, or if you need long-term care at home or at an assisted living or rehabilitation facility.

You’ll find detailed information about each of the plans—including the optional, voluntary plans—and their premium costs through the Benefits Portal.

It all starts in the Benefits page at www.dallasisd.org/benefits, your one-stop-shop for all benefits information and links. From the Benefits Resources page, check out the Benefits Overview and Plan Costs, which provides many details on your benefit options.

If you have questions or need help, assistance is close by. Just call (972) 925-4000 weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Spanish- and English-speaking representatives will be available to guide you through the choices and the enrollment process.

For additional information you can also look at at the Benefits Overview Guide.

As Dallas ISD is preparing for the new school year with in-person classes, health officials are encouraging all eligible people ages 12 and older to get vaccinated. If you have been vaccinated against COVID-19, let Dallas ISD know by filling out this form https://records.dallasisd.org/Forms/COVIDVaccineInformation.

With cases of COVID-19 continuing to rise fueled by the Delta variant, health officials have said vaccinations combined with precautions like handwashing, masks and maintaining social distance can help prevent the spread. For information on the nearest vaccine location, visit https://www.vaccines.gov/.

Parents, students, staff and the community are already connecting with Dallas ISD in preparation for the start of the school year. And one of the preferred ways of connecting 24 hours a day, seven days a week is through Let’s Talk! via their computers, tablets, or smartphones.

Dallas ISD has received over 1,135 dialogues during the past week on such topics as student enrollment, technology (passwords), and transportation.

Through Let’s Talk!, Dallas ISD continues to make significant progress toward building a customer service culture that upholds the district’s vision, mission, and goals. Let’s Talk! streamlines communication between district staff and customers, who include employees. The district’s average Customer Experience Score (CX) is currently 8/10, with an average response time of five business days.

A new feature was recently added so customers submit dialogues via text to (972) 210-0660, making it easy for customers to share questions, thoughts, and concerns.

Between December 2020 and May 2021, 97% of campuses have been added to Let’s Talk! As of July, 59% of customers using the platform are parents/guardians, 27% are employees, 9% are students, and the remaining 7% are community members.

As central staff continues to return to work and prepares to welcome all students back to campus, safety protocols have been updated. Visit https://www.dallasisd.org/covidstaffinformation for the latest version of the Staff Safety Protocol Handbook in which you can find such information as:

Elevators

Elevator processes will be marked with designated standing locations on each floor. Security may assist with operation of the elevators on the first floor at high capacity work sites, as needed. Employees must follow the same procedures on other floors. The maximum capacity allowed in the elevator is four persons. The time spent in an elevator is considered a brief interaction.

Restrooms

Multi-person restrooms will no longer be restricted to a single occupant. When opening or closing the restroom door, an employee may use a paper towel, tissue, disinfectant wipe, or disposable glove. Posters on how to wash hands properly will be posted in all restrooms. Restrooms will be cleaned regularly throughout the day and at night.

Staff interested in getting a master’s degree in school counseling have an opportunity to apply through for a collaboration between Dallas ISD and Texas A&M University–Commerce.

Requirements:

• Two years of classroom teaching experience
• Minimum of 3.0 on last 60 hours of undergraduate degree
• Principal recommendation
• Application for cohort admission with Dallas ISD Counseling Services
• Application to and acceptance by TAMU-Commerce

Program participants can get up to $1,000 for each semester, free admission to professional counseling conference, the opportunity to co-present at Texas Counseling Association and other professional counseling conferences, the with faculty from department opportunity to publish articles with faculty in counseling, and mentoring of African American males with the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education (TABPH).

The deadline to apply is Aug. 4 and classes start at the end of August. For more information, download the flyer.

Dallas ISD offers core benefits to employees—medical, vision and dental insurance—as part of its benefits plan. But it also offers a series of options beyond the core benefits for which employees can sign up during the benefits open enrollment window that closes on Aug. 20. These extras include: 

Hospital Indemnity

Hospital indemnity coverage through MetLife that helps pay for hospital expenses, such as deductibles and coinsurance amounts. This plan pays benefits in addition to any other coverage you may have and will not be reduced by other benefits.

Long-term disability

The long-term disability plan through The Standard pays a monthly benefit after a waiting period, if an employee is on an approved medical leave and in case of disability and inability to work due to injury, illness, or pregnancy. Even if you were denied coverage in the past, you may apply again. A 12-month preexisting condition limitation will apply to first-time enrollees.

To elect long-term disability coverage, select the percentage of your monthly base salary that you want to replace if you become disabled, as well as the waiting period before benefits begin. Base salary does not include overtime, stipends, travel, or other supplemental pay.

Critical illness

Critical illness coverage through MetLife supplements any other coverage you may have for medications, treatments, surgeries, and hospital stays related to a covered critical illness diagnosis.

Life insurance

The district provides $10,000 of basic life insurance coverage through Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas to all full-and part-time employees at no cost to the employee. Life insurance benefits are paid to your beneficiary if you die while covered (subject to policy exclusions).

You may elect to purchase additional supplemental life and accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D) insurance coverage through BCBSTX. If you enroll in employee supplemental coverage, you can also purchase supplemental life and AD&D coverage for your spouse and/or child (up to 26 years old). You are automatically the beneficiary for any spouse or child life and AD&D insurance coverage.

Personal Legal Plan

The personal legal plan through MetLife offers full coverage for eligible legal services when you see a plan attorney. You can use the plan as often as you like, and there are no dollar limits when using an in-network attorney. The legal plan also provides unlimited advice and consultation services regarding identity theft education and prevention, issues with creditors, and more.

Home, auto and pet insurance

As a Dallas ISD employee you are eligible to participate in optional, money saving benefits for home, auto and pet insurance administered by Corestream. These benefits are designed to help protect the financial security of you and your family.