Madison, WI – On December 16, 2024, a mass shooting took place at Abundant Life Christian School, resulting in the death of 2 beloved members of the Abundant Life Christian School community and the injury of 6 others, some of whom still require ongoing care. On January 27, 2025, Representative Shelia Stubbs held a listening session in her district to give community members the opportunity to voice their concerns and suggestions around school and community safety. Today, Representative Stubbs introduced a package of 4 bills that will promote safety and stronger communities within Wisconsin schools. Representative Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement:
“Almost one year ago, an unspeakable tragedy took place in our community. The Abundant Life Christian School shooting devastated not just Madison, not just Wisconsin, but our entire country. As the State Representative for the school, I continue to keep the families of those whose lives were lost, the families of those who were injured, and all members of the Abundant Life Christian School community in my heart and prayers. I have also introduced Assembly Resolution 8, a resolution commemorating the victims of the Abundant Life Christian School tragedy, supporting the students, staff, families, and community of Abundant Life Christian School, and condemning violence.
On January 27, 2025, I held a public listening session in my district attended by elected officials, school superintendents, mental health professionals, students, their families, members of the clergy, and so many others. They spoke to me about the need for better security measures and stronger school communities, where every student is empowered to succeed and feels that they belong. Today, I am introducing a package of 4 bills created directly from their recommendations.
The Safer Schools, Stronger Communities package consists of 4 pieces of legislation, each of which addresses a different recommendation brought forth in the January 2025 listening session.
LRB-4547/1–relating to: school lockdown announcements would require the Department of Public Instruction, in collaboration with the Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety, to create and distribute free of charge a standardized, prerecorded message that every school will use to announce a lockdown. A student who attended my listening session recounted an incident at their high school where a staff member accidentally spoke the wrong phrase over the intercom, sending the school into an unnecessary lockdown. Precise, clear communication is critical during a time of emergency, and this bill reduces the chances of miscommunication or misunderstanding.
In the listening session, we heard from students, families, and school leadership about the need for clearer communication when an event concerning school safety takes place. Currently, every school board and governing body of a private school is required to have a school safety plan in place, which outlines procedures that should be followed in the event of a natural disaster, act of violence, threat, or other emergency at a school. LRB-4548/1–relating to: school safety plans would require that every safety plan also include procedures for notifying pupils and their families that an event addressed in the school safety plan has occurred, as well as procedures for debriefing pupils and staff following an event addressed in the school safety plan.
We also heard many comments about the need for stronger school communities and more positive role models in our schools to support students’ social and emotional needs. LRB-4579/1–relating to: a grant program to support parent and guardian volunteer programs in schools, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation would create and fund a grant program through the Department of Public Instruction that would support parent and guardian volunteer programs. Not every student may have a strong support system or positive role model at home, but every student deserves to have a trusted adult in their community that they can look up to.
Additionally, we heard from community members on the importance of supporting student mental health and allocating more resources to school mental health professionals. LRB-4580/1–relating to: grants to school counselors, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation would create and fund a grant program through the Department of Public Instruction that would support school counselors seeking to continue their education in mental and behavioral health, ensuring that these integral members of our school communities are best equipped to serve students’ mental and behavioral health needs.
Every student, teacher, and staff member in our Wisconsin schools deserves to feel safe in their school community. These bills, created directly from community suggestions following the Abundant Life Christian School tragedy, seek to improve procedures in the case of an emergency and promote a healthy school environment where all students are protected and can thrive.”
