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As the nation's eleventh largest school district, Dallas Independent School District serves more than 160,000 students who come from homes where 58 different languages are spoken.  Operating with a $1 billion dollar budget, DISD employs 18,613 employees including 10,000 teachers in 220 schools.

A Guide to What's New For the DISD 2001-02

9 Aug 2001

2001-02 School Year

Like the dawn of a season, a new school year is greeted with excitement and anticipation. On August 15, some students will be starting school in the Dallas Independent School District for the first time. Yet, others will be embarking on their senior year. As with a new season, a school year always arrives with policy changes and improvements in curriculum.

Under the leadership of General Superintendent Mike Moses, the changes are designed to improve student performance. "When students return to our schools, they can expect enhanced academic programs and refined policies that have been implemented to create an education experience for them that is both rewarding and effective," said Dr. Moses, who will begin his first full year as the top administrator of DISD. "Students and parents should know that every decision made in this district is rooted in creating a better learning environment for our students."

For the expected 163,612 students who will be enrolled in the district's 218 schools, listed are the changes and new developments for the upcoming school year:

* Official name of district

The DISD has discontinued using the name Dallas Public Schools, and as provided by law, has returned to its official name: Dallas Independent School District.

* School Calendars

All of DISD schools operate under one student calendar with the exception of Gabe P. Allen Elementary and Edison Schools. Under the student calendar, the fall semester will begin Wednesday, Aug. 15, with the last day of class on Friday, May 24. Students in kindergarten will attend school for a half day on Aug. 15, 16 and 17.

• For prekindergarten students, classes begin a week later on Aug. 20. To meet the needs of a student population that is eligible to enroll in prekindergarten, the DISD has scheduled 132 full-day classes and 98 half-day classes at 131 elementary campuses. The half-day morning classes begin at 8 a.m. and end at 11:30 a.m. The afternoon classes are from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. The full-day prekindergarten classes are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• School hours have not changed for the upcoming school year. The district will operate on the following schedule, but will remain open longer for afternoon programs as needed. Elementary School—8 a.m. to 3 p.m.; Middle Schools—8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and High School—8:45 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Skyline Center and Yvonne Ewell Townview Center hours are 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Parent/teacher conferences in Dallas schools will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., on three different days, two times a year. Conferences have been scheduled Oct. 1 for high schools; Oct. 2 for elementary schools, and Oct. 4 for middle schools. Spring semester conferences are Feb. 25 for high schools; Feb. 26 for elementary schools and Feb. 28 for middle schools.

• Student report cards will be issued Oct. 1, Nov. 12, Jan. 11, Feb. 25 and April 15. The year-end report card for elementary schools will be issued May 24; the secondary schools report cards will be mailed June 3. The last day of instruction is May 24.

Gabe Allen Elementary and Edison Schools

• For the year-round calendar at Gabe Allen Elementary, students will attend school from Aug. 6 to June 7. Report cards will be issued Oct. 18, Jan. 24, April 12 and June 7. Parent conferences will be held Oct. 18 and Jan. 24 from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. In addition, several breaks have been incorporated in the calendar including fall intersession Nov. 12-20 and spring intersession March 5-23.

• For students at the seven Edison Schools—Blair, Henderson, Hernandez, Maple Lawn, Medrano, Runyon and Titche— classes begin July 30 and conclude May 31. Hours of operation at these schools are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. for grades K-2; and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. for grades 3-6. Under the Edison plan, instructional grading periods are divided in quarters. First quarter is July 30-Oct. 4; Second quarter is Oct. 8-Dec. 19; Third quarter is Jan. 7-March 22; and Fourth quarter is March 25-May 31. Parent conferences will be held Oct. 25-26; Jan. 17-18; April 11-12; and May 30-31. These are early dismissal days with classes ending at 1:30 p.m. Conferences begin at 2 p.m. Students' quarterly learning contracts will be discussed during the conferences.

