Dallas ISD superintendent considers dropping mask mandate

DALLAS - The Dallas ISD superintendent is once again talking about dropping the district's mask mandate — but not any time soon.

Superintendent Michael Hinojosa did a similar community road trip in his first year as superintendent. Now in his final year, he is doing the same. But there’s also some COVID news.

Hinojosa is setting a timeline for when the mask mandate will be lifted. 

The community conversation Tuesday at Seagoville High School is one of 12 stops. 

It was also Hinojosa’s first community event since announcing his retirement. 

The goal is to hear from the public and to highlight the journey Dallas ISD has been on and the successes beyond the classroom. 

The last two school years have been clouded by the pandemic. The omicron surge is taking a sharp decline in Dallas County and North Texas. 

Hinojosa said he plans on lifting the mandate after spring break, which is on March 14.

"We were single digits in teachers yesterday, and the students are not much higher. So it looks like we are finally in a good place," he said. "I am targeting the end of spring break to make masks voluntary. But if the county changes their decision, we may revisit things earlier because there’s been so much cooperation from people. We got to be reasonable about how to move forward."

Hinojosa said despite statewide teacher retention dropping due to the pandemic, Dallas ISD not losing many teachers. 

The next conversation will be next Tuesday at South Oak Cliff High School.