Latest news with #StephanieElizalde
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Dallas ISD enhances security and safety protocols ahead of new school year
The focus for Dallas Independent School District for the 2025-2026 calendar year is not only improved teaching, learning but also safety, according to Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde. Dallas public schools will welcome an expected 140,000 students on Tuesday, Aug. 12, and Elizade said she's excited. "We have a great foundation of success that we're going to be building on. So, I say to our parents and guardians, bring the kids on in and let's have a great year," she said. Over the past three years, Dallas ISD has spent an estimated $95 million, adding more cameras, surveillance monitors, metal detectors and resource officers. Specific campus security additions were approved on Monday, Aug. 11. Starting Tuesday, students and parents will see if anything has changed.
CBS News
05-08-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Immigration enforcement at North Texas schools? Education leaders say law bans it
As the final countdown to the start of the school year begins, in districts throughout North Texas, there's an unspoken reality: there are thousands of kids and their families who don't have legal status. It is a national right that all children in the U.S. can receive a public education without regard to citizenship status. The enhanced efforts by the Trump administration to remove and/or detain undocumented persons in the U.S. with raids at courthouses, job sites and neighborhoods have not targeted parents or educators at schools so far. What, if anything, could happen to them under the current spike in undocumented migrant enforcement actions? "We are the statue of liberty. We take them all. We love them all. We teach them all," said Dallas Public Schools Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde. Elizalde said there are thousands of children filling schools who are not required to fill out forms validating their status as American citizens. "Well, I certainly think that we have to understand that there are concerns in our community, and we continue to host community meetings and meet with parents so that we can continue to reassure them that our approach is what it's always been," said Elizalde. "We will follow to the fullest extent of the federal law, which says that federal ICE agents are not allowed on school grounds, they are not allowed to walk halls. We have not received any such inquiries." Dallas is not alone in the education of children who may or may not have legal status. Garland, Richardson, Mesquite, Irving, Fort Worth and others have large numbers of students categorized as "English language learning students." Any questions about their immigration status are protected under the Constitution. Elizalde says she sees no change in that legal protection. "Our job is to ensure every student, regardless of where they reside in our district, gets an excellent public education, and that's what we do every day," Elizalde said. "So I say to our parents and guardians, bring the kids on in and let's have a great school year."
CBS News
07-05-2025
- CBS News
Dallas ISD addresses drop in state rating and school safety at "State of the District"
It's a night Dallas Independent School District educators look forward to all year. New Tech High School Principal Channel Hutchinson said the "State of the District" acknowledges the successes and challenges ahead. "It's an opportunity for DISD to come together with all the teachers and leaders in the district to really talk about where we are as a district," she said. "I think some of the biggest accomplishments this year are really having great scores for certain schools." However, the Texas Education Agency recently released its A-F ratings for 2023. Dallas ISD dropped from a B to a C. Tuesday night, Superintendent Stephanie Elizalde said the state could look at other factors. Safety and accountability top concerns at Dallas ISD State of the District "Many of you may have remembered a local accountability system that included an emphasis on service and getting information about our climate and culture and extracurricular activities of our students," she said. "Those are truly outputs." With the recent shooting at Wilmer Hutchins High School, safety and security is another top concern. Surveillance video shows a student let the alleged shooter in through a side door. "We need to make sure that we hold our children accountable," Dallas ISD Trustee Maxie Johnson said. "We need to make sure that we are protecting our community and children are safe in our school." On Thursday, the Dallas ISD school board is expected to discuss possible changes to the Code of Conduct, upgrading the punishment for opening locked, secured doors. Right now, it's a "Level II offense," which can lead to punishments like community service or detention. Under a proposed update for the 2025-26 school year, it would be a "Level III offense," which could lead to placement in a disciplinary alternative education program.
