After the deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, school districts in North Texas handled today's inauguration in various different ways.
Some districts, including Plano, opted to not show the livestream of the inauguration to students. In a statement, the Plano ISD said the decision was made in part to protect students from quote "unforeseen disruption." The Keller ISD said decisions about airing the swearing-in were handled on each campus, and parents had the choice to opt their students out.
Other districts, like the Dallas ISD, gave teachers the resources they needed to watch the historic event live. DISD Director of Social Studies Shalon Bond says it's important to watch history unfold in real-time.
"We're really excited about the opportunity for our students to engage in their civic duty," Bond said, adding that students have also been discussing the events of Jan. 6. "The inauguration during these unprecedented times is just a really great opportunity for students to make deeper connections with the content that they're learning and current events happening in our nation.
The Frisco and Mesquite ISDs allowed livestreaming of the swearing-in ceremony, as well.
"Though we are teaching in a politically charged climate, we don't want to deny our students the opportunity to witness an American political tradition that is essential to democracy and only occurs every four years," Mesquite ISD's Social Studies Coordinator Daniel Norwood said in a statement.
Despite allowing the event to be livestreamed, the Mesquite ISD did take extra safety precautions today just in case things became unruly.
