Alabama schools leading in school safety will soon be rewarded for their innovation and excellence.

Attorney General Steve Marshall is inviting public and private schools across the state to submit applications for the 2018 Alabama Safe Schools Initiative Awards of Excellence.

“These awards offer a valuable opportunity to honor schools that are succeeding with outstanding safety plans, to recognize procedures that work well and to encourage implementation of these methods throughout Alabama to keep our children safer,” Marshall said in a release.

Marshall’s office will honor private school winners from north, central and south Alabama, in addition to winners from each of the Yellowhammer State’s eight public school board districts.

Marshall plans to personally visit the winners this coming spring to present the award in honor of each school’s tremendous accomplishment.

Applications are being accepted now through February 25 and nominations will be reviewed by an independent panel of judges.

More information about the criteria for the awards may be found here.

Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn