News

Even though it may still be warm and sunny outside, Dallas ISD has returned to its business dress code to promote a professional atmosphere and maintain the positive image that employees present as representatives of the district.

The district’s dress code policy is designed to help employees provide a consistent professional appearance to colleagues, students, parents, and the community. Employees should exemplify the highest standards of professional appearance.

To help guide employees in determining appropriate attire for the workplace, below are the business dress code guidelines outlined in DH(LOCAL) and DH(REGULATION).

Overview

• The dress code standards are meant to maintain an orderly educational environment and shall not infringe on an individual’s culture, religious beliefs, protected free speech, or an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodation.
• The dress and grooming of district employees shall be clean, neat, in a manner appropriate for their assignments, and in accordance with any additional standards established by their supervisors and approved by the superintendent.
• All employees are expected to exemplify proper grooming standards and personal hygiene in a manner that projects a professional image for the employees and the district.
• Employees shall keep their hair and facial hair groomed neatly.
• Employees should not display body jewelry, tattoos, brands, or similar artifacts that are offensive, obscene, or may cause disruptions to the educational environment.

Acceptable Attire

• Clothing should be clean, pressed, and wrinkle-free
• Attire should fit appropriately
• Dress shirts, dress pants, dresses, skirts are required
• Professional footwear is always required
• Employees required to wear district-issued uniforms are expected to wear the assigned uniform

 Unacceptable Attire

Unacceptable attire includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Form-fitting, snug, sagging, or transparent clothing
• Excessively worn, faded, or tight clothing
• Clothing with holes or frayed areas
• Revealing or provocative attire
• Necklines that expose cleavage
• Dresses and skirts shorter than three inches above the knee bend
• Jeans, sweatpants, shorts, bib overalls, leggings, spandex, and lycra
• Tank tops, t-shirts, and shirts with inappropriate messages/graphics
• Athletic wear and beach wear
• Slippers, flip-flops, house shoes, sneakers, and athletic shoes
• Hats are not worn inside unless used as protective wear appropriate for one’s job function

 Exceptions

• Supervisors shall have the discretion to make exceptions to the appropriateness of attire as it relates to safety standards, maintenance, physical education, vocational courses, culture, religious beliefs, field trips, spirit days, medical necessities, or reasonable accommodations based on a disability.
• The superintendent or designee may waive the dress code standards for district employees when school is not in session or based on seasonal weather conditions, special events, and extenuating circumstances.

Policy References: DH(LOCAL) and DH(REGULATION)

For questions or comments, please contact Policy and Compliance at hcmcompliance@dallasisd.org.

Dallas ISD’s team members must be cautious and take steps to protect themselves from the serious risks of phishing.

• Think before you click—Be cautious of any urgent requests, actions or threats from individuals
• Authenticate—Verify requests for sensitive information by contacting the person or organization directly through established channels
• Don’t respond—Let unsolicited emails that ask for personal information go unanswered
• Don’t trust—Avoid sending sensitive/personal information to untrusted or unauthenticated third parties
• Keep them to yourself—Never share your credentials (user ID and password). Dallas ISD IT will never ask for your current password.

For all phishing and SPAM concerns, contact Help Desk at (972)-925-5630, create a ticket in ServiceNow or report it by forwarding it to ITSecurity@dallasisd.org

Are you new to the district, haven’t had your headshot taken before, or simply in need of an updated headshot? Now is your opportunity. Signups for the quarterly headshot session are now open. 

In an effort to meet the growing photography needs of the district, our district photographer will offer a professional headshot week with two dates available per calendar quarter. The quarterly sessions will be the only times available for headshots, so don’t miss your chance.

Dallas ISD team members are invited to sign up for the next professional headshot session on Tuesday, September 10, or Wednesday, September 11. Hurry, as spots are limited and are filling fast. 

The photo sessions will take place at the Linus D. Wright Central Administration Building, 9400 N. Central Expressway, on the 12th floor, suite 1200. Each photo will only take a few minutes.

Who can sign up:

• Central team members
• Campus principals 
• Executive directors
• Associate superintendents
• Chiefs and deputy chiefs
• Board of Trustees

The district photographer is unable to photograph team members in group photos or any on-location requests of headshots outside of the scheduled times.

Having a photo taken can be stressful for some. The district photographer will take great care to help you look your best by helping you pose, selecting your best headshot, and providing basic retouching on the finished image. 

Reserve your spot for the quarter three session by 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 6. Additional instructions will be emailed to those who sign up a few days ahead of their session. 

Amanda Ashmead has been honored as the Region 10 Secondary Teacher of the Year. With 22 years of service in Dallas ISD, Ashmead currently teaches Advanced Placement English language and composition, AP macroeconomics, and AP U.S. government at the School of Science and Engineering at Yvonne A. Ewell Townview Center, where she has also served as the department chair for humanities for the last 10 years. 

