COVID-19 Response

As we prepare for the upcoming school year, Lake Dallas ISD looks forward to welcoming all of our students back to campus. As a reminder, due to a lack of legislative funding and resources for virtual learning, all Lake Dallas ISD students will return to on-campus learning for the 2021-2022 school year.

To ensure safe in-person learning experiences, the following COVID-19 protocols will be in place for all District facilities during the 2021-2022 school year:

• On-campus learning will be the only instructional model offered in Lake Dallas ISD for the 2021-2022 school year
• Per a state mandate, masks will be optional for all students, staff, and visitors—at all times
• The District will clean and disinfect campus classrooms at the request of the principal due to an increase of cases in the classroom
• Hand sanitation dispensers will be readily available on all campuses and all students and staff will be expected to follow recommended handwashing procedures, as appropriate
• Lake Dallas ISD will notify all staff and parents via a daily email if there is a confirmed positive COVID-19 case on their campus
• Lake Dallas ISD will notify specific staff and parents via an additional daily email if there is a confirmed positive COVID-19 case within any classroom or extracurricular activity
• Staff and students who receive a lab-confirmed positive test result for COVID-19 will be required to self-isolate for 10 days following a positive test
• Students and staff will not be required to quarantine as a result of exposure or potential exposure
• The District will continue to serve immunocompromised students on a case-by-case basis through homebound services with the proper physician documentation
• Since the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) is no longer in effect, all staff will be required to use their accrued days during any COVID-19 isolation

If parents have any questions about our COVID-19 response, they are encouraged to contact their child’s campus directly. Staff members should contact their supervisor with any questions.

As always, the District is committed to creating a safe learning environment for our students and staff, and we will continue to work with local and state health officials to monitor the spread of COVID-19 in the community. We thank you for your continued flexibility and support as we all work together to keep the Lake Dallas ISD community safe.

*Updated August 24, 2021

COVID-19 Mitigation, Changes from 2020-21

For the 2021-22 school year, Lake Dallas ISD will transition back to full in-person learning and remove several COVID-19 mitigation requirements. Highlights for the year are as follows:

• In-Person Learning: All learning will take place on campus during the school year. While the TEA issued a statewide waiver that allowed virtual learning in 2020-21, that waiver has since expired. Additionally, the Texas Legislature did not pass any bills that would make virtual learning feasible. As such, all learning will return to campuses and virtual learning will not be available.
• Face Coverings Optional: Every person in a Lake Dallas ISD school or facility, including both students and teachers, has the option of wearing a mask designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or any communicable disease. Families are free to make the decision they feel is appropriate for themselves. At the end of the 2020-21 school year, the Texas governor issued an order that banned the requirement of masks in public schools. As such, Lake Dallas ISD has no plans to require masks during the 2021-22 school year.
• Hand Sanitization Stations Available: Last school year, Lake Dallas ISD invested in several hand sanitization stations for each campus, and these stations will continue to remain available. Washing hands or using hand sanitizer when appropriate remains a positive health practice, both during the pandemic and at any time, and we encourage individuals to use them frequently.
• Regular Cleaning of Schools: Schools will continue to be cleaned at the regular rate they were during the 2020-21 school year to promote healthy practices across the district. Janitors and other cleaning personnel focus on heavily touched areas to prevent the spread of germs.

Dear Falcon Families,

Good news!  We are returning to learning at Lake Dallas ISD on August 12. Texas Education Agency and Commissioner Mike Morath held a video conference today for school district officials.

Although TEA did not provide the specifics we were anticipating about public health guidance with regard to face-to-face learning, those plans are in the works. What we did hear today was reassuring, and we feel confident that we are on the right track with our plan to provide 2 instructional environments for student learning:  face-to-face and virtual learning for those who have health concerns regarding the traditional learning environment.  Fortunately, we have already begun the implementation of  a learning platform that will meet the needs of both.

Please know that health and safety protocols will be in place for students and staff upon their return to campuses. Back to School dates are now posted on the District website, and you will receive postcards with details mailed to your homes in July.

We appreciate your patience as we continue to plan for the start of school in August, and we are dedicated to communicating any information that comes available to us as quickly as possible.

We are looking forward to seeing our Falcons and a strong start to the 2020-21 school year!

LDISD Leadership Team

Dear Falcon Families,

As we move into the last two weeks of LDISD@home, we want to take a moment to say THANK YOU  . . . to parents for your incredible work at home with your children and to the amazing members of the LDISD staff that have worked to provide educational opportunities for our students.

