On Tuesday, many large North Texas school districts — from Dallas to Denton — welcomed parents and students.
The start of the year also brings dozens of new state laws on everything from cell phone use to library materials.
House Bill 1481 requires school boards to adopt policies that keep phones and other personal electronic devices – like smart watches and laptops – out of students’ hands during class. The law doesn’t go into effect until Sept. 1, but many districts have already set their new policies in time for the new school year.
Dallas ISD elementary students’ phones will be held in a school’s secure location, while middle and high school students’ phones will be locked in a soft pouch all day, then unlocked when school’s over.
Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde told reporters Tuesday morning she’s aware some parents wanted their child’s smart phone easily accessible in case of an emergency. But she said phones might sometimes increase risks, especially in emergencies.
“When we're asking students and teachers to... actually be quiet and to put themselves in a lockdown kind of situation,” explained Elizalde, “cell phones can actually provide sometimes a location for someone who may not have good intent.”
Elizalde urged parents to update all electronic contact information, because in case of an emergency, the district will update parents as an event evolves.
Another controversial law, Senate Bill 10, calls for a poster of the Ten Commandments to be displayed in every classroom. Elizalde said the district will follow all laws, but she still needed more information from the Texas Education Agency SB10, which remains in litigation.
“Those posters actually have to have been donated in order for those to actually go up in our classrooms,” Elizalde said. “So at this time, we're not required to post them. And so we will be awaiting further guidance. No one should expect to see those right now.”
She said she also wants more guidance on Senate Bill 12, which eliminates Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs.
In Dallas ISD, more than 70% of students are Hispanic and nearly 20% are African American, according to state data.
“We want to make sure that parents give us permission when we're …asking students particular survey questions,” Elizalde said. “We'll be communicating with our parents, asking them to give us consent for surveys that may be more in depth.”
She said teachers can still ask kids how they’re doing as they enter school.
“We want to make sure,” said Elizalde, “that all our kids are getting the kind of support from our counselors that they may need.”
She also wanted to assure parents that Dallas schools will be safe from once-rumored raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
“ICE agents cannot come into a school building and simply just wander the halls,” Elizalde said. “Dallas ISD will not allow it. And we have not had that situation occur, but I want to reinforce that that's not something that we would allow.”
As with any new school year, Elizalde also bragged on district successes. She said nearly every school vacancy districtwide had been filled. She said staffing’s at more than 99.4%, adding “that is the highest fill rate we have had since 2014.”
After the district’s last A-F rating fell from a B to a C, Elizalde said school scores have improved.
“More than 93% of all schools in Dallas ISD are rated A, B, or C, and 72% of them are A's and B's," she said.
The 2024 and 2025 district and school letter grades are due out on Friday.
Bill Zeeble is KERA’s education reporter. Got a tip? Email Bill at bzeeble@kera.org. You can follow him on X @bzeeble.
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