Aug. 13, 2024
Office of General Counsel Accomplishments and Reflection
Dear DPS Community,
As we look forward to a new school year, I want to recognize the exceptional dedication and skill demonstrated by our Office of General Counsel this past school year.
We took significant steps to protect our students and community by proactively litigating essential issues. Adopting a proactive litigation strategy was a new goal for our office. Our engagement in this litigation will positively impact our students, the community and the District. As a recap, we joined a nationwide mass tort social media litigation to reduce harm from student exposure to predatory social media companies. We also drafted an amicus brief supporting the Attorney General's quest for sensible gun regulation. These efforts reflect our commitment to defending our students from harms on and off campus and are representative of the District’s willingness to advocate for broader societal changes impacting our student’s mental health and safety.
Our collaboration with the Attorney General’s Office in the Juul tobacco litigation also bore fruit this year, resulting in the District securing $1.5 million in settlement funds. This significant financial recovery underscores the effectiveness of our proactive legal strategy and the General Counsel Office’s role in navigating complex legal landscapes for our student’s benefit.
In addition the Office of the General Counsel:
Made significant strides in supporting our employees and ensuring compliance with new laws and regulations.
Played a vital role in addressing employee needs, advising on 68 requests for ADA reasonable accommodations.
provided employment training sessions for our Office of Talent, Investigations, and Culture, Equity, and Leadership (CELT) teams.
Enjoyed tremendous success developing and providing training outside of the employment context this year. This work included developing and administering data privacy training, mandatory reporter training, cybersecurity training, and Title IX training.
Reviewed, revised, and negotiated 363 contracts, up from 339 last year and 286 the year before.
Handled 527 Colorado Open Records Act (CORA) requests this year, marking a 5% increase from the previous year. This demonstrates our unwavering commitment to transparency and accountability. Our ability to manage this increased volume of requests effectively reflects the diligence and responsiveness of our team in providing timely and accurate information to the public.
These efforts demonstrate our commitment to fostering a supportive and legally compliant work environment for our entire DPS community of learners.
This year has been marked by significant achievements that have strengthened our standing and defense of our students. Our comprehensive complaints handling, proactive litigation efforts, and extensive training initiatives reflect the legal department's dedication to excellence and directly contribute to advancing the District's mission and goals.
I want to thank our attorneys for their hard work and dedication to protecting the rights of our students. Your exceptional skills and unwavering commitment have been instrumental in our achievements this year. We have made remarkable strides and set a strong foundation for continued success.
In celebration,
Aaron Thompson
General Counsel