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Following are questions and answers taken from RISD Parent Advisory Committee Meetings.

Richardson ISD Parent Advisory Committee (PAC)

The Following questions were asked and answered at the Council of PTAs Parent Advisory Committee Meeting, March 27, 2007

The Richardson School District has always strongly supported the fine arts.  Will the district continue the same level of support under Dr. Simmons?

Dr. Simmons responded personally: “One of the things that attracted me to this community and district was its commitment to providing a well-rounded educational experience.  The strong correlation between fine arts participation and academic success is exemplified by RISD, and I'm completely committed to continuing our tradition of excellence in both quantity and quality of fine arts programs.”

What is RISD's stance on vouchers for students with special needs and how does it all fit into the voucher program / dilemma as a whole?

RISD is not in favor of vouchers in any form.  Families residing within RISD who have special needs children are encouraged to enroll in one of the district’s exceptional programs.  Non-employee families residing outside of RISD are not eligible to attend RISD schools or participate in RISD programs.

Why is there no “dead week” (i.e. no extracurricular activities) the week before final exams begin?

No homework or new material should be assigned in any subject during the final week of each semester when exams are given.  The intent of the district guideline is to allow all subjects at least one day of review and study prior to examinations.

Consolidation of materials covered during the semester should be the sole emphasis during this time.  In addition, there should not be extra-curricular activities required during the week of semester examinations.

Is it correct that science is an area with which RISD has struggled in recruiting and retaining teachers at the high school level?  With the new four-year science requirement for high school graduates, will the district be providing any incentives to lure science teachers? 

Districts around the United States struggle to find and retain enough qualified secondary math & science teachers.  RISD remains a competitive choice for quality educators in this shortage area, and does offer incentives for qualified teachers hired into these areas.

Given the recent legislation which will require Texas students to graduate with four units each of math and science, will new courses in these two subject areas be offered in Richardson high schools?  If so, what new topics in these subject areas will be offered in the future?

The legislation requires students to graduate with four years each of math and science, beginning with next year’s ninth graders. RISD currently offers a variety of math courses that satisfy the requirement.  In addition, eighth grade Pre AP will count as a math credit, an algebra III class has been created, and math models can be taken between geometry and algebra II to count as a 4th year.

In science, there is no eighth grade course that will count, but in addition to the extensive current offerings, a number of additional courses will be available, including astronomy; aquatic science; earth and space science; engineering; scientific research and design, and; principles of technology I and II.

Is there a district policy regarding publicizing incidents which happen in the schools?  If so, what is the policy?

Regarding events that occur on a campus that are considered serious violations of the Student Code of Conduct, there is no specific state law or local board policy that dictates under what circumstances districts or schools notify the news media.

 Conversely, student privacy laws prohibit districts from releasing most information surrounding disciplinary events.

RISD's practice is to inform parents directly when a situation occurs that may have posed a threat to student safety or as needed to provide assurances or mitigate rumors.

As a general practice, RISD does not notify the news media each time a serious student Code of Conduct violation occurs on a campus.

Why are students’ names and birth dates used for PayPams (the vendor that allows parents add funds to a child’s lunch account over the Internet)?

RISD treats student privacy matters with the utmost care and diligence. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) strictly governs the privacy of student educational records.  Student directory information is considered an open record under FERPA that is releasable to anyone upon request unless a parent makes a privacy election (most commonly done on the beginning-of-year enrollment card). 

A parent privacy election addresses access to student information for use by independent third parties and for use in district publications (yearbooks, announcements, etc.).  The privacy election does not include access to directory information for district business.

 In accordance with FERPA, the district may contract with outside parties (vendors) such as PayPams to fulfill district functions such as an electronic payment system for child nutrition provided that a confidentiality agreement is in place so that student information is not released to any other party or used for any other purpose.

PayPams has such a confidentiality agreement in place.  It may be viewed at www.paypams.com.

Why did RISD make PSAT scores and test packages available after winter break, instead of before?

PSAT information is received from the College Board, and requirements dictate that when scores are distributed to students, time be set aside for each student to receive an explanation and have questions answered.

In the recent past, the time needed to comply with the requirement has meant the scores & packages being available after the break.

However, given the later start date of next year’s RISD calendar, it is anticipated the scores & materials will be available prior to winter break, since testing dates will not change.

