On Monday, several schools in the Dallas Independent School District reopened their doors to students and teachers in order to make up for learning time lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.
To ensure that students will have time to catch up, the district adopted three different calendars.
Five Dallas ISD schools resumed classes on Monday, Aug. 2. Another rotation began yesterday, Aug. 9, and more will start on Monday of next week.
One of the schools that resumed yesterday is Adelle Turner Elementary School in the Red Bird area.
The district advises everyone on campus to wear a mask.
U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona recommended that all states make masks mandatory for everyone inside school buildings. According to Cardona, making masks optional could lead to more COVID-19 infections.
“We’re trying to keep infection rates low,” Cardona said. “And I think it’s more dangerous for students to be home and have interrupted learning because of the decisions that we’re making.”
Cardona said that that the country is at a fork in the road.
“You’re either going to help students be in school in person and keep them safe,” he said, “or the decisions you make are going to hurt students.”
All Dallas ISD campuses will make COVID-19 tests available for students and staff. Students are to seek their parents’ permission to take the test.