In early April, as we moved to launch remote learning, LDISD teachers took on the monumental task of contacting all of our families so we could better understand their needs. Teachers were able to make contact with the families of more than 4,000 students, providing us with a variety of insights that continue to inform our planning and implementation.  Since then, teachers have continued to provide content, feedback and encouragement to families.

Our Technology team has been able to work with teachers and families to distribute devices to our students who didn’t have one so they could finish the year. To date, our School Nutrition Services staff have lovingly prepared over 70,000 meals for our families. That’s incredible!

Our staff continues to work long days and weekends to support our families in every way possible. The innovation and teamwork we’ve witnessed in the last few weeks is unprecedented, and it only serves to shine a light on what we already knew about this great district. 

We know that every day has not been easy and ask you to continue to be mindful of the quote that Dr. Stinson shared via social media a few weeks ago . . .

“Relationships before rigor. Grace before grades.
Patience before programs. Love before lessons.”

We understand the stress and anxiety that school closures have caused many of our families. While we are offering a variety of learning opportunities for your children in order to ensure their learning continues, it should not come at the cost of your or your children’s social and emotional well-being. So, yes, it is ok if you take a day off when you just need to have fun or take a break from each other. 

That being said, this is the last full week of regular lessons - so finish strong! Next week will be a week to wind down the year with fun choice board activities to move us into summer break.  Details will come next Sunday. 

Families, thank you for the amazing love you showed our teachers and staff on the parades this week! Take a look at the photo galleries from the three zone parades using the links below:

CE Zone Parade Photo Gallery

LDE Zone Parade Photo Gallery

SSE Zone Parade Photo Gallery

And lastly, we wanted to give you a schedule of end of year events for the next couple of weeks. Campuses have planned days for families to pick up items left at school and to return items borrowed from the school.  See the calendar events below:

Monday, May 11  

• Meal Service pickup at LDE & LDHS, 7:30 am - 12:30 pm 
• LDHS: Textbook/Library book drop off, 7:30 am - 12:30 pm  

Wednesday, May 13

• LDHS: All students may drop off textbooks, library books, and chromebooks in front parking lot, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm 

Thursday, May 14

• LDHS: Seniors pick up parking passes, graduation cords & graduation info packets - front parking lot drive through, 3 pm - 7 pm  

 Friday, May 15

• LDHS: All students may drop off textbooks, library books, and chromebooks in front parking lot, 9 am - 11 am

 Monday, May 18  

• Meal Service pickup at LDE & LDHS, 7:30 am - 12:30 pm
• LDHS: Textbook/Library book drop off, 7:30 am - 12:30 pm
• Elementary campuses CE, LDE, SSE: School work and personal item pickups as well as all borrowed school items: library books, guided reading books, chromebooks, etc. for last names A-M, 9 am - 12 pm
• LDMS: All students may drop off Chromebooks, textbooks and library books and pick up yearbooks in the front entrance 7:30 am - 12:30 pm

 Tuesday, May 19  

• Elementary campuses CE, LDE, SSE: School work and personal item pickups as well as all borrowed school items: library books, guided reading books, chromebooks, etc. for last names N-Z. 9 am - 12 pm; Open for all 5pm - 7 pm
• LDMS: All students may drop off Chromebooks, textbooks and library books and pick up yearbooks in the front entrance 7:30 am - 12:30 pm

Thursday, May 21

• LDHS: All students may drop off textbooks, library books, and chromebooks in front parking lot, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
• LDMS: All students may drop off Chromebooks, textbooks and library books and pick up yearbooks in front entrance, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm 

Friday, May 22

• LDHS: All students may drop off textbooks, library books, and chromebooks in front parking lot, 9 am - 11 am
• LDMS: All students may drop off Chromebooks, textbooks and library books and pick up yearbooks in the front entrance 7:30 am - 12:30 pm

Thank you for choosing to be a part of the Falcon Family.

LDISD Leadership Team
#InThisTogether

Update in English & Spanish

Dear Falcon Families,

Wow - it’s May! We are down to the last three weeks of LDISD@home. Thank you again for the amazing work you are completing from home. This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and we encourage you to take a moment this week to communicate your love and appreciation to our fantastic teachers. They are truly the backbone of our school district!

