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Attorney General Steve Marshall Presents Prattville Junior High with 2019 Safe School Award

PHOTOS BY BOB EALUM, EAN PHOTOGRAPHER

PRATTVILLE – Attorney General Steve Marshall today presented Prattville Junior High School with the Alabama Safe Schools Initiative Attorney General’s 2019 Safe School Award for State Board of Education District 5. This is the second year in a row that the school has been honored with an Attorney General’s safe school award.  

Schools were selected as winners of the Attorney General’s 2019 Safe School Award from each of the eight state school board districts as well as one private school statewide. In addition, three schools were selected for the Attorney General’s 2019 Safe School Award of Excellence and 61 schools were selected for the Attorney General’s 2019 Certificate of Building a Culture for School Safety.  

“The safety of our schoolchildren is a vital matter foremost in all of our minds and hearts, and this year we have enhanced the Alabama 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.” 

In presenting the award today Attorney General Marshall said, “The Attorney General’s Office is proud that Prattville Junior High School was selected as one of the winning schools in Alabama for 2019, receiving this distinction for the second year in a row.  In making this decision, judges noted many things that distinguished Prattville Junior High: multiple agencies included in preparation and crisis management, K9 use, visitor entry cameras, a tip line, and mass communication system.”

Principal Janice Stockman said, “Safety is our number one priority, and we are constantly seeking ways to make certain our students are safe physically, emotionally, and academically.  In our world today, that can be a daunting task.  However, it is a privilege to work for our future by serving students today.  Our mantra this year has been to be ‘CAT Strong,’ which entails all stakeholders to cultivate an environment such that students and faculty feel safe to engage in academic and extracurricular endeavors and to take care of one another as a family.  A culture of safety is the bedrock for the PJHS community.”

In coming weeks, Attorney General Marshall is presenting the Safe School Award to nine winning schools throughout Alabama, as well the Safe School Award of Excellence to the state’s top three schools overall.

For the Attorney General’s 2019 Safe School Award, one public school with the top score was selected for each of the eight state public school districts and one private school statewide. These 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.   

For the Attorney General’s 2019 Safe School 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. These winners are North Region: Decatur Middle School, Decatur; Central Region: Westlawn Middle School, Tuscaloosa; and South Region:  Orange Beach Elementary School, Orange Beach.

Winners were selected by a panel of independent judges who reviewed submissions from a total of 124 schools.