Hi Team,
This week we have two important messages- one about an Anti-Bully Survey for our 3-5 graders and the other is about a possible cell phone/smart device policy update in DPS for next year!
Help Us Stop Bullying
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This month, our 3-5 grade students will take a very short survey during the school day about bullying. We want to make sure our school is a safe and happy place for everyone.
Why this survey matters:
It keeps our school safe: The results help us understand if bullying is happening so that we can remedy it.
It helps us get funding: This survey makes sure we keep receiving grant money to support bully prevention programs.
Your student’s privacy:
The survey is confidential. This means names are not collected, and we only look at the "big picture" to see how the whole school is doing.
Your choices:
You can [click here] to read the survey questions. Students do not have to answer every question, and they don't have to take it if they don't want to.
If you do NOT want your child to take the survey, please contact Lauren Gourgues at lauren_gourgues@dpsk12.net by 12 p.m. on 4/27/26.
Thank you for helping us support our students!
Regards,
Lauren Gourgues,
School Psychologist
Update on the Communication Devices Advisory Committee's (CDAC) Recommendation
Dear DPS Community,
As required by Colorado HB25-1135, the Communication Devices Advisory Committee (CDAC) was formed to develop a recommendation of a new Board of Education policy outlining rules for student possession of communication devices (such as cell phones, headphones, smart watches, etc.) during the school day. The CDAC met seven times from January through March and worked closely with Board of Education Directors Marlene De La Rosa and Kimberlee Sia to develop their recommendation, which they presented to the entire Board of Education on Wednesday.
The Recommendation
The CDAC’s recommendation to the board is to set a policy restricting students in all grade levels from using cell phones and other communication devices between the first bell of the day to the last bell of the day (bell to bell). Access the CDAC recommendation presentation for more information about all of the considerations that went into the committee’s proposal.
Thank you to the committee members for your thoughtful and thorough engagement to produce a community-informed recommendation.
Next Steps Timeline
Public comment will be a standing item at the Board Work Sessions in May and June. If you would like to sign up for public comment to speak on the CDAC recommendation, visit board.dpsk12.org to sign up.
Sign-up is available online at 9 a.m. on Thursday before the scheduled Work Session & Public Comment meeting, and it will close at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday before the scheduled Work Session & Public Comment meeting.
April 23: The Board of Education will potentially do a first read of the policy.
May 1-15: A community survey will be open to the entire DPS community.
May 20: The Board of Education will potentially do a second read of the policy.
June 11: The Board of Education will vote on the policy.
July 1: Implementation of the policy.
August: Students, families, and staff will receive communications and resources with information about the final communication devices policy ahead of and during back-to-school season.
If you have questions, email CDAC.groups@dpsk12.net.
In Partnership,
Jeanna Doung
As always, we appreciate all those that have started to put your input into our survey. Please take a few minutes to share your voice via our confidential survey: Asbury Public Input Survey Link
