By Kenneth Mullinax/ASU
The University's office of Academic Affairs Preventing School Violence (PSV) Program hosted training on campus for the Montgomery Public Schools System (MPS) Aug. 5 and Aug. 7 in Alabama State University's Ralph David Abernathy College of Education's Great Hall of Teachers.
The director of the PSV program, Ms. Avionne Ruffin, explained that the "Restorative Practices Training" that her group presented is targeted to enhance professional development for more than 100 MPS school resource officers, security guards and administrators, which it helped train. The program is part of a three-year federal grant awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
"It is important for ASU to host this type of event to assist our local public schools to have the proper training in order to guard their students and employees so they may be as safe as possible on campus, especially against active shooting occurrences," Ruffin said by phone. "In light of all of the violence that is occurring nationwide on school campuses, ASU's Preventing School Violence program – that is within our Academic Affairs department – is helping make campuses more secure and is stepping up to do so with the assistance and training that it is conducting with local law enforcement and with the oversight of one of the best consultants in this arena, Dr. Charles Flowers, who is with 'This W.O.R.K.S. Inc.' which is located in Columbus, Ga."
Ruffin shared that the two-day training consisted of many divergent topics, including restorative practices, de-escalation of conflict resolution, implementing effective crisis management strategies and creating a safe and secure school environment.
In its 157-year history, Alabama State University, as the nation's oldest "state-sponsored" HBCU, continues to place students at the top of its priorities and the PSV program reinforces that ideal.
"Being a community partner with the Montgomery Public School System is important to all of us at ASU, as it is a part of President Quinton T. Ross, Jr.'s goal of ‘CommUniversity,’ which is ASU reaching out to lift up people and support enrichment efforts in areas surrounding the campus," Ruffin said.