Legal Counsel

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Mary Kay Klimesh
General Counsel
303-387-0070 
Wendy Jacobs
Deputy General Counsel
303-387-0070
Brian Condon
Deputy General Counsel
303-387-0070
Ioana Marin
Paralegal
303-387-0032
Lisa Bolstad
Administrative Assistant
303-387-0074






For any legal questions, concerns, or other matters, please email us at [email protected]

Legal Counsel provides, manages, and coordinates all legal services for the Douglas County School District, representing the Board of Education, Superintendent and District administrators.

Our Focus

Legal Counsel strives to continually serve Douglas County employees, students, parents and community in these three areas:

Confidence
Providing trusted, objective and confidential advice and legal representation to the leaders of the Douglas County School District in matters ranging from truancy cases to the defense of DCSD’s policies.

Integrity
Making sure that our actions reflect our values, by ensuring legal compliance across all District operations. This also diminishes potential liability.

Advocacy
Advocating for the best interests of our students. In concert with the District’s lobbyist, Legal Counsel works to write policies that support the work of our employees and students, while also pushing for new laws at the local, state and national level that coincide with the values and efforts of the Douglas County School District.

Our Role

While the role of Legal Counsel varies from day to day, the following is a list of topics we handle or have influence in:

  • Ethics Policy Compliance
  • School Board Operations
  • Open Public Meetings Act Compliance
  • Litigation Management and Tort Claims
  • Facilities and Capital Projects
  • Contracting and Procurement
  • District and School Operations
  • Policy and Procedure Development and Compliance
  • Property Management & Property Sales
  • Legislative Analysis
  • Labor and Employment Issues
  • Educational Operations Issues
  • Student 504 Accommodation
  • Special Education
  • Student Issues
  • Public Records and Student Records Compliance
  • Risk Management (Risk and Loss Prevention)
  • District Safety and Security
  • Constitutional Issues
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In compliance with Titles VI & VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and Colorado law, the Douglas County School District RE-1 does not unlawfully discriminate against otherwise qualified students, employees, applicants for employment, or members of the public on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, religion, ancestry, or need for special education services. Discrimination against employees and applicants for employment based on age, genetic information, and conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth is also prohibited in accordance with state and/or federal law. Complaint procedures have been established for students, parents, employees, and members of the public. The School District's Compliance Officer and Title IX Coordinator to address complaints alleging sexual harassment under Title IX is Aaron Henderson, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, [email protected], 303-387-0127.

Outside Agencies

Complaints regarding violations of Title VI, (race, national origin), Title IX (sex, gender), Section 504/ADA (handicap or disability), may be filed directly with the Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, 1244 North Speer Blvd., Suite 310, Denver, CO 80204. Complaints regarding violations of Title VII (employment) and the ADEA (prohibiting age discrimination in employment) may be filed directly with the Federal Office of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 303 E. 17th Ave., Suite 510, Denver, CO 80202, or the Colorado Civil Rights Commission, 1560 Broadway, Suite 1050, Denver, CO 80202.

NOTICE OF DESTRUCTION OF SPECIAL EDUCATION RECORDS

Special Education records which have been collected by Douglas County School District related to the identification, evaluation, educational placement, or the provision of special education in the district, must be maintained under state and federal laws for the period of five (5) years after special education services have ended for the student. Special education services end when the student is no longer eligible for services, graduates, or completes his/her educational program at age 21, or moves from the district. This notification is to inform parents/guardians and former students of Douglas County School District's intent to destroy the special education records of students who exited special education services as of June 30, 2016. These records will be destroyed in accordance with state law unless the parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student notifies the school district otherwise. After five years, the records are no longer useful to the district, but may be useful to the parent/guardian or former student in applying for social security benefits, rehabilitation services, college entrance, etc. The parent/guardian or eligible (adult) student may request a copy of the records by requesting the records at this link ( Douglas County School District Transcripts and Records Requests ).