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A Winchester elementary school turned blue for a good cause last week.

The students and staff at Shearer Elementary School wore blue last Thursday and decorated a tree with blue ribbons to spread awareness for National Child Abuse Prevention Month.

“It’s important for them to understand and recognize some of the signs of child abuse,” the school’s family resource coordinator, Kristi Carter, said about the school’s students being aware of the issue. “And if they have friends, family or concerns with neighbors, it is important for them to know who to report it to and to understand some of the problems associated with child abuse in Kentucky.”

Carter said that students were given paper work to take home that has information from the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services on how to spot and report signs of abuse.

It is not just the responsibility of the students and staff to watch out for abuse either.

“All Kentucky citizens are responsible for reporting child abuse,” Carter said.

For more information on how to report child abuse visit the website of the Kentucky Division of Protection and Permanency’s Child Protection Branch.