Madison, WI – The State Assembly today passed bills on crime prevention and school safety today, including one measure that discloses crime statistics for schools.
Currently, there is no standardized, transparent method for school districts to report crimes committed on school property. Assembly Bill 53 requires public, charter, and choice high schools to collect and report statistics for certain crimes on the statewide DPI report card.
“We send our kids to school expecting that they will be safe and secure, but there’s always the question in the back of our minds, ‘are they really going to be ok?’” said Rep. Cindi Duchow (R-Pewaukee). “This type of transparency will help parents and guardians make informed choices about where they want their children educated.”
Crimes that would be required to be reported would include homicide, sexual assault, certain forms of battery, possession of a firearm, and use or possession of a controlled substance. The reporting only applies to incidents that occur between 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, on school property or transportation, were reported to law enforcement, and that resulted in a citation or criminal charge. The information cannot be used to determine a school’s grade on the report card.
