New Year, New Team: Introducing Student Affairs Service Team at DSST

Welcome to the 25-26 school year. This year brings a welcome update to both the DEI and the Culture and Student Experience team. We have combined to become the Student Affairs Service Team. Our Student Affairs team is now 14 members, which includes Mental Health and Social Work, Athletics, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Culture and Student Experiences. Our members include:

• Dr. Aaron J. Griffen – Chief Student Affairs Office
• Mercedes Blea-Davis - Senior Manager of Diversity and Belonging
• Salvador Ramirez - Senior Manager Of Equity, Inclusion, Strategy And Implementation
• Dr. Grant Erwin – Vice President of Culture and Student Affairs
• Sam Lapres – Director of Mental Health
• Jesse Heaton – Senior Manager of Culture
• Donovan – Senior Manager of Culture
• Logan Clark- Network Social Worker
• Jylo Buckman – Network Dean
• Sarah Goldstein – Senior Manager of Mental Health
• Tori Ciucci-Walley - Manager Of Comprehensive Health & Social Emotional Learning
• Megan Casimir - Healing As Liberation Youth Leadership Project Program Manager
• Chloe Randall – Network Social Worker
• Jawuan Allen – Project Coordinator
• Mike Perez – Athletic Director

We have set some ambitious goals this year to help us achieve our new 85% student persistence (formerly known as retention) goal. We want students to persist to each grade. We want to keep our students so that they can benefit from the access and opportunities we provide. 

Athletics:

Our dedicated team of Athletic Directors works tirelessly to support our student-athletes and programs across all DSST campuses.

Last year was a record-setting one for DSST Athletics. Participation reached an all-time high, and multiple teams advanced to district, regional, and state championships. Our student-athletes and coaches earned outstanding recognition, highlighted by seven league championships in nine sports offered, our first-ever state championship and four Coach of the Year awards. We also strengthened our community partnerships while continuing to foster our culture of character, competition, and community.

Our athletics goals for the 2025–2026 school year include:

• Ongoing support of the Network’s Big 5 Goals.
• Using athletics as motivation for many of our students to increase college readiness and academic performance.
• Retaining and developing transformational talent across the network, as many of our staff also coach and find joy in leading teams.
• Cultivating joyful, high-demand schools by promoting athletics and enhancing school culture.

With a strong foundation and a clear vision, DSST Athletics is ready for another year of growth, achievement, and pride.

Culture:

Our DSST Culture and Student Experience team remains deeply committed to ensuring every student can thrive—both personally and academically—at school. The team is led by Network Dean Jyleo Buckmon, Senior Managers Jesse Heaton and Carrie Donovan, and Sam LaPres, our Director of Culture and Mental Health.

This past year, we are proud of the progress we made to support our priority schools, strengthen attendance, and elevate the overall student experience. Several of our priority schools achieved some of the most significant MGP gains across the network, reflecting remarkable growth in just one year. Our network’s attendance rate was two percentage points higher than DPS, despite serving a higher percentage of FRL-eligible students. And, importantly, the most improved results from our student experience survey aligned with our priorities: students reported feeling a stronger sense of belonging, being recognized for positive contributions, experiencing high expectations from teachers, feeling safe, and learning in classrooms with fewer disruptions.

Our culture priorities for the 2025–2026 school year are to:

• Raise attendance, with a network goal of 89%.
• Increase the pride and joy students feel at school.
• Embed restorative practices into all aspects of our culture.
• Strengthen the advisory learning space.
• Enhance supports for students requiring Tier 2 and Tier 3 behavioral interventions.

Mental Health:

As we begin the 2025–2026 school year, we are excited to reintroduce our dedicated Mental Health Providers (social workers) who work tirelessly to support the social, emotional and behavioral well-being of students across all DSST campuses.

Last year was a year of growth and impact for DSST Mental Health. Our providers partnered with schools to ensure students received critical supports, responded to crises with compassion and expertise, and collaborated with families and staff to foster safe, supportive learning environments. Together, we strengthened our commitment to equity, access and care for all students.

Our mental health goals for the 2025–2026 school year include:

• 100% of Mental Health Providers make growth on individual SMART goals created with their school-based coach.
• 100% compliance on timelines for IEPs, 504s, Safety Protocols, and Documentation, with 80% of audited IEPs, 504s, and Safety Protocols meeting quality expectations.
• 100% of MHPs consistently progress monitor IEPs/504s, Postvention Plans, and General Education Counseling Plans.
• Maintain ISS rates below 9% and OSS rates below 3%, with less than 0.5% disproportionality between groups.
• Achieve 95% completion of BESS with a 3% decrease in elevated/extremely elevated scores by Spring 2025
• Ensure 16/16 schools meet their average daily attendance goal.

Building on our momentum from last year, our DSST Mental Health is ready for another year of meaningful support, collaboration, and impact.

If you have any questions about the team restructure, please reach out to Dr. Aaron Griffen.