For IMMEDIATE RELEASE
7 January 2025
The One In Five Foundation For Kids
Formerly: The Uvalde Foundation For Kids
(WALKER COUNTY/ALABAMA/NATIONAL)
Walker County, AL school resource officer JAY MILLER to receive Letter Of Commendation from national nonprofit formed after the Uvalde, Texas 2022 mass school shooting in Uvalde Texas, for Heroism & Exceptional Dedication to student safety at Walker County Schools. The Official Commendation will be presented the officer by district leaders on behalf Of The One In Five Foundation For Kids, at this week's Board Of Education Meeting, January 9th 2025.
As part of the recognition, in an updated release January 7th out of Dallas, Texas, the foundation noted that an ongoing financial grant will be awarded, to be shared amongst both Walker County Schools & the Walker County Sheriff's Office for costs related to student safety enhancements, increased mental health support, safety programming & training for the SRO program, etc.
Founder, Daniel Chapin, added in the release that Officer Millers unique actions, success & recognition is an integral part of the larger, powerful fraternity of County leaders dedicated to student safety, such as Walker County Sheriff, Nick Smith, Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Dennis Willingham & other school safety team members stating, "With dozens of responses to school safety incidents reviewed last year alone by the foundation, a key element dictating the ultimate outcome of the event, remained in the extent of the safety support system available for students on a collaborative level, amongst city, law enforcement & district leaders prior to an incident occurring which might threaten students, during & after a safety event. In those incidents where these collaborative ties were not strong, tragedy continued to unfold. In rebuttal, Walker County is a recipe for success in student safety which districts and law enforcement agencies nationwide would do well to add to their violence prevention handbooks."
History:
(2024) Officer Walker — who works as an SRO for Oakman Middle & High School responded to a nearby shooting to keep students safe. School, County & Foundation officials unanimously noted that Officer Miller didn't think twice during the incident, recognizing immediately what action was needed to prevent an escalation of the incident into campus properties, when he put schools on lockdown and immediately sprung into additional action, alerting school officials of the potential threat to students:
The foundation included a brief excerpt of the entire letter of commendation to Officer Miller in Tuesday mornings release: "It takes a unique individual such as Officer Miller to commit their life to students. Yet, this is exactly what this brave hero to hundreds of students has done, not simply in the particular incident we honor, but for countless others over the course of his career. Officer Miller stands as a solid representative of the powerful contribution compassion and dedication to the badge offers to the future of our students."
The foundation released that Officer Miller joins individuals nationally over the past year, to receive recognitions through its award program, including Casey Orloski, out of Ohio, who was granted a student heroism award after reporting a bullet in his schools bathroom, which later proved as part of a school shooting plan against students, the Nashville Police Department, following their response to the Covenant School shooting and officers with the Pittsburgh Police Department who ended an on campus school shooting threat last year as well as a posthumous award to Maine mass shooting victim, Tricia Asselin:
Teacher Shot By Student Reacts To Grant:
Covenant School Officers To Be Honored:
Pittsburgh Bureau Of Police Recognized By Uvalde Nonprofit:
The One In Five Foundation For Kids
254 206 9089
