Dallas ISD Considering In-Person, Virtual, Hybrid Instruction Options

School districts across Texas are waiting on key decisions on school funding and COVID-19 guidelines from the Texas Education Agency before making final decisions on reopening schools, reports The Dallas Morning News.

Dallas ISD is waiting on direction from the state and haven’t solidified plans, yet. In the meantime, the district has created a first draft of safety and security guidelines for campus reentry, along with three different potential instructional models.

Some of the safety and security guidelines Dallas ISD will implement when in-person classes resume:

  • The district will provide each student with three reusable masks and will require students to wear them on the bus or building. Students will wear face shields in classrooms.
  • Plexiglass will be used to create dividers for cafeteria tables, as well as desks. This allows them to be placed closer than six feet while still providing barriers of protection.
  • Temperature checks will be required when boarding the bus or arriving to campus.
  • Portable hand sanitizer stations will be placed outside each classroom.
  • The district will also be changing dismissal patterns and creating one-way paths in hallways.

The district is considering three different instruction models that include: in-person instruction in schools starting on Aug. 17; remote learning; or a hybrid model between the two.

There are three hybrid model options to choose from, which include:

  • Half of students, probably divided by grade level, would attend in-person classes on Monday and Tuesdays, while the other half goes on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Students would work remotely when not on campus.
  • Elementary students would use secondary campuses to spread out and utilize more space while secondary students work 100% remotely.   
  • Parents would decide whether they want students to work at home or remotely.

Students working remotely would have access to one-to-one devices and internet hotspots if they needed them. Online instruction would be regularly scheduled periods with teachers.

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • DLR Group Hires Higher Education Business Development Leader

    Integrated design firm DLR Group recently announced that Senior Associate Megan Todd will serve as its new Higher Education Business Development Leader, according to a news release. Her responsibilities will include building the firm’s reach and client relationships in the California higher education sector, based out of San Diego.

  • Average Annual Number of Tornadoes per State

    New Tornado Wind Load Design Criteria in IBC Offer Improvements to Life Safety

    For the first time in U.S. building code history, the 2024 International Building Code (IBC) includes tornado wind load design criteria, marking a significant advancement in life-safety provisions.

  • Pittsburgh High School Upgrades Athletics Facilities’ Technology

    Plum Senior High School in Pittsburgh, Penn., recently partnered with South-Dakota-based Daktronics through the We’re All Mustangs Here Foundation to upgrade the technology in its athletics facilities, according to a news release. Daktronics designed, built, and installed new LED video displays and finished the project in time for the beginning of the 2025 high-school football season.

  • California Boarding School Opens New Inquiry Collaborative Facility

    Cate School, a boarding school in Carpinteria, Calif., for students grades 9–12, recently announced that it has finished renovating a historic dining hall into a new academic hub, according to a news release. The school partnered with Blackbird Architects and Tangram Interiors on the two-story, 16,000-square-foot Inquiry Collaborative.

Digital Edition