By Robert Hudson

The Selma Times-Journal

Selma City Schools is teaming up with the Selma Police Department to encourage safety among students and their parents.

Selma City Schools Title IV Safe and Drug Free Schools Program and the police department will host a Back to School Bash at the School of Discovery from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Aug. 20.

The event will have two Summit Workshops relating to parenting and a number of issues regarding student safety.

“We want to educate our community, our students and our parents about environmental issues and safety issues that impact the students, like bullying in schools, sexting and gang violence,” said Joslyn Reddick, coordinator of Selma City Schools Title IV Safe and Drug Free Schools Program. “So, a bunch of agencies in our community got together and we planned a summit.”

The Back to School Bash will have two summit workshops, and those who attend both workshops will receive a bookbag full of school supplies.

The first workshop session will be from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. and the second session will run from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. and those attending will have to complete both sessions in order to receive the school supplies.

Reddick said the two workshop sessions will cover topics ranging from bullying, sexting and gang violence awareness to HIV/STD awareness, parenting and fire safety.

“What our focus is, is to educate our community about these issues, so that we can all work together,” Reddick said. “We want to put forth a collaborative effort to positively impact our school students and others in our community to do what’s right, to follow the laws and to help combat the violence.”

The two summit sessions will feature presenters from Visually Impaired People, the Alabama Council Against Teenage Pregnancy, Safe Schools, the Selma Police Department, the Selma Fire Department and Selma City Council among others.

Other organizations collaborating with the Summit are Selma-Dallas Prevention Collaborative, Dallas County DHR, Cahaba Mental Health, Working Matters, Taylor Internal Medicine, the Dallas County District Attorney Office, SABRA Sanctuary, Gospel Tabernacle and the Selma Fire Department.