Cherry Creek board hears expanded student health, mental-health services and program metrics

Cherry Creek School District student-health leaders on April 14 outlined a series of clinical, telehealth and mental-health initiatives the district says expanded access for students and families this school year.

The presentation to the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education emphasized three areas: clinical operations (nurses and school health clinics), student and family resource outreach (food, immunizations, vision and dental access, and Medicaid enrollment help) and mental-health services including teletherapy and prevention programs. "We do support all of our health clinics with our nurses, health liaisons, and students throughout each school community," said Jen Ellerbrooke, director of health services. "We are able to have a nurse in each of our K‑12 buildings to support student success."

The presenters said the district served 8,002 people through its clinics in the 2024 school year and administered more than 700 immunizations through partnerships with Arapahoe County Public Health and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Nicole Marr, assistant director of health services and leader of the student and family resource team, said the district piloted a Servicios de la Raza program to help families complete Medicaid applications; that effort yielded an 85% success rate in obtaining coverage for participating families. Marr also said a pilot of the I Love Care vision program served more than 400 students and provided multiple pairs of free glasses to eligible students.

Mental-health leaders described an array of prevention and intervention work. Dr. Andrew Russell, director of mental health services, said roughly 200 staff participate in the district mental-health team and that nearly 4,000 students with mental-health needs are served through individualized education programs (IEPs) and related supports. "Keeping kids safe is gonna come first for us," Russell said, noting the district has created more than 2,000 student safety plans since 2023 and is using new data platforms to track threat assessments and suicide‑risk reviews.

Assistant director Jay McQueen reported that the district's Hazel Health teletherapy partnership has engaged 741 students this academic year. McQueen also outlined grants that support social-emotional learning (SEL) and trauma-informed approaches: a Colorado Department of Education grant that placed SEL specialists in elementary schools and the Kaiser Thriving Schools RISE (Resilience in School Environments) grant administered with the nonprofit Resilient Futures.

Presenters pointed to other community partnerships and services: Chopper Toppers (dental outreach) visited 10 district schools; the Cherry Creek Schools Foundation supported a CCORE mobile market that organizers said sells out in roughly an hour; and the district's McKinney‑Vento homeless student identification and services team has grown from one staff member in 2020 to four plus two admissions staff, with the count of identified McKinney‑Vento students rising from 361 in 2020 to 1,205 this year.

Board members thanked the health team and asked clarifying questions about specific interventions. Director Allen praised the district's commitment to a nurse in every building and urged parents to use district resources such as Hazel Health. Director Egan asked staff to clarify MTSS (multi‑tiered systems of support) and noted progress on student sense of belonging; Diana Urich, coordinator of social and emotional learning, said districtwide student survey favorability rose in key areas and that schools are producing action plans tied to the data.

The presentation included examples of school-level interventions. A district official said one West elementary raised emotional‑regulation favorability by 6% after direct instruction and teacher use of playbook strategies coupled with student listening tours and focus groups. District staff emphasized that interventions are tailored through data, school leadership and community‑partner support.

Votes at a glance: At the same meeting the board approved procedural motions recorded on the transcript. A motion to remove two consent‑agenda items (Resolution 25.40.11, "Approval of lease agreement between Metro Pointe Venture LLC and Cherry Creek School District No. 5," and Resolution 25.40.18, "Approval to purchase Learning by Design Consulting LLC") was approved by roll call (Directors Allen, Egan and Garland voted aye). The board then approved the amended agenda and later approved the remainder of the consent agenda as read (transcript lists resolutions 25.401–25.41, 25.412–25.417 and 25.419). The record shows roll‑call aye votes by Directors Allen, Egan and Garland for the procedural approvals.

Why it matters: District leaders said the combined expansions in clinical care, teletherapy, grant‑funded SEL work and community partnerships are intended to reduce barriers that keep students from accessing education, health and safety supports. The McKinney‑Vento increases and clinic usage were cited as evidence of rising need and greater outreach activity.

The board meeting record shows the presentation prompted questions about local implementation details, and staff offered to bring additional information at study sessions and future meetings. The district scheduled its next regular business meeting for May 12, 2025, at Laredo Middle School.