Boyceville among 19 school districts to receive School Safety Grant funding
MCFARLAND, WI – Attorney General Brad Schimel June 20 announced that Boyceville Community School District was among the 19 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 19 schools and school districts will receive $1,943,417 which will be spent on building safety improvements, as well as training for faculty and staff. Boyceville Community School District was awarded $60,000. More grants will be awarded soon. A list of all 735 schools and school districts that have requested grant funds is available on the DOJ website.
“School officials and law enforcement share the responsibility in keeping our kids safe when they leave their homes every day,” said Attorney General Schimel. “These grant funds will establish a meaningful way to improve school safety through physical improvements to school buildings, and a focus on mental health training for school faculty.”
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: securing school entry areas with shatter resistant film; adding and improving internal and external security cameras and system software; improving visitor screening through additional key card access, entrance buzzer system, electronic system that completes background checks and prints visitor badges, and an interactive video/intercom system with door release; updating internal classroom locks, including adding quick action locking devices; increasing two-way communications, such as radios, telephone systems, and new PA systems, throughout a school building, including on playgrounds and in lunchrooms; training for all staff in active threat assessment and active shooter response; and enhancing security software to include door prop recognition that alerts staff.
“This grant will fund projects that will enhance the physical security of our buildings and, through staff training, improve our ability to identify, assess, and respond to potential threats to the safety students and educators,” said Dr. Andrew Briddell, Superintendent of McFarland School District. “This grant award is also about strengthening the partnership between schools and local law enforcement, and in doing so, strengthening the team that keeps our schools – our kids and teachers – safe.”
Over the past two 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 bringing together local law enforcement and school districts in order to make our schools safer,” said Governor Walker. “We want to make sure that every Wisconsin student, parent, teacher, and administrator feels safe in the classroom.”
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.
“As law enforcement leaders this collaborative grant will allow our communities to carry-out our most critical role of keeping our school children safe,” said Dane County Sheriff Dave Mahoney.
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.
For more information on DOJ’s Office of School Safety, please visit: https://www.doj.state.wi.us/office-school-safety/office-school-safety
