Security breach at HISD vendor compromises some employee data

The Houston Independent School District recently learned of a data breach that affected one of the district’s vendors, Medical Informatics Engineering (MIE). MIE is a medical records company that works with Concentra, which operates the district’s two onsite health clinics.

MIE has mailed letters to affected employees about the security breach, along with information about how to sign up for two years of free credit monitoring and identity restoration services.

Below is information employees need to know about the data breach and next steps to take. Continue reading →

HISD officials attend ‘Rethink School Discipline’ gathering at White House

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From left, Shadowbriar ES Principal Mark Samuel, Davis HS Principal Julissa Alcantar-Martinez, and HISD Chief Student Support Officer Mark Smith at the White House.

HISD representatives traveled to the White House on July 22 to participate in “Rethink School Discipline,” a convening on how to improve school discipline policies and practices. HISD Chief Student Support Officer Mark Smith, Davis High School Principal Julissa Alcantar-Martinez, and Shadowbriar Elementary School Principal Mark Samuel attended the conference.

Across the country, there is concern that zero-tolerance policies in schools are resulting in more student suspensions and expulsions, which places students on the streets when they should be learning in school. According to the Civil Rights Data Collection, more than 3 million students across the country are suspended or expelled every year.

“The convening was a great starting place to discuss the need for a change to the zero-tolerance approach to discipline,” Dr. Alcantar-Martinez said. “They prompted us to re-evaluate our code of conduct and to work with students to include their insight into discipline options at all levels. We plan to share with our peers and work toward exploring alternatives that keep kids in school, thus reducing suspensions.”

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North Houston Early College HS reaches building project milestone

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Construction crews work on the new North Houston Early College High School.

HISD’s North Houston Early College High School (NHECHS) reached a major milestone last week in the construction of its new building, as work crews began erecting steel columns and beams, taking the project into the vertical phase of construction.

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Wow! cards recognize Business Operations employees who put customer service first

HISD employees can receive Wow! cards for displays of excellent customer service.

HISD employees can receive Wow! cards for displays of excellent customer service.

HISD’s Business Operations department remains committed to spreading the culture of exceptional customer service across the district—so much that its employees are now being rewarded for going above and beyond.

As a part of the Service Excellence initiative, the department is now handing out WOW! cards to district employees who spread the message to promote a safe and caring learning environment. Through the initiative, the district is improving the customer service experience for students, parents, staff and community members.

Continue reading →

STEM fields come to life for ELL, migrant students at Rice

Twenty-eight students in HISD’s English Language Learner and migrant programs spent two weeks of their summer participating in hands-on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) activities at the STEM Leadership and Design Fabrication Academy at Rice University.

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The students, who attend Austin, Chávez, Davis, Furr, Kashmere, Liberty, Lee, Sam Houston, Sharpstown, and Waltrip high schools, got a taste of what careers in a STEM-related field could be like. Continue reading →

Come one, come all: Lanier MS opens debate camp to all middle-schoolers

Lanier Middle School’s debate team consistently is one of the top teams in the nation, and the team’s coach hopes to see the program expand to more middle schools.

Each year, Franz Hill holds summer camps for middle-school students interested in being a part of the debate team. This year, Hill opened the camp to students from all of the district’s middle schools, and the response was bigger than he expected.

“I let in about 34 kids each session, and had to turn people away,” Hill said. “The whole reason we opened it up to more students is because we want to see speech and debate grow in the Houston area. It shouldn’t be something that only students who go to a certain school get to do.” Continue reading →

Nutrition Services turning food waste into rich resource

HISD Nutrition Services is piloting a composting program to help local agriculture by recycling food leftovers. Last fall, the department selected the Gregory-Lincoln Education Center, Garden Oaks K-8 Montessori, and Briargrove Elementary to pilot the program, which will help HISD become even greener.

Dietitian Jennifer Lengyel manages the new initiative and is excited about Nutrition Services’ involvement in the program. “Compost soil has super nutrients,” said Lengyel. “Instead of food waste going to the landfill, now it will help grow more food.” Continue reading →

More teachers building connections between industry and classroom

Good teachers know how to inspire students by using the world around them. And that’s just what about 100 HISD educators have been doing this month through Teacher Externship Week, a program sponsored by Linked Learning in order to promote job-based education.

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Various industries agreed to host core curriculum teachers for a week so that the latter could acquire first-hand experience and insights into career paths. After shadowing employers, teachers will bring their newfound wisdom back to the classroom this fall. Externship locations included the Houston Public Library, the Federal Reserve Bank Cybersecurity branch, Memorial Hermann Hospital, and the Houston Fire Department, among others. Continue reading →

Summer reading camps keep students from falling behind

HISD’s Literacy by 3 initiative is getting aid from other Houston sources.

The Barbara Bush Houston Literacy Foundation has allied with the Houston Area Urban League to create several summer reading camps at various affordable housing communities in Houston, several of which serve HISD students.

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At those camps, volunteers read with children, discuss the books, and then guide the children in answering questions and writing out reflections. Each child takes home a packet of books to add to their personal libraries. Many of these children come from homes that do not have a surplus of reading material. Continue reading →

HIPPY parent turned home instructor describes experience as ‘great opportunity’

As fall approaches, the Family and Community Engagement Department is busy recruiting 15 part-time home instructors to work with the HIPPY program for the 2015–2016 school year. The program was recently awarded a $6.5 million grant from the Health and Human Services Texas Home Visiting program to expand to schools across the district, serving almost 1,400 families.

Home instructors play a vital role in delivering the program. Over 30 weeks, home instructors visit the parents of preschool-aged children, delivering research-based curriculum in reading, math, and science to ensure students are ready to start kindergarten and succeed in school. We spoke with Veronica Herrera, a former HIPPY parent turned home instructor, to find out more about the job. Continue reading →