“We are excited to see students in our hallways when school opens on Aug. 19,” says Dr. John Craft, superintendent. “Our caring and dedicated teachers, administrators, and staff are working hard to provide a safe, nurturing environment where all students can learn and thrive and reach their highest potential.”
With the start of the school year in less than a month, here are some helpful tips for parents and students as we prepare for a great school year.
District Calendars:
To stay informed about important dates and events throughout the school year, please refer to the district calendars. These calendars provide information on holidays, early release days, staff development days, and other significant events. Access the district calendars on the NISD Calendars page.
Registration:
All new Northside ISD students should register online by clicking the appropriate link. Additional registration and general enrollment information is also available on that webpage. Campus staff will be back from summer vacation and ready to assist with registration on July 29.
What school will your child attend?
NISD assigns students to schools according to the street address where the student resides. The Boundaries and Buses Information System will provide you with the name, address, and contact information of the schools serving your area.
Transfers:
If you are interested in a school choice transfer, apply by filling out an application at https://transferreq.nisd.net/TransferReq.nsf. The deadline for transfer requests for this school year is Aug. 4. For questions, contact the Office of Student Advocacy and School Choice (SASC) by emailing SASC@nisd.net or calling 210-397-8695.
Safety:
In Northside, the safety of our students and staff is one of our top priorities. We regularly review and revise our safety plans and procedures to enhance security. Keeping our schools safe requires continuous work and communication with our students, staff, and families. Our approach to safety focuses on three areas - our people, our facilities and technology, and our procedures. For more information, please visit our District safety webpage.
Student Badges:
We continue to add, update, and monitor a wide variety of security measures. High School students are required to wear their student badge and have it easily visible at all times. Middle School students are strongly encouraged to wear theirs to build a culture of badge-wearing. These additional security measures allow district staff to know who is authorized to be on campus.
Student Online Safety Measures
Northside ISD prioritizes student safety through various measures. To ensure academic compliance and security (as a requirement of the SCOPE Act), applications utilized by students undergo a thorough evaluation by a dedicated team. This evaluation ensures that students' apps, programs, and extensions align with educational goals. The District employs a Texas Data Privacy Agreement outlining specific student privacy standards and expectations. By requiring companies to sign an agreement, Northside establishes a shared understanding of responsibilities and expectations among all parties involved, ensuring digital security and safeguarding student information. Parents and guardians can access these approved resources on the Student Data Privacy Consortium website.
The District also uses Bark for Schools to monitor middle and high school students' online activities on district Google accounts. This AI tool detects cyberbullying, threats, predatory behavior, inappropriate content, and suicidal ideation and sends alerts to school staff for intervention. NISD and Bark prioritize privacy, monitoring only flagged communications. For more details, visit the Bark for Schools website.
Additionally, Northside ISD uses filtering tools to ensure students can only access age-appropriate materials online to comply with the Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA). Utilizing a filtering program allows the District to manage student access to approved applications and sites. This approach helps create a safer online environment for students to support their educational experience.
We will continue implementing best practices regarding student safety and outline those for parents and guardians on the Technology Student Data page on nisd.net
Student Attendance:
In-person attendance and engagement are critical to a student’s success in school and will be required. NISD does not provide virtual learning models or remote conferencing. Families are encouraged to work directly with their child’s school if they foresee issues with attendance.
Transportation:
Bus routes for the 2024-2025 school year will be available on Aug. 12 on the Buses and Boundaries Information System.
School Supplies:
School supply lists are available here. Elementary Schools are listed, and a few middle schools provide information; however, most middle schools will share supply needs with students during the first week of school. If you need assistance with school supplies, contact your campus counselors, who will return to their offices on July 29 for high school, Aug. 5 for middle schools, and Aug. 8 for elementary schools.
Meals:
Click here for 2024-2025 meal service information, free and reduced-price meal benefits, menus, resources, policies, and special dietary needs
Backpacks:
Backpacks will be allowed at all campuses, however individual schools may provide further guidance on which types are allowed. Refer to your child’s campus communication for more information.
Northside Threads
Northside Threads is a Clothes Closet created by the NISD Family Engagement Program and community volunteers to serve every campus and family in the District that needs clothing support. NISD families needing support can confidentially receive a referral from their school counselor to shop (at no cost) at the Clothes Closet. More details found here. If you are needing assistance, counselors will be back in school at the following times: Aug. 7 for high school, Aug. 14 for middle schools, and Aug. 17 for elementary schools.
Additional support services
NISD offers a whole host of support and wrap-around services to support all students. Click here for more information.