Houston Independent School District Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan engaged in a school safety discussion on Friday with key community leaders to discuss strategies to ensure student safety and security.
The meeting was an additional measure to engage with HISD stakeholders in the wake of the tragic shooting at Bellaire High School last month, which resulted in the death of a student.
Continue readingWith their parents, coaches, and friends looking on, two of the Houston Independent School District’s top athletes announced they will attend Sul Ross State University and the University of California at Berkeley to pursue their athletic and academic careers.
Fatou Samb is a standout in basketball at Westside High School and has been offered a scholarship to play at the University of California at Berkeley.
Jordan Huffpower, a top running back at Yates High School, has accepted a scholarship to play at the Sul Ross State University.
Continue readingThe Houston Area Alliance of Black School Educators (HAABSE) has selected Houston Independent School District Interim Superintendent Grenita Lathan as this year’s recipient of its most prestigious award for educators and public servants who make significant contributions to the city’s diverse educational, cultural, and social heritage.
The Elaine Bailey Heart of HAABSE Award is an acknowledgment by the recipient’s peers that the honoree has made exemplary contributions to the educational profession and community.
“To be recognized by your peers is always special because they have a clear understanding of the work, commitment and vision required to equip our children to realize their full potential and become global scholars,” Lathan said. “I am extremely honored to receive this award, and it’s a direct reflection of the important work HISD is doing to support every student.”
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The Houston Independent School District is celebrating Black History Month by honoring the voting rights of African-Americans and how voting has impacted generations of African-Americans, specifically black women.
The theme for this year’s celebration was created to align with the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History’s (ASALH) theme “Africa-Americans and the Vote,” which commemorates the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment granting women’s suffrage movement and the 150th anniversary of the 15th Amendment giving black men the right to vote.
Continue readingThousands of HISD seniors will walk across the stage this spring during graduation ceremonies planned for May 29 through June 7.
Most ceremonies will take place at various locations around the city (primarily the Barnett Fieldhouse, Butler Fieldhouse, Delmar Fieldhouse, NRG Arena, NRG Stadium, Texas Southern University campus).
A few will be taking place early (HSPVA and E-STEM on May 23 and May 28, respectively) or later (Liberty HS on June 7), so be sure to check the schedule for times and locations at HoustonISD.org/GraduationCalendar.
Continue readingNorthside High School Teacher Andrea Davis saw a window of opportunity when she learned about Project Equip, a pilot program offered by Rice University scientists and educators that is supported by the Glasscock School of Continuing Studies.
Thanks to HISD and the Advance Placement office, Davis along with 17 other teachers was selected to attend a three-day workshop last winter to learn about OpenStax Tutor, an interactive learning platform that uses machine learning to adapt to the needs of individual students.
As part of Project Equip, the AP biology teacher is provided real-time data, which allows her to identify areas of opportunity for students and close achievement gaps at a faster capacity than most teachers across the district.
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The Houston Independent School District Foundation, a nonprofit organization that raises funds to support HISD’s strategic initiatives, will hold its Public Education Matters Benefit Luncheon on Friday, March 6.
The event will highlight the importance of community investment in public education and focus on the social and economic impact that results when public school students receive a quality education.
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As the district continues to explore measures to increase safety and security on our campuses, we want to hear from you.
We have made an online form available on the district’s website for you to submit recommendations on how to improve campus safety and security. Just click on the featured button on the homepage or go to HoustonISD.org/SchoolSafety.
Continue readingThe Houston Independent School District is closely monitoring an international outbreak of respiratory illness caused by a novel (new) coronavirus to provide parents, students and staff updates with the latest information.
Currently, there have been no confirmed cases in the state of Texas of the outbreak that was first identified in Wuhan, China.
As part of HISD’s due diligence to ensure campuses and facilities are safe and healthy, the district has trained staff who routinely monitor individuals who exhibit fever, cough, and shortness of breath. In this case, staff are also inquiring about recent personal travel.
Continue readingIn the course of just one day, Code Compliance team members receive a variety of calls — reports of broken elevators, overflowing trash receptacles, and even fire code violations.
But for the eight-member team, it’s all in a day’s work.
“It’s about life safety,” said Code Compliance Area Manager Anne Washington, who leads the team. “We’re behind the scenes, but our job is to make sure that we are in compliance with fire codes so that in an emergency, the staff and students can get out of the building safely.”
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