Wisconsin School Safety Standards

School Safety Legislation & Resources

Wisconsin School Safety Solutions Aim to Protect Students

Schools should be safe places for young people to learn and grow, and the vast majority of them are. However, violent events across the nation make it clear that Wisconsin school alert systems are necessary precautions to protect students and staff in the event of a worst-case scenario.

The Wisconsin Office of School Safety was established in 2017 as part of the state’s Department of Justice. At the same time, the state allocated $100 million for Wisconsin school safety solutions at 1,306 campuses. Since 2018, the money has provided:

• training for more than 11,000 educators
• training staff in trauma-informed care and Adverse Childhood Experiences
• providing new security systems and security cameras
• rebuilding school building entrances
• Establishing the Speak Up, Speak Out Resource Center, a confidential threat-reporting tip line

It was a strong start, but school safety cannot be treated as a “one-and-done” proposition. It needs to be a committed approach to finding and installing effective strategies. In 2021, the DOJ provided another $92 million for safety enhancements, threat assessment training, and mental health training for Wisconsin’s public, private, charter, and tribal schools.

Framework for Wisconsin School Safety Solutions

School safety requires a multi-pronged approach that addresses the issue in a variety of ways. Wisconsin’s Comprehensive School Security Framework was designed to help local school systems “prevent, mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from violence.”

It offers a range of Wisconsin school safety solutions designed to deal with violence through:

• climate and culture
• students engagement
• school policies
• physical structures

School violence might be a nationwide problem, but when it happens at a school, it’s a local problem. That makes it a local responsibility for:

• school boards or governing councils
• school administrators
• staff
• teachers
• students

Speak Up, Speak Out Resource Center

The Speak Up, Speak Out Resource Center provides a way for students, teachers, and others to report suspicious behavior to a confidential tip line. In a crisis situation, call 911. However, concerns can be reported by calling 1-800-697-8761 or visiting speakup.widoj.gov.

Speak Up, Speak Out training and promotional packets are available. They include age-appropriate lessons for elementary, middle, and high school students. To learn more, click here.

Training Programs

Wisconsin school safety solutions include a variety of training programs:

• Foundations of Targeted Violence Prevention
• Best Practice Recommendations for School Behavior Assessment and Management Teams
• Comprehensive School Safety: Standard Response Protocol and Standard Reunification Method
• Critical Incident Response Training
• Behavioral Threat Assessments and Management Training

The Wisconsin School Threat Assessment is a three-phase plan to deal with potentially violent situations in systematic ways. It’s geared toward protecting the innocent while also giving troubled young people the help, guidance, and treatment they might need.

Each school must have an emergency operations plan to protect people and property. Schools need to make sure the plan is up-to-date, and leaders should develop and maintain good working relationships with local law enforcement and first responders.

In addition, training and communication are key to emergency preparedness:

• Are safety plans distributed appropriately?
• Is the plan easy to understand and user-friendly?
• Are PA systems and hand-held radios in working order?
• Are multiple response options included? Run-Hide-Fight? Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate (ALICE)? Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events (CRASE)?
• Has everyone received the training they need?  

Building Security

Building security is important to preventing violence. The first line of defense is visitor management. Access should be restricted to a single point of entry, and staff members should make sure appropriate doors are locked throughout the day.

As part of a building audit, each school should perform:

• interior assessments—classrooms, halls, offices, utility areas, gymnasiums, and other locations
• exterior assessments—playgrounds, athletic facilities or fields, and any property that is regularly occupied by pupils

Violence Drills

Violence drills are another necessity of the modern age. Lockdown, lockout, and other procedures should be practiced so students have a clear understanding of how they should respond in the face of a crisis.  

Wisconsin school safety solutions require that school officials take time to assess how each drill went and consider ways to improve performance.

After a crisis, school officials are responsible for reuniting students with their parents or guardians. This applies to violent situations as well as fires, floods, tornadoes, bomb threats, and others.

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