MADISON, Wis. – Attorney General Brad Schimel today announced a list of 52 schools and school districts that have been awarded the next round of grants through the Wisconsin Department of Justice School Safety Grant program, administered by DOJ’s Office of School Safety. Combined, the 52 schools and school districts will receive $3,501,346 which will be spent on building safety improvements, as well as training for faculty and staff. More grants will be awarded soon. A list of all 735 schools and school districts that have requested grant funds is available on theDOJ website.
“Momentum to improve school safety, training, and law enforcement collaboration continues with today’s school safety grant awards,” said Attorney General Schimel. “The public safety professionals at DOJ, in conjunction with dozens of educational and mental health response professionals, established a meaningful way to improve school safety by strengthening response to mental health crises and improving the physical safety of school buildings.”
A list of schools and school districts that have been awarded school safety grants is at the bottom of this press release.
Grant dollars are divided into two categories: the Primary School Safety Grant and Advanced School Safety Grant. DOJ’s Primary School Safety Grants focus on baseline improvements to schools, including door locks and hardening school entryways. The Advanced School Safety Grants are awarded to schools that have met minimum security thresholds. In addition to making upgrades to school buildings, one of the School Safety Grant prerequisites is providing all full-time teachers, aides, counselors, and administrators with a minimum of three hours combined training in Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) and Trauma Informed Care/Trauma Sensitive Schools (TIC/TSS) before the end of the 2018-2019 school year; or demonstrate that staff has already received such training. Highlights from the school safety grant applications[1] include such improvements as:
- Training for all staff on Trauma Informed Care (TIC), Trauma Sensitive Schools (TSS), Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE), Violence and Bullying Prevention, and Active Shooter Response training (ALICE);
- Increasing two-way communications throughout the entire school through handheld radios, emergency communication system and PA systems equipped with new speakers;
- Purchasing an anonymous reporting application (StopIt);
- Updating internal classroom and entrances with locks that lock from the inside, including adding quick action locking devices/remote lockdown and removable mullions;
- Enhancing security software to include door prop recognitions that alerts staff, and panic button;
- Improving visitor screening and entryways through adding key card/keyless access, access control door entry system and visitor management systems;
- Allowing for more secure entrances to receiving docks, a performing arts box office, and fitness centers;
- Securing the entry areas, sidelites, and interior classroom windows with shatter resistant film and updated doors;
- Labeling entry and classroom doors so that first responders can identify a specific area.
“The Christ King School Community is blessed and humbled by our receipt of this grant,” said Gina Brown, Principal of Christ King School. “These monies will help us to continue our efforts to ensure that all of our precious children feel safe and nurtured in our school. We especially thank our local law enforcement officials in both the City of Wauwatosa and City of Milwaukee, Governor Walker, AG Schimel, our local legislators and the entire DOJ Office of School Safety for their partnership to keep our children safe.”
Over the past three months, since 2017 Wisconsin Act 143 was signed into law, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) has consulted with numerous stakeholders in the fields of education, security, law enforcement, and mental health. These specialists, listed at the end of this press release, worked with DOJ’s own security experts to develop how the School Safety Grant Initiative will create sustainable improvements in Wisconsin schools.
“Our $100 million School Safety Plan is helping schools across Wisconsin become more secure,” said Governor Walker. “It is important we all continue to work together to make sure every teacher, parent, and student feels safe in our schools.”
Grant applicants are required to partner with law enforcement agencies to ensure that proposed expenditures, visitor protocols, and school safety plans will be effective and provide students with the safest learning environment possible.
“Children are our most important resource and secure schools are imperative,” said Milwaukee County Sheriff Richard Schmidt. “I am thrilled for the financial support our community will receive to help keep our children safe!”
In addition to helping keep schools safe from violent attacks, DOJ will be closely monitoring for behavior that could affect a school’s ability to pay market rates for products like door locks and shatter-resistant film for glass. DOJ will review and investigate any instances of inappropriate pricing behavior so the benefits of the program are not reduced.
