MADISON – Two campuses of Madison City Schools have received recognition for efforts in maintaining a safe environment for students, faculty and staff.

Rainbow Elementary School and Discovery Middle School are winners in the 2019 Alabama Safe Schools Initiative Awards. Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall announced the schools in this year’s list on Dec. 13.

The award evaluates various factors, such as faculty training, interaction with law enforcement including School Resource Officers, safety procedures and student involvement.

This year, officials expanded the program to include three awards for highest excellence in school safety, along with certificates of special recognition for schools building a culture that encourages safety. These new categories were added to the traditional awards for safe schools for each public school district and for a private school.

Judges chose one public school with the top score for the eight state school districts. Discovery received the honor for District 8. Marshall will visit Discovery as the top school in District 8 to present their award.

Also for District 8, Rainbow earned the certificate for “Building a Culture for School Safety 2019.”

“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,” Marshall said.

“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,” Marshall said. “Their dedication and resolve to provide a safe haven for learning is an inspiration to us all.”

“Each day that parents leave their children at school, they are entrusting what they hold most precious into the care of school teachers, principals and other staff,” Marshall said.

A panel of independent judges reviewed submissions from a total of 124 schools from across Alabama. Judges selected top-ranking schools in November 2019.