Last February, Turlock Unified School District notified Keyes Union Elementary School District that they would be returning the responsibility of their two TK-2 autism classes to Keyes Elementary School due to significant overcrowding and a shortage of staff. Although a two-year notice to return such a program is typically given according to SELPA policy, we were given only nine months to prepare. Having lost our regionalized provider, KUSD was forced to quickly find placement for these students, while experiencing staffing challenges of its own.

Soon after that, the Stanislaus County Office of Education got involved. Hearing about the challenges facing Keyes, they volunteered to staff the two displaced classes if Keyes could provide the location. The offer was accepted, and after fine-tuning our facilities, we started the 2025-26 school year with two new autism classes on our Keyes Elementary School campus, each with its own off-site SCOE principal who would manage their classroom remotely. With the county’s support and the focused leadership of KES administration and teachers, these new students would join our population of 475 general education students and become a part of our Keyes Elementary School community.

But it wasn’t a seamless process. From one day to the next, Keyes Elementary School would have a special education population of 15.5 percent, one of the highest in Stanislaus County. Understandably, many stakeholders had questions about their individual responsibilities and those that would be shared, despite strong, intentional planning.

From a managerial perspective, concerns about staffing, attendance, and communication were at the forefront. Would Keyes Elementary School provide substitutes when SCOE teachers and paraprofessionals were out sick? Would KES provide SCOE teachers with a prep period and include their classes in our PE schedule? Who would handle discipline with three different principals? How would attendance be taken if neither KES nor SCOE classes have access to each other’s attendance platforms? And whose responsibility would it be to ensure that breaks, lunches, and coverage would happen correctly?

Veteran special education teachers Susan Navarrette and Cynthia Ruiz had different concerns. Would the general education staff at Keyes Elementary School be accepting of their new SCOE population and would mainstreaming be met with resistance? How would the KES after-school program staff monitor SCOE students who enroll in the after-school program, and how would bathrooms and toileting work with KES’s limited bathroom facilities? All stakeholders were justifiable in their concerns.

But long before students arrived on the first day of school, our goal for the union between KUSD and SCOE was one of inclusivity. We wanted our SCOE students, parents, and teachers to feel like they were part of our KES family despite being under the umbrella of the county. But to do so, we would spend the next several months vigorously determining each of our individual responsibilities and those that we would share. It was as if we were given a blank Venn diagram and we were filling it in daily as we discovered what worked and how responsibilities would be distributed.

What ended up developing was a true model of collaboration. Instead of getting bogged down with the minutia of management, obstacles were met with compassion and efficiency by all stakeholders. Now, seven months later, SCOE students seamlessly mainstream into general education classrooms daily, SCOE teachers routinely train after-school staff on appropriate procedures for working with autistic children, and SCOE students regularly attend field trips with general education classes and teachers. On top of that, all KUSD district personnel have been trained in autism awareness, and many wear lanyards with visual cues to help our new students communicate and regulate their emotions.

“Having worked with different schools in different districts, my experience with mainstreaming and inclusion wasn’t always the best,” Ruiz says. “I was used to having uncomfortable conversations with gen ed teachers when my students weren’t being included.” But this wasn’t the case at KES. From the onset, teachers were excited to play a role in mainstreaming. Teachers would take students by the hand and walk them to and from class during mainstreaming time. “Not only did students do wonderfully,” she said, “but they also had sensory supports just in case.” Navarrette cites the amazing support of her TK general ed counterparts at Keyes Elementary and the program’s benefit to the general education population as well. “It’s about bringing awareness and sensitivity to the fact that we are all unique learners, and that each of us processes information in our own unique way,” she said.

Now, with seven months of school completed, no one would know there was a “school within a school” at Keyes Elementary. Alicia Heckinger, SCOE principal and director of Special Programs, described it best, saying, “Our relationship is a powerful reminder of what happens when a school community leads with heart, flexibility, and teamwork. Hosting an autism population isn’t always easy, but when we work together like this ­— with trust and genuine care — the results are nothing short of inspiring.”

Kristy Mabee, SCOE principal and program director, said, “Although this is our first experience with Keyes Elementary School, the collaboration and support we’ve received has been exceptional.” She cites the help of all Keyes Union School District staff, from the superintendent to the custodial staff for ensuring, classrooms and facilities are appropriate. “This partnership has been such a positive and collaborative experience,” she said. “I only wish every new classroom could start out this way.”

As principal of Keyes Elementary School, I’m proud to say that our partnership with the Stanislaus County Office of Education has truly been one of inclusivity, collaboration, and support. We still have to address a concern here and there, of course, but I’m happy to say that our once empty Venn diagram has filled in nicely, with the respect, understanding, and gratitude of everyone involved. Every one of us is proud of the relationship we’ve created and the extended family we’ve become.