Discipline Matrix

Dear DPS Community,

After many months of meeting with a variety of stakeholders and adopting input and suggestions from school leaders and members of the community, Denver Public Schools is releasing the revised Discipline Matrix as part of the Denver Public Schools Long-Term Safety Plan. The Discipline Matrix is designed to be a quick reference guide for schools that refines the DPS student discipline policy and regulation to make the implementation of discipline easier and equitable across the district.

Some of the changes to the DPS Discipline Matrix include:

The addition of a seventh level allowing for more specific details and supports to encompass each offense;
Special education considerations;
Providing alternatives to suspensions;

The matrix does not set the rules around when a student is allowed to re-enroll following an expulsion. For this, Denver Public Schools follows C.R.S. § 22-33-105, which limits the period of expulsion or denial of admission to one year. After that year, the student’s boundary or neighborhood school cannot deny admission. When students return following an expulsion, plans are put in place to support the safety of the student and the staff and students at that school.

One of the primary goals of the redrafting process is to provide additional clarity for building discipline leaders, as well as parents, caregivers and other community members whose students may experience discipline or be impacted by events where discipline may be imposed.

We would like to thank those who served on the Discipline Matrix Committee last year and were engaged in our ongoing commitment to having safe and welcoming schools. The feedback you provided was crucial in shaping the direction and function of the revised Discipline Matrix.

In collaboration,

Dr. Alex Marrero
Superintendent