* New Student Initiatives

Dr. Moses has launched several student initiatives that focus on academic programs to help ensure that all students have access to quality education. Three of the student initiatives are designed to improve learning for students whose native language is not English. The Restructured Bilingual/ESL Initiative will move students, over time, from having predominately Spanish-based instruction to completely English-based instruction. For students in grades 7-12, an English Language Institute has been created. Middle and high school campuses will have the option of placing recent immigrant students in the English Language Institute. The institute will provide intensive English instruction, beginning English reading skills, math content and English terminology.

Two other student initiatives create a new Dyslexia Program and an update of the Special Education Department so it is in compliance with state and federal laws.

The remaining four student initiatives are designed to help students stay in school. These initiatives are the Expansion of Campuses and Central Learning Communities, Campus Learning Communities in Middle Schools, a Valued Youth Program and Mentor Program. The targeted population for these campus learning communities are students who are over-age or in need of a nontraditional learning environment. These students have access to computer-assisted instruction, accelerated credit recovery, a nontraditional classroom environment, career training and counseling.

The new Campus Learning Community at Sunset High School will bring the family of Campus Learning Communities to 20. Located on high school campuses throughout the district, most communities operate daily from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., making it more convenient for working students to earn a high school diploma.

* Student Code of Conduct

All students receive a copy of the Student Code of Conduct at the start of the school year. Several changes have been adopted by the DISD school board to give principals maximum flexibility to determine the consequences for student offenses to the code of conduct.

Principals have a greater discretion to place a student in a disciplinary off-campus alternative education program. Also, the length of stay for mandatory removals from the student's home school to an alternative program has been increased to 90 days.

* Updated Student Dress Code Policy

Under the DISD's simple guidelines for the 2001-02 school year, it's easy for students to be cool for school if they stay within the dress code rules. The dress code is fashioned to teach grooming and hygiene, instill discipline and minimize distractions. Some of the changes to the policy include:

• Shirts must be worn inside slacks with belts at all times by all students unless the shirts are designed to be worn outside of the slacks or the pants are designed to be worn without a belt.

• Sweat bands and skulls caps and other similar grooming items shall not be worn at school.

• Visible body piercing is not allowed, including piercing of the tongue, while on school campus or at school-sponsored activities.

• Footwear that constitutes a safety hazard, including steel-toed boots or shoes cannot be worn.

• Leggings, biker pants, or pants allowed to sag below the waistline are not acceptable.

In addition, each district school with the support of the Site Based Decision Making (SBDM) committee may establish its own dress code, which must incorporate and not be in conflict with the district's dress and grooming standards. As a part of these codes, individual schools may designate a uniform for students to wear on a voluntary basis.

When a student violates the dress code, he/she will be assigned to in-school suspension for the remainder of the day or until a parent brings an acceptable change of clothing. Repeated offenses may result in more serious disciplinary actions. Appropriate discipline procedures will be followed in all cases in accordance with the student handbook and Student Code of Conduct.

* Smoke Free Environment

Beginning Nov. 15, 2001, the use of tobacco products will be prohibited at all building, facilities and sites and in all vehicles that are district-owned or leased.

* Meal Prices

Students attending DISD schools may apply for free and reduced-price meal benefits. Meal application forms will be distributed to all children on the opening day of school, along with a letter of explanation to households.

In years past, a separate application form was needed for each child in the household. This school year, a household may submit one application for students attending each school. This marks a significant change. Meal application forms will be distributed to all students on the opening day of school. Household size or income criteria will be issued to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price benefits.

The cost of "Type A" lunches, which consists of meat, fruit and/or vegetables, bread and a half-pint of milk, is $1. For students who wish to prepay their meals, the cost of lunches will be 90 cents for elementary students and 95 cents for secondary school students. Breakfast choices, at 50 cents, consists of meat/meat alternate, bread/cereal, fruit/juice/vegetable and milk.

* Parent Hotline

The district will operate a parent hotline for school-related concerns which may arise during the first week of classes. The operators will deal with issues such as transportation; identifying a child's school; applications for free/reduced lunch; information regarding proper immunizations; information regarding kindergarten/prekindergarten; and enrollment information.

The hotline will operate during the week Aug. 13-14 from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Aug. 15-20 from 7 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.