“As a child, I loved knowing things and explaining things, and teaching seemed the natural fit.” said Ashmead, who was chosen as the district’s Secondary Teacher of the Year this spring. “Once I became a teacher, I learned there was a lot more to it—creativity, problem-solving, and logistics are also huge components. Luckily, those are also things I enjoy.”

One of Ashmead’s most notable accomplishments is her involvement with the College Board’s Advanced Placement program. Since 2016, she has participated in the AP reading process, initially as a reader and later advancing to the role of question leader in 2020. Her leadership skills were further recognized when she was appointed as an operational question leader from 2021 to 2023 when she supervised over 1,000 teachers and college instructors in scoring more than half a million essays for the AP English language exam.

In addition to her work as a question leader, Ashmead is also an AP consultant, certified by the College Board to conduct workshops for AP teachers. Her presentations at AP national conferences and College Board forums have covered a wide range of topics, from passage-based reading strategies to using Instructional Planning Reports data to improve instruction.

Ashmead’s commitment to professional development extends beyond her AP-related work. She has presented at various national and regional conferences. Her presentations often focus on strategies for improving student retention, analyzing instructional practices, and embedding college access within the curriculum.

Ashmead published two articles in “Social Education“, focusing on preparing students for the AP Economics exams and building AP Social Studies programs for non-traditional students.

Ashmead holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Alabama in Huntsville and recently completed her Master of Education in Educational Technology Leadership from Lamar University.

She has earned multiple recognitions, including being named Teacher of the Year at the School of Science and Engineering at Townview in 2016 and 2024.

Ashmead attributes her success to her love for words and writing, despite knowing that there are many other equally deserving teachers. Her advice to aspiring teachers includes valuing the lessons learned from veteran educators but also listening critically and being willing to challenge outdated or situationally inappropriate advice.

“If you want to be teacher of the year, in addition to all the things an exemplary teacher does, spend an hour or two a day on average writing,” Ashmead said. “The award requires not just accomplishing things but being able to write about them in an engaging and insightful way.”

As she moves forward in the Texas State Teacher of the Year competition, her work will be recognized for having an impact on students, colleagues, and the educational community.

Grief can come in many forms—from losing a loved one or losing a job to life changes like, divorce. National Grief Awareness Day on Aug. 29 highlights these situations and resources that offer support for those who are processing grief. 

According to the Center for Disease Control, people who are grieving may experience emotions such as helplessness, hopelessness, anger. sadness, numbness, or confusion. Things such as changes in appetite, mood, energy level, or sleep patterns can be part of the grieving process. 

Please know that you are not alone and Dallas ISD has resources to help team members who are struggling with grief.

Dallas ISD’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) offers various resources to Dallas ISD team members. You can find various articles related to grief such as  coping with grief and loss, grieving after miscarriage, when a coworker loses a loved one, building resilience, coping with death and loss and much more. To access more articles, click here. 

Through EAP, you can also schedule one to two sessions with a counselor by signing up for  an appointment to fit your schedule.  To access the main EAP page for various topics visit https://dallasisd.lifeworks.com/life/employee-assistance. 

To enhance safety at athletic events, Dallas ISD now requires all students attending district-hosted games without a parent, guardian, or other adult responsible for the student to present a current student badge for entry. The badge must be for the Dallas ISD school that is competing in the athletic event. This requirement also applies to visiting non-Dallas ISD schools.

Students without a school-issued ID, and Dallas ISD students from other high schools, will not be permitted to enter the event unless accompanied by an adult. Middle and elementary school students must be accompanied by an adult to enter any athletic event.

Stadium safety and security personnel will be on-site to assist students who need to contact a parent or guardian for a ride home.

The new protocol does not apply to students participating in the athletic event as competitors or a related student activity group as long as they are accompanied by their coach or sponsor.

This requirement applies to all district athletic facilities, including pools, gymnasiums, and stadiums. The updated safety measures align with those of neighboring districts and other University Interscholastic League schools.

In compliance with state and federal laws, Dallas ISD requires that all employees complete the annual compliance training at the beginning of every school year by Sept. 30.

The policy acknowledgment will now be included as part of the compliance training in Cornerstone for support employees.

To complete the training

Employees (except for substitutes) will log into Cornerstone at https://dallasisd.csod.com. The compliance training will be in the “My Assigned Training” section located on the “Welcome” page or on the “Learning” tab under “View Your Transcript.”

For help with technical issues with the courses in Cornerstone, employees may go to the Live User Support tab to access the live support team. 

Substitute employees will log into the Compliance Learning Portal using their employee ID, last name (as it appears in Oracle/Bio-Clock), and date of birth.

For additional information or assistance, please contact the Human Capital Management Policy and Compliance team at HCMcompliance@dallasisd.org.