Attorney General Steve Marshall today announced winners of the 2019 Safe Schools Initiative Awards. This year, the program was expanded to include three awards for highest excellence in school safety as well as certificates of special recognition for schools building a culture for school safety. These new categories are in addition to the traditional safe school awards for each public school district and for a private school.
“The safety of our schoolchildren is a vital matter foremost in all of our minds and hearts, and this year we have enhanced the Safe Schools Initiative Awards to encourage and honor more of those who have implemented strong programs to protect our students, teachers and other staff,” said Attorney General Marshall. “These schools have developed innovative programs and taken practical, effective steps to combat the threat of violence that has become a terrible part of our modern society. Their dedication and resolve to provide a safe haven for learning is an inspiration to us all.”
On November 26, 2019, a panel of independent judges reviewed submissions from a total of 124schools from throughout Alabama and selected the following winners.
For the Attorney General’s 2019 Safe Schools Award of Excellence, one public school with the top overall score was selected from the North, Central and South regions of Alabama. Attorney General Marshall will visit each school to present the award in person. The winners are North Region: Decatur Middle School, Decatur; Central Region: Westlawn Middle School, Tuscaloosa; and South Region: Orange Beach Elementary School, Orange Beach.
For the Attorney General’s 2019 Safe SchoolsAward, one public school with the top score was selected for each of the eight state public school districts and one private school statewide. The winners are District 1: Pleasant Home School, Andalusia; District 2: Loachapoka High School, Loachapoka; District 3: Shades Mountain Elementary School, Hoover; District 4: Northridge Middle School, Tuscaloosa; District 5; Prattville Junior High School,Prattville; District 6: Austin High School, Decatur; District 7: Forest Hills Elementary, Florence; District 8: Discovery Middle School, Madison; and private school: Lee-Scott Academy, Auburn. Attorney General Marshall will visit these schools to present the awards in person.
The following schools will receive the Attorney General’s2019 Certificate of Building a Culture for School Safety:
District 1:Foley Intermediate School, Foley Peter F. Alba Middle School, Bayou La Batre W.J. Carroll Intermediate School, Daphne
District 2: Creekside Elementary School, Auburn Opelika High School, Opelika Opelika Middle School, Opelika Wrights Mill Road Elementary School, Auburn
District 3:Chelsea Middle School, Chelsea Chilton County High School, Clanton Clanton Elementary School, Clanton Clanton Intermediate School, Clanton Clanton Middle School, Clanton Creek View Elementary School, Alabaster Jemison Elementary School, Jemison Jemison High School, Jemison Jemison Intermediate School, Jemison Jemison Middle School, Jemison Mt. Laurel Elementary School, Birmingham Oak Mountain Middle School, Birmingham Pelham Oaks Elementary School, Pelham Pinecrest Elementary School, Sylacauga R.F. Bumpus Middle School, Hoover Sylacauga High School, Sylacauga Thompson High School, Alabaster Thompson Intermediate School, Alabaster Trace Crossings Elementary School, Hoover Verbena High School, Verbena
District 4:Central High School, Tuscaloosa The Alberta School of Performing Arts, Tuscaloosa Woodland Forrest Elementary School, Tuscaloosa
District 6:Austin Junior High School, Decatur Austin Middle School, Decatur Banks-Caddell Elementary School, Decatur Benjamin Davis Elementary School, Decatur Chestnut Grove Elementary School, Decatur Cullman High School, Cullman Decatur High School, Decatur Fairview Middle School, Cullman Frances Nungester Elementary School, Decatur Hayden High School, Hayden Moody Middle School, Moody West Point High School, Cullman
District 7:Cherokee Elementary School, Cherokee Cherokee High School, Cherokee Colbert County High School, Leighton Colbert Heights Elementary School, Tuscumbia Deshler High School, Tuscumbia Russellville Elementary School, Russellville
District 8: Chaffee Elementary School, Huntsville Challenger Elementary School, Huntsville Chapman Elementary School, Huntsville Chapman Middle School,Huntsville Columbia High School, Huntsville Farley Elementary School, Huntsville Goldsmith Schiffman Elementary School, Owens Cross Roads Hampton Cove Middle School, Owens Cross Roads Highlands Elementary School, Huntsville Huntsville Junior High School, Huntsville Rainbow Elementary School, Madison
Private: Coosa Valley Academy, Harpersville UMS-Wright Preparatory School, Mobile