Principal's Safety Assurance Letter

Twin Oaks Elementary School
Angelica Barragan-Su, Principal
2024-25 School Year

The 2024-25 Comprehensive School Safety Plan was written by school administration and approved by the Twin Oaks Elementary School Site Council. It is designed to be a working document and to ensure policies and procedures for the safety of our students and staff are in place. Local law enforcement and city officials are regularly consulted to assist the administration in designing safety, disaster and behavior plans. 

Three essential components were addressed when writing the plan and strategies to ensure that components in place are listed in the following order: 

1. Assuring a Safe Physical Environment
2. Characteristics of Students and Staff
3. School Culture

Assuring a Safe Physical Environment

• Disaster plan, procedures and drills are designed and rehearsed to ensure the safety of all students in the event of a disaster or armed intruder.
  
• Emergency containers in each classroom contain supplies in case of an emergency.
  
• An Emergency Response Crisis Management system has been instituted. Adults on campus have been assigned to teams in the event of an emergency.
  
• California Education Code and SMUSD Board Policies regarding behavior, suspension and expulsion are communicated to students, parents, and staff via parent handbooks, behavior assemblies and staff meetings.
  
• Mandated reporting policies on child abuse, dangerous students, and sexual harassment are presented verbally and in written form to all members of the staff prior to the school year.
  
• School discipline plans are communicated to students during the opening week of school and provide students with an understanding of the school rules as well as rewards and consequences.
  
• Visitor policies are communicated and visitors are required to sign in out of the office using our Complete Campus Security System to protect the safety of all students. Student checkout procedures are enforced for anyone picking up a child from school prior to dismissal. 
  
• An observation policy is provided to all parents who wish to observe in their child's classroom.
  
• Twin Oaks is a closed campus. The campus is close to unauthorized adults before, during, and after school.

Characteristics of Students and Staff

• Twin Oaks Elementary is home to 674 students in grades PK-5th and 113 staff members. We are proud to host three sections of a moderate/severe special days classes for grades TK-5. Our student population consists of approximately 20% English Language Learners and 50% socio-economically disadvantaged students.
• Assistance is provided to those students determined by the Student Success Team to be at-risk and need social- emotional support by the school social worker or school psychologist.
• Reading Intervention aides, led by our Teacher on Special assignment, support students who are in need of academic support.
• Student awards foster positive character traits, manners and citizenship.
• Students participate in Second Step lessons focusing on essential human skills like, compassion, empathy, problem-solving and setting goals. 
• Students are educated in the forms of bully behaviors and how to stand up to bullying. We encourage students to be The One who helps others.
• Our social worker provides short-term counseling for students who are crisis. Our School Psychologist provides more intensive support, long-term support to develop social skills and coping strategies. 
• 5th Grade students participate in Identity Day where they share their individual talents and interest.

School Culture

• Social Justice Standards have been adopted and used as the focus for our character education program.
• Our entire school participates in SMUSD's only Dual Immersion program, focusing on the Three Pillars of Dual Language: Biliteracy/Bilingualism, High Levels of Academic Achievement and Sociocultural Competence.
• Quarterly Family Fridays are conducted where parents receive a free book to read to their children centered around a Social Justice standard.
• The school's leadership team meets monthly to ensure students' safety, emotional, and academic needs.
• Students are encouraged to participate in Acts of Service, many of which are student created.
• Ability Awareness Week is scheduled during the year to provide information to all students about disabilities such as autism, speech or visual impairments, physical disabilities, etc. Our goal is to focus on the abilities people possess rather than their disabilities.
• Special education students are mainstreamed in general education to the greatest extent possible. A reverse mainstream program is in place in our pre-K special education programs.
• A Peer Mentoring program pairs general education students with our special education students.

The above policies are in place at Twin Oaks Elementary in order to create an environment where children feel safe, secure and have the ability to learn every day.