This Week’s Falcon Update Includes:

• Graduation 2020 at TMS
• Teacher Parades for Students
• Retiree Drive-By Celebrations

Class of 2020 Graduation

Lake Dallas ISD was excited to announce on Friday that the LDHS Class of 2020 Graduation will be held at Texas Motor Speedway on Wednesday, May 20, at 5 pm. It will be an extremely unique graduation that none will ever forget as we see our graduates cross the stage in person and on the biggest screen in the world. 

During the ceremony, graduates will accept their diploma in-person on “Victory Lane” providing a memorable ending to a senior year filled with uncertain times. 

Parents and family members who attend will be asked to remain in their vehicles to watch the ceremony live while parked in the TMS infield. Family members who are in high risk categories for contracting COVID-19, or who are currently quarantined, are asked to remain at home and watch via Livestream.

Texas Motor Speedway will project the Commencement Ceremony on “Big Hoss,” a 12-story, 218-foot-wide video board to ensure that every graduate is seen by those in attendance, both in-person and virtually. Graduates, wearing academic regalia in addition to masks, will walk across a staging area to receive their diploma.

The diploma presentation will be “hands-free” and respect the social distancing guidelines outlined by Denton County Health Services.

A Graduation FAQ has been added to the website for seniors and parents.  

Teacher Parades for Students

This Wednesday, teachers and staff members will get to see some of their students in person for the first time since before Spring Break.

Car parades led by LD buses will wind through the LDISD neighborhoods as an opportunity for district employees to see students, albeit from a safe distance. Three simultaneous parades will start at 9 a.m. from the three elementary campuses and travel the bus routes.

Students and their families are invited to wave to teachers and staff members, or write messages in sidewalk chalk or on signs, as they pass while maintaining a safe distance from others in the community. 

Retiree Drive-By Celebrations

On Thursday, the 2020 Retirees will receive drive-by greetings from LDISD Administrators. Each year retirees are recognized at the annual LDISD Retirement Reception, but with the current crisis we are unable to hold the event this year. Instead, administrators will deliver gifts to each of the retiree’s doorsteps and celebrate with drive-by greetings from a distance.

2020 Retirees are Kelly Davis, Fritz Desir, Vicki Hainlen, Karen Hays,Valarie Hoffman, Mary Ketcher, Leah Barrett, Rhonda Barr, Melinda Sherrouse, Dee Smith, Janice Smith, Cathy Tudor, Laura Weidel, Virginia Whaley, Donna Wilson and Nancy Younger.

While our schools remain closed, our hearts remain open. We look forward to seeing many of your smiling faces on Wednesday as we parade through your neighborhoods.

Thank you for choosing to be a part of the Falcon Family.

LDISD Leadership Team
#InThisTogether

Update in English & Spanish

Dear Falcon Families,

As much as we miss our students and our families, the difficult decisions made by our state and local leaders are to protect the health and safety of our Falcon community. The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenges never before imagined, and we are proud that as a district we have risen to meet many of those challenges. As our students dive back into learning this week, we have no doubt that our teachers, counselors, administrators and other staff will continue to do what they do best -- take care of kids.

New This Week:

• Progress Reports: Thank you for partnering with us in your student’s learning. We appreciate all the effort from students, parents, teachers, and staff to help ensure that our focus on learning continues. We are sharing student academic progress reports this week with our families via their child(ren)’s school.
• Personal Item Pickup: The District is utilizing plans that allow teachers to safely enter their classrooms to gather their personal items, as well as items left in the classrooms, fine arts and athletics areas by students. Student items will be placed in bags with the student’s name on the bag. Once this is done, the individual campuses will communicate the plan for curbside pickup to parents and students. (Parents/students will NOT be allowed in the building.)
• Enrollment, Enrollment, Enrollment! Even with the facility closure, we are busy planning for next year and need your help to continue that process.
  • Returning Student Enrollment - It’s time to complete your On-line Returning Student registration that LDISD runs from April 1 to July 31 each year. To register your student for the 2020-21 school year, please log in to Family Access to complete the registration for your student.
  • Kindergarten Enrollment - Class of 2033 Kindergarten Registration is OPEN and parents can start the process online. Click Here for Kindergarten & Pre-K Registration details.
  • Open Enrollment/Transfer Enrollment - LDISD is accepting Open Enrollment Applications for resident and non-resident students! Click here to find out how to become a Falcon for the 2020-2021 school year or continue your transfer status.