Please clarify the reasoning for junior high and high school schedules as they relate to students’ schedules in the area of fine arts.

Master schedules at the junior and high school levels are designed to give the maximum flexibility possible for meeting student needs. When possible, single class offerings are not placed in direct conflict with fine arts classes. However, in some cases where staff is shared between campuses there may have to be a singleton class scheduled opposite a fine arts class.

Fine arts teachers are encouraged to be as flexible as possible about allowing students to be scheduled in an alternate fine arts class if there is a conflict with another single offering that the student must take. That might mean, for example, that a student would be in a band class other than the one he qualified for based on his audition. Flexibility is the key to making this work. The goal is for the teachers/directors involved to work out conflicts so the student is not caught in the middle.

On the 2007-08 calendar, RISD has scheduled a holiday for both students and staff for Martin Luther King Day on January 21st but not on President’s Day which is February 18th.  It seems that it would be more beneficial to take a day in February as the January date is so close to the return from winter break.  Is it possible to rearrange these in the future?

In the past, RISD has taken President’s Day as a holiday.  This year, Presidents Day is the day before TAKS tests begin. Given the importance of the TAKS tests in determining whether a student is promoted, the district’s goal is to provide students an optimum testing situation.  Traditionally, overall student test performance suffers when scheduled directly after a holiday.  If the state changes TAKS testing dates in the future, RISD would again consider taking President’s Day as a holiday.

Would the district consider giving finals prior to the conclusion of the semester (before winter break)?

Due to the state-mandated later start date of August 27, the district needs all of those teaching days to address the curriculum based on planned scope and sequence.

In an effort to create the best academic calendar possible, finals had to be moved to January.  Not doing so would have created too substantial an imbalance between the number of days in each semester.  To accommodate the new schedule, several review days were built into January after break to help students prepare for finals.

How much money did the RISD receive from the High School Allotment for the 2007-2008 school year?  How are the funds being utilized in 2007-2008 and will RISD be receiving these funds every year?

RISD has not yet received any high school allotment funds for 2007-08.  Based on our current enrollment, we expect to receive approximately $2.3 million for 2006-07.  These monies will be used to fund the AVID program in secondary schools and the estimated cost for implementing the new four year requirement in math and science. 

Since funding is based on students in grades 9-12 attending school, the total allotment is expected to be reduced next year (2007-08) based on a projected decline in enrollment.

Why is BCIS (Business Computer Information Systems) being removed from the junior high curriculum to be only offered at the high school level?  Would this change call for the addition of an eighth period to the high school day?

BCIS was removed from junior high campuses for several reasons:

• It is a credit course, and therefore a one-year class.  Junior high computer offerings are intended to be exploratory in nature, and should be only one semester.
• The number of junior high students projected to be utilizing the double block mathematics or reading programs does not leave enough space in their schedule for a full credit course.
• BCIS is not a funded course at the junior high level, and can only be funded at the high school level.

What specifically is RISD doing to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity? Is there a policy to implement a walking reflection time during recess instead of having children sit out recess for behavior reasons or incomplete homework?

What is the RISD policy about using recess for punishment or for making up school work?

What policies have been developed by the Student Health Advisory Committee for RISD and is there a budget available to implement these recommendations?

The Board of Trustees passed a Wellness Policy in August of 2006. It includes a number of guidelines to encourage students to maintain healthy levels of activity and good eating habits.

No foods of minimal nutritional value (such as soda, hard candy, high sugar/high fat foods) are available on RISD campuses during the instructional day, including lunch. 

 The  School Health Advisory Committee, composed of 46 member teachers, parents, community members and administrators, gave recommendations to the Superintendent’s Advisory Council for guidelines for this policy.  In these guidelines the district addresses the daily physical activity period. (A daily physical activity period will occur in grades K-6.  Principals should see that physical activity is not routinely withheld from students as a disciplinary measure.)  Also, the district is developing a coordinated health and physical education program and will use budgeted bond money for this initiative.  That will be the first major job responsibility of the new director of P.E.

Why is there no warm water in the children’s bathrooms?  Is this a district-wide standard and if so, is that sanitary?

