Category Archives: Business Operations

Transportation Services begins bus badge distribution

HISD Transportation Services began distributing personalized badges this week to HISD student bus riders as part of the district’s Student Badge Program.

Badge distribution began Thursday, Oct. 18 and Friday, Oct. 19 for a 22-school pilot group with general distribution across the district set to begin on Monday, Oct. 22.

The 22-school pilot group includes: Elmore, Herod, Lockhart, Parker, and River Oaks elementary schools; Woodson PK-5; Fondren, Pershing and West Briar middle schools; Carnegie Vanguard, Chavez, Lamar, Waltrip, Westbury, and Westside high schools; DeBakey High School for Health Professions, Mandarin Immersion Magnet School; Houston Academy for International Studies, Gregory-Lincoln Educational Center, Baylor College of Medicine Academy at Ryan; Mickey Leland College Preparatory Academy for Young Men; and High School for Law and Justice. Continue reading →

Hilliard ES holds grand re-opening celebration

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The atmosphere was festive and joyful at Hilliard Elementary School on Thursday morning, as students and staff gathered to welcome guests, and celebrate the grand re-opening of their beloved campus, which was heavily damaged last year in Hurricane Harvey.

Hilliard students and staff spent last school year at the former Fonwood Early Childhood Center to allow crews time to repair and renovate their flood-damaged campus. The school officially moved back to their refurbished building over the summer, in time for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

“We are so excited to be on our home campus,” Hilliard Principal Erika Kimble said. “We are back, and we are thriving.”

Since Hurricane Harvey, the school — including all classrooms, the library, and the gym — has been completely restored, as have the campus grounds. Additionally, a new retention pond and extensive storm drainage system have been added to prevent future flooding. Continue reading →

Transportation launching new tool for parents to track their child on HISD school buses

Transportation Services is introducing a new student badge program that will allow parents to track when and where their students board and depart HISD school buses.

Beginning, Oct. 29, students who are eligible for bus transportation service will use a personalized badge that must be scanned when they enter and exit their school bus.

“As we rectify some of the bus issues we have encountered this school year, this badge program will help to ease parents’ tensions,” said John Wilcots IV, interim general manager of Transportation Services. “They will know exactly when their child boards and exits the bus to go to school in the morning and the same at the end of the school day when they go home.” Continue reading →

HISD to emphasize good food during National School Lunch Week

Nutrition Services will mark National School Lunch Week with cafeteria-decorating contests, Lucky Lunch Tray giveaways, and a behind-the-scenes cafeteria media tour to showcase the work that goes into making and serving good food.

With a theme of “Level Up with a Healthy Lunch,” National School Lunch Week provides the perfect opportunity to highlight the mission of Nutrition Services – providing students with access to good food that is simple, wholesome, colorful, and made with locally sourced ingredients.

The week is observed nationally from Oct. 15 to 19. Continue reading →

New Bellaire HS design unveiled to community members

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Community members gathered in the Bellaire High School auditorium to witness the unveiling of the new school building’s design.

Bellaire’s $132 million project is a part of the 2012 Bond Program. The new building will feature a new three-story academic wing – containing classroom and administrative spaces – along with multiple flexible learning areas for group collaboration, library with makerspace, two gymnasiums, and an exterior courtyard.

“I think the renderings are amazing,” Bellaire Principal Michael McDonough said. “When you see the shared spaces, you think community, and when the students are together as a community, it invigorates school pride.”

Continue reading →

YWCPA celebrates grand opening of new building addition, renovations

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Chants of “maroon-white, maroon-white, fight-fight,” echoed throughout the atrium of the Young Women’s College Preparatory Academy as cheerleaders joined with members of the choir to kick off the school’s Grand Opening celebration on Thursday.

The event paid tribute not just to the completion of major renovations on the campus, but also to the school’s Student Creed, which focuses on pushing boundaries to achieve educational excellence, and the importance of sisterhood.

“This whole area — the atrium — is my favorite,” YWPCA senior Kaylyn Steward said, gesturing to the room in which the ceremony was held. “This whole project is just a reminder of why I am in this journey. The renovations really just bring it all home for me and let me know that I really am here for a reason. I am destined for greatness.” Continue reading →

HISD PD hosts ‘National Night Out’ against neighborhood crime

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Music, laughter, and cheers filled the courtyard at Marshall Middle Academy of Fine Arts on Tuesday as students, employees, and community members participated in the HISD Police Department’s National Night Out celebration.

National Night Out is an annual event that aims to make neighborhoods safer by strengthening relationships between community members and police departments. HISD Police honored the day with a free public celebration, which featured local vendors and organizations, music, food, and appearances from emergency personnel.

“NNO is just a festive day. We host these events because we want our communities to feel relaxed in their neighborhoods,” HISD Chief Police Paul Cordova said. “We want them to collaborate on how to solve problems, meet each other, meet us, and feel comfortable.”

Continue reading →

New Kinder HSPVA nears completion, set to open in January

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Construction on the new Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts is almost complete and scheduled to open at the start of 2019.

Kinder HSPVA’s $88 million project, which is part of the Houston Independent School District’s voter-approved 2012 Bond Program, is scheduled to open to students during first quarter of 2019.

Installation of building technology and system setup is currently underway, with furniture delivery slated to begin next month. Crews are now focused on finishing punch list items and finalizing the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems. Continue reading →

HISD PD offers employees implicit bias training courses

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In an effort to reduce opportunities for discriminatory perceptions, the Houston Independent School District Police Department is now offering its employees training on implicit bias.

The implicit bias training is meant to expose participants to their unconscious biases and offer information on how to eliminate those perceptions.

The two-day training kicked off in September at police headquarters and was led by Epic Collaborative Advisors, a consulting firm. Department leaders discussed how to interact with stakeholders and make better decisions when working with a variety of people out in the field.

Continue reading →

Lamar HS construction passes halfway mark

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Construction at Lamar High School made steady progress over the summer, positioning the $129.2 million state-of-the art learning facility to surpass 50 percent completion this month.

Work on the exterior walls, roofing, window frames, and glass is in progress, along with installation of interior wall framing, drywall, door frames, and mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems.

Structural steel erection and concrete floor deck installation, the gymnasium, and natatorium are complete, and permanent power is expected to be connected by the end of the month. Continue reading →