A. On March 16 DSISD announced that normal school operations would be suspended from Monday, March 23, to Friday, April 3. Then, on March 26, following the county's "Stay at Home" order, that closure was extended to April 13. We will continue to monitor conditions at the county, state and national levels and take direction as provided by health and governmental authorites.

A. District administrators and instructional leaders developed plans and guidelines for the delivery of instruction remotely. On March 23 and March 24 teachers had instructional planning days to collaborate and develop instructional resources (remotely). Primary resources for students in Grades K-3 are in the format of paper/pdf files; they also can access enrichment resources on their Classlink accounts. Primary resources for students in Grades 4-12 are online using Canvas. Teachers are creating both online and paper resources for all grade levels. Teachers connected with students by March 25, and online learning began at that time.

A: For any member of the DSISD community whose employment/ financial situation has changed as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic, applications for the Free and Reduced Lunch program are available. Currently DSISD is providing weekly breakfasts and lunches for qualifying students each Monday.

A:  Yes, email the Technology Help Desk at tech.help@dsisdtx.us.

A: The Learning and Innovation staff is working with campus and instructional leaders to determine the best course of action regarding grading. We recognize that the implications for elementary, middle school and secondary students are very different. Of course, for high school students not only does grade-point average come into play, but class rank as well. Currently, assignments are being marked with completion grades but we are looking at several options moving forward.

A. We recognize that some of our families have access to technology (devices and internet access), while others may not. Even families that have access to technology at home may need additional resources because they have multiple children. The district is preparing to provide access to technology as needed through a device check-out system. A brief survey to collect feedback from parents regarding the availability of technology in their homes is available now through March 22. 

A. Kids Club services are suspended for the same health and safety reasons that have cosed our campuses. For each full week that DSISD schools are closed and Kids Club services are not provided, parents will not be billed. From March 23 forward, reimbursement will be issued for any overpayments made. Pre-K tuition costs also are suspended during closure, and parents will not be billed. From March 23 forward, reimbursement will be issued for any overpayments made. 

A: Yes, the district is providing meals for qualifying students. The Child Nutrition Department has shifted from daily distribution of meals to weekly distribution (Mondays) to provide five breakfasts and lunches at one time.

A.  District custodians remain diligent in overall cleaning with the use of disinfectants and are taking extra steps to ensure all commonly touched surfaces are thoroughly cleaned. In addition to the work of our custodians, teachers were provided with additional spray bottles of disinfecting solution and sanitary wipes. The DSISD Transportation Department sprayed down buses regularly as well. Over Springs Break all campuses were deep-cleaned using specialized equipment.

A:  Yes, a decision was made to postpone out-of-state school-sponsored trips before and during Spring Break, which caused the postponement of one trip to New York City. As a district, we did not feel confident we can reasonably ensure adequate safety on out-of-state excursions at this time.

A:  Teachers are talking with their students daily about the importance of following the recommended preventative steps “Stop the Spread of Germs” including frequent handwashing, covering every cough or sneeze, and not touching eyes. Custodians are being diligent in checking restrooms to ensure that supplies including soap and paper towels are available for our students throughout the day.