News & Events
Recently, ACS became one of the few schools in Lebanon to train all of its employees in child protection and child abuse prevention. They partnered with local NGO, Himaya, to educate their faculty and staff on preventing abuse, the 4 types of abuse most commonly seen, and what resilience programs are available for victims.
ACS reached out to Himaya with the knowledge that their educational programs would be of great benefit to everyone. The workshops, held on the campus of ACS, were set up to make sure that everyone was familiar with the signs of child abuse and what they could do to ensure that ACS is a safe place for students to be. Head of School Mr. Greg MacGilpin, said “We know that everyone of our employees interacts with our students, whether it is in the classroom or passing them in the hallways. These training sessions ensure that we collectively know what a safe environment is and how to recognize the signs of abuse.”
During the same time period, the Child Protection Team at ACS reviewed the Child Protection Policy. The team, comprised of counselors, nurses, school leadership staff and faculty updated the policy. Child protection and safety is important at ACS, Head of School Mr. Greg MacGilpin said “Our goals is to familiarize ourselves with the law, our policy and how we become more aware as people who work in a school environment. Beyond recognizing and responding to abuse, we aim to support a student-centered environment promoting positive relationships.”
Starting on Monday December 10th, ACS will unveil it’s updated Child Protection Policy with Himaya and hold workshops and meetings for the parents, training them as they did with faculty and staff. Anyone who has questions about the policy at ACS is encouraged to contact the Head of School Office.