DOJ Agreement
On March 7, 2018, School District 49 received official word from the U.S. Department of Justice notifying us of our release from an active monitoring agreement that began in late 2014. Essentially this means District 49 meets and exceeds all of the standards outlined in a cooperative effort with the DOJ to establish a culture that reflects the core values of D49 while addressing all past concerns relating to harassment and discrimination of protected classes (e.g., race, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, etc.). We recorded a number of benchmark accomplishments on this journey.
- Prepared and filed 1 semi-annual and 3 annual monitoring reports with the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division
- Developed Board of Education Approved Restorative Practices framework implemented at all district levels
- Earned a DoDEA Grant to support the social-emotional needs of the district’s military-connected students
- Participated in school conduct and discipline improvement effort with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office
- Presented on restorative practices at National Youth At-Risk Conference in Savannah, GA and at the National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships Conference in Washington, DC among others
- Hosted DOJ representatives for performance review
We understand the successful resolution of the DOJ agreement does not mean our work is finished. We are committed to the continued improvement of our culture and climate, living up to our vision of being the best place to learn, work and lead.
An emotionally safe and caring culture is the heart of the Capturing Kids’ Hearts program. That environment is seen every day at Ridgeview Elementary School, and it’s the commitment of staff that earned the school a Capturing Kids’ Hearts National Showcase School Award for the 2017-18 school year.
Falcon Middle School ambassadors welcomed fellow classmates to school March 14 with kindness and a lesson in inclusion. Instead of a walkout, on a day when students across the nation were protesting against school violence, Firebird Nation student leaders orchestrated a “walk up.”
The Sources of Strength is national and international training program that teaches prevention for suicide, violence, bullying and substance abuse by training, supporting, and empowering both peer leaders and caring adults to impact their world through the power of connection, hope, help and strength. Freshman Jordan Fouschi, 16, says the program helps students thought tough times and that "they'll know they're not alone and that it's not going to last forever."
District 49 has earned recognition as a peak performing organization from Rocky Mountain Performance Excellence (RMPEx). D49 is only the tenth organization to earn the highest award from RMPEx and the first school district in the 18-year history of the program. As a three-state regional association of the national Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, RMPEx uses industry best-practice criteria to evaluate and recognize organizational leadership, and excellence in operations and results.