As we continue remote academics with students and work on plans for next year, we don’t want to lose sight of the importance of taking care of ourselves. The LDISD Leadership Team recognizes the stressors our families and students face as a result of COVID-19 and the statewide school shut down. Our counseling staff is ready and available to assist you with needs you may have during this time. Don’t hesitate to reach out to them. Contact information is posted on each campus @home page under Counseling as well as on our website on the Counseling Department page: https://www.ldisd.net/Domain/1476.

Change of this magnitude is hard. We’ve all been through a lot in the last few weeks and, unfortunately, much is still unknown. So, we encourage you to take care of yourself and each other. By practicing patience and extending an abundance of grace, we will get through this...together.

Thank you for choosing to be a part of the Falcon Family.

LDISD Leadership Team
#InThisTogether

Newsletter in English & Spanish

Dear Falcon Families,

First and foremost, we hope each of you and your families are healthy and adapting as we navigate these unprecedented times.

On Friday, following the announcement of the governor of the closure of all Texas schools, we notified you that we will remain closed for the remainder of the school year.  While our buildings may be closed, our teachers and staff are working harder than ever to provide LDISD@home learning for our students.

We know this is not the way any of us envisioned ending the school year.  You have relationships with your teachers and administrators and that bond is not broken by distance. If you need help, reach out and email them but remember they are also juggling the same demands you are with your families. 

Our leadership team completely understands that most of you did not go to school to become a teacher. You are not expected to become one now. But we do want to remind you of the resources we have for you as you work with your children to continue their learning and stay connected to the teachers, campus staff, and classmates who miss seeing them dearly.

Resources:

• LDISD@home Learning - The district will continue required instruction through the current learning platform for our students through our official last day of school Friday, May 22, 2020. This will ensure that all of our students have the opportunity to meet the state-mandated attendance and promotional requirements.
  
  We know that these experiences cannot replicate those of the day-to-day classroom, yet we are confident that the LDISD@home learning program will keep students engaged and allow them to finish the school year with meaningful learning.
  
  
• FAQ pages - We are continually updating and adding information as questions come in regarding the closure and the learning platform. COVID-19 Closure FAQ / LDISD@home FAQ
  
  Important additions and updates this week include:
  • What if I need technology/curriculum assistance?
  • My kids love Specials - can I do those @home?
    
    
• Family Resources - the attached pdf is posted on our COVID-19 website, but we wanted you to have it readily available at this uncertain time. It contains an extensive list of helpful resources for LDISD families including information and links regarding job loss, food assistance, living, health, emergency medical & rental assistance, stress and coping tips and more . . .

Much has been asked of our Falcon family over the past several weeks. We have all been challenged, and we have all risen to the occasion. Please continue to do your best to manage these unprecedented circumstances, and, in return, we promise our support in every way possible.

Thank you for choosing to be a part of the Falcon Family.

LDISD Leadership Team
#InThisTogether

Weekly Update in English & Spanish

Family Resources English / Family Resources Spanish

Dear LDISD Community,

Lake Dallas ISD is following the Executive Order issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott during a press conference today (April 17, 2020) and is extending our school facility closure through the end of the school year. The district will continue required instruction through the current LDISD@home Learning platform for our students through our official last day of school Friday, May 22, 2020. This will ensure that all of our students have the opportunity to meet the state-mandated attendance and promotional requirements.

We are dedicated to maintaining the connections that students have made with their classmates and teachers through the learning platform. We promise to be responsive to our families by communicating with you consistently throughout our closure. Please reach out directly to your child(ren)’s teachers or your school’s administration with your questions, issues and concerns. 

Despite the disappointing news that we cannot safely open our facilities for school the rest of 2019-2020, the district will continue to distribute weekly meals on Mondays through May 18, 2020. 

All district and school events are cancelled through the end of the school year or will be modified to include a virtual option.  That being said, we are dedicated to celebrating the Class of 2020! District leaders are expecting to receive further guidance from the Texas Education Agency regarding graduation events. In addition, the District will discuss and announce more information in the near future about the status of summer school, sports/academic camps and facility rentals in June.

We encourage our families to stay at home and follow social distancing protocols as advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Thank you for your continued support of our district during this time.  We are all #InThisTogether. 

Sincerely,

LDISD Leadership Team 

Update in English/Spanish / Denton County Schools Release