As we develop and implement strategies to meet the goals outlined in DPS Thrives: A Strategic Roadmap to the Denver Public Schools Experience, we envision a new DPS experience. An experience that centers our students, with an intentional commitment to our marginalized students, while also elevating the experience of our adults. One that recognizes the role of systems in creating equity in education and justice in society. One that will turn our vision that Every Learner Thrives into a reality.

As part of the 2022 state complaint surrounding special education affective needs (AN) center programs, the Exceptional Student Services (ESS) team created an AN Advisory Committee which started in April 2023 and is led by the Department of Special Education and the Department of Mental Health.

The purpose of the AN Advisory Committee is to provide community and staff input on the direction and actions for DPS central and school teams to take in each subsequent school year as a result of the Corrective Action Plan (CAP) and findings that there is a disproportionate identification, placement and student experience, especially for Black boys in AN centers.

The group meets monthly during the school year and is comprised of DPS employees, parents/guardians/family members of students enrolled in AN Centers, community members and advocacy organizations.

In order to have a diverse and representative AN Advisory Committee, in January to March of 2023, we first organized a selection committee. The AN Selection Committee had representatives from the ESS team, other central office teams, members from our community groups including Advocacy Denver, DAC, BFAC, and DPS parents/guardians. The selection committee created the application, reviewed applications, and made final recommendations of who will sit on the AN Advisory Council.