RISD facilities comply with the building codes in effect during the time they are constructed or receive major renovations.  Current building codes require warm water to be available in restrooms, so RISD’s newer campuses, and those that have received relatively recent renovations, have this feature. 

RISD’s older campuses were constructed during a period when building codes did not require warm water in restrooms.  As older buildings undergo renovations as dictated by the district’s bond cycle, they will be brought up to current building code as far as warm water.

The district offers anti-bacterial soap/hand cleaning products in all restroom facilities, so sanitary requirements are met regardless of the temperature of the water.

What is the district policy/procedure for enforcing and publicizing traffic laws in front of elementary schools?  Our school's circular drive has no driveway directions, marked parking spaces, or building personnel who daily enforce normal traffic courtesies.

RISD has no legal jurisdiction to enforce traffic laws on or around district property.  That responsibility falls to the municipality (Richardson, Dallas or Garland) in which the campus is located.

RISD is able to provide driveway directional markings and personnel to assist with traffic direction.  Situations like this are managed through the building principal, who can request a traffic pattern study be conducted by a city official who then may offer advice regarding traffic flow and student safety. 

Principals also may request repainting of their directional marking or parking spots through the district’s Facility Services Department.

Can an RISD school request crossing guards employed by the City of Dallas for certain dangerous crosswalks or intersections bordering their school, or does this need to be requested by a neighborhood resident?

Any resident of the city may request that the city evaluate the need for a crossing guard at any intersection.  Since crossing guards are city employees, this determination is solely up to the municipality in which the school is located.

Is RISD concerned with the liability of having parents drive students in car pools for field trips and to Sky Ranch instead of hiring a bus?

Out of concern for student safety, RISD prefers that students travel to school-sponsored events in transportation provided by the district.  In cases where parents desire to transport their own children and/or other students, the RISD requires a liability waiver be signed by each student’s parent that is involved.

It has become apparent this year that there are different UIL eligibility calendars being followed between schools and disciplines within our district.  Should there be a single calendar for all extra-curricular activities?  If so, shouldn’t this calendar be made public and posted on the district and school web sites as other districts and secondary schools do?

There is only one legitimate UIL eligibility calendar.  It can be found on the district website at http://www.risd.org/Calendar/Athletics_Schedules/index.htm.

Do RISD teachers receive training in using positive reinforcement (rather than punishment) as a disciplinary tool? 

RISD continually focuses on the motivational approach to meet student needs through positive reinforcement versus punishment.  Training is provided for new teachers prior to the start of school and through New Teacher Academies during the year. 

For more experienced teachers, training is available throughout the year.  In addition, many campus-based programs support a positive approach, such as Tribes, Love and Logic, CHAMPS, etc.

What can be done to meet the counseling needs of all students and bridge the gap that has been created by the counselors’ lack of time to assist student needs other than those relating to scheduling and testing? 

RISD counselors work very hard to juggle their responsibilities so that all student needs can be addressed. 

At the high school level, RISD has hired testing coordinators to coordinate the state assessments and PSAT.  Counselors are involved during testing, but are no longer responsible at the high schools for the coordination and preparation for these tests. 

Depending on the level, counselors work with students in different ways.  At the elementary level, counselors present classroom guidance on a regular basis to all students, including units on bullying, study skills and life skills. 

At the secondary level, classroom guidance is more limited, but counselors work with students on a more individual basis.  Scheduling (that is, ensuring the student is taking the correct courses for graduation and their personal educational needs) is an important part of the counselors responsibilities. 

Counselors at all levels also work with students to address emotional and social issues that affect their academic success.  At the high school level this year, counselors held academic conferences with ninth grade students and the parents in an effort to reach all students early in their high school career.  

What can be done to assure that students have access to the textbooks that have already been purchased so that they can follow the curriculum being taught?

This situation arises primarily in some mathematics courses, because the state of Texas has not adopted new textbooks for certain classes, in some cases for 12 years.

At the same time, the Texas Essential Knowledge & Skills (TEKS), which is the state curriculum that all district are required to teach, and upon which the TAKS tests are based, have been updated numerous times.

This leaves districts in the situation where the only textbooks the state has provided are outdated, because they do not align with the curriculum the state requires the district to teach.  This has forced RISD to abandon the older textbooks in favor of district-developed materials that include the latest TEKS.

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