Dallas ISD To Announce Back-to-School Plans Thursday Afternoon

UPDATED to include district’s decision.

After meeting with Dallas County Health and Human Services officials yesterday, it seems that soon parents and teachers may have an answer for one burning question: When Dallas ISD begins its school year on Sept. 8, will there be any on-campus instruction?

At last week’s school board briefing, Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa said the announcement would come this week.

“I expect by next week we will make decisions based on health data depending on Clay Jenkins and his medical staff,” Dr. Hinojosa said.

Hinojosa is expected to make that announcement at a 3:30 p.m. press conference today.

However, trustee Dan Micciche told constituents on his Facebook page that the district had made the decision that the “first 4 weeks will be virtual only. (A) formal annoucement with details to come later today.”

Hinojosa’s announcement comes on the heels of the latest Dallas County news that, from Aug. 6 through 14, 227 school-aged children between 5 and 18 years of age were diagnosed with confirmed cases of COVID-19. More than 3,549 children under 18 years of age have been diagnosed with confirmed COVID-19 since July 1, including 66 children who have been hospitalized for COVID-19. 

We will immediately report the decision, first on social media, then at peoplenewspapers.com. Follow us on Twitter, or on Facebook.