Following is a list of organizations who have met with DOJ staff, and consulted on the creation of the Office of School Safety and the grant process and criteria.
- Association of Wisconsin School Administrators
- Badger State Sheriffs Association
- CESA 4, 7, 10
- Federal Bureau of Investigation
- NAMI-WI
- Wisconsin Association of School Boards
- Wisconsin Association of School Business Officials
- Wisconsin Association of School District,,, Administrators
- Wisconsin Association of School Nurses
- Wisconsin Catholic Conference
- Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association
- Wisconsin Council of Administrators of Special Services
- Wisconsin Council of Religious and Independent Schools
- Wisconsin Department of Administration
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction
- Wisconsin Education Association Council
- Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
- Wisconsin Juvenile Officers Association
- Wisconsin Professional Police Association
- Wisconsin Retired Educators’ Association
- Wisconsin Safe and Healthy Schools Training & Technical Assistance Center
- Wisconsin School Music Association/Wisconsin Music Educators Association
- Wisconsin School Psychologists Association
- Wisconsin School Public Relations Association
- Wisconsin School Safety Coordinators Association
- Wisconsin Sheriffs and Deputy Sheriffs Association
For more information on DOJ’s Office of School Safety, please visit: https://www.doj.state.wi.us/office-school-safety/office-school-safety.
List of schools awarded grants on July 9, 2018:
- Atonement Lutheran School (Milwaukee), $21,522;
- Augusta School District, $81,717;
- Beaver Dam Unified School District, $187,256;
- Burlington Area School District, $163,880;
- Cashton School District, $39,546;
- Catholic Memorial High School (Waukesha), $21,624;
- Christ King School (Wauwatosa), $15,743;
- Cochrane-Fountain City School District, $41,150;
- Crestview Academy, $19,325;
- Cumberland School District, $78,920;
- Dominican High School/The Archdiocese of Milwaukee, $19,798;
- Elk Mound Area School District, $64,133;
- Elmbrook School District, $210,800;
- Franklin Public School District, $149,053;
- Good Shepherds Evangelical Lutheran School (West Allis), $23,925;
- Glenwood City School District, $78,820;
- Greenwood School District, $41,564;
- Independence School District, $50,266;
- Hartford UHS School District, $22,725;
- Holy Trinity School (Kewaskum), $20,000;
- Holy Rosary Catholic Grade School (Medford), $18,974;
- Immanuel Lutheran School (Brookfield), $17,452;
- Kansasville Grade School, $20,421;
- Kewaunee School District, $64,677;
- Kiel Area School District, $57,938;
- Ladysmith School District, $61,080;
- Lake Mills Area School District, $56,544;
- Maple School District, $84,705;
- McDonell Area Catholic Schools, $82,100;
- Medford Area Public School District, $84,135;
- Middleton-Cross Plains Area School District, $220,000;
- Milton School District, $139,910;
- Milwaukee Center for Independence, $18,302;
- Mondovi School District, 64,843;
- Monroe School District, $102,841;
- Parkview School District, $61,783;
- Reedsburg School District, $173,491;
- Saint Lucas Lutheran School (Milwaukee), $20,723;
- Saint Johns Lutheran School (Watertown), $16,210;
- Saint Robert Grade School (Shorewood), $20,000;
- Saint Victor Grade School (Monroe), $19,448;
- Shoreland Lutheran High (Somers), $26,929;
- Shullsburg School District, $61,460;
- Solon Springs School District, $20,600;
- South Milwaukee School District, $131,505;
- SS Peter & Paul Grade School (Independence), $22,753;
- St. Mary School (Portage), $15,892;
- Stoughton Area School District, $109,285;
- Waunakee Community School District, $123,049;
- West Bend School District, $152,529;
- United Community Center Acosta Middle School, $40,000;
- Whitehall School District, $40,000.
