• Student Protection Laws

    At Albertville City Schools, student safety is our highest priority. We adhere to state laws like the ones below to ensure a secure and supportive environment for all students. These laws guide our policies and training programs, empowering our staff and students to prevent and address abuse and bullying effectively. 

    Annalyn's Law

    Annalyn's Law, which was passed by the Alabama Legislature in 2018, is named after child victim, Annalyn Cook, who was sexually abused by a juvenile offender in Alabama. 

    The law states that juvenile sex offenders must submit an application to all school property and school functions and must meet with school personnel to create and implement an individualized safety plan. 

    Schools are required to share information and monitor the student(s) through school enrollment and school personnel changes. Officials will offer training to school personnel on how to take appropriate action when an increase or escalation of certain triggering behavior is noticed. 

    Members of the advisory committee who developed the policy include the state's Law Enforcement Agency, the Alabama Department of Education, the Department of Human Resources, the Governor's Office, the Alabama Coalition Against Rape, the Attorney General's Office and the Southern Poverty Law Center. 

    The law also requires staff to complete yearly training on these procedures. ACS staff completes training modules via Cognia to fulfill this training requirement. ACS policies related to this law can be found here in Board Policies 6.24.1-9.

    Erin's Law

    In 2016, the Alabama Legislature passed Erin's Law with the intent of increasing awareness of child sexual abuse. Erin's Law is in honor of Erin Merryn, a young woman who advocated for this law to address the silence and stigma around child sexual abuse, educate children and empower them to recognize and report abuse. 

    Erin's Law requires training for all school faculty and staff and mandates all schools implement an age-appropriate sexual abuse prevention curriculum to students in grades K-12. All Albertville City Schools personnel complete an online training program from the Alabama Department of Human Resources that meets the requirements for staff training.

    School counselors use the Child Protection Unit curriculum from Second Step to teach age-appropriate lessons on unsafe and unwanted touches and how to report those situations to a trusted adult. 

    Jamari Terrell Williams Act

    Jamari Terrell Williams was a fifth grade student in Montgomery who committed suicide after being bullied online. The Jamari Terrell Williams Student Harassment Act places certain responsibilities on the Board of Education to make sure cyberbullying and bullying will not be tolerated on or off campus or online. It expands the current statute to prevent student against student harassment, intimidation, violence and threats of violence to students off campus as well. It also specifically includes cyberbullying in the definition of harassment. 

    ACS policies on harassment can be found here in board policies 6.10.1-6.11.5. Additional resources are also available by clicking here.

    Jason Flatt Act

    Jason Flatt was a high school student from Tennessee who passed away in 1997. In his memory, the Jason Flatt Act was created to address the urgent need for suicide prevention among youth. In Alabama, this act requires all school personnel to undergo annual training in suicide awareness and prevention. This initiative aims to equip educators with the skills to recognize and respond to signs of suicidal behavior, ultimately fostering a safer school environment for all students. Governor Robert Bentley signed the Jason Flatt Act in 2016.