State Office of School Safety at risk of closing
Funding was found to keep the Office of School Safety open for one more school year
GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - School safety is top of mind this week after the active shooter situation at Mt. Horeb Middle School.
The Legislature denied funding in the state’s budget for the Office of School Safety, but what happened in Mt. Horeb now has parents and some state leaders worried.
The Mt. Horeb school district used funding from the Office of School Safety to prepare for emergencies, like the one this week, but now the office is at risk of closing.
As part of the Wisconsin Department of Justice, the office helps train school staff for emergencies. It also helps schools create digital blueprints so police can quickly see a layout of school buildings.
Beyond preventive training, it also offers the Speak Up, Speak Out tip line where students can report troubling behavior, threats, and bullying. It’s received over 11,000 tips since its inception in 2020.
The Office of School Safety has also been helping to provide psychological aid training for staff at Mt. Horeb this week, another part of what it does. This way, teachers and staff are ready to support students when they go back to school next week.
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“We work hard to ensure that events do not happen that traumatize children, but when they do occur we stand ready to support our schools in Wisconsin,” Director of the Office of School Safety Trish Kilpin said.
Because it was denied funds in the biennial budget, it now only receives support through the next school year. Once the funding runs dry, the office’s future is uncertain.
We’ll bring you updates on the fate of the Office of School Safety.
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