Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel has announced the opening of the state’s $100 million School Safety Grant Initiative. K-12 schools, both public and private, are encouraged to apply for the grants, which will be awarded starting in June.
“We owe our children and communities the promise of safe school environments,” Schimel said. “Keeping our children and grandchildren safe continues to be my top priority and the grants announced today will make an immediate and positive difference in communities across the state. Grants will be awarded through a smart and innovative program developed and administered by security experts at the Wisconsin Department of Justice, whereby local law enforcement and school districts determine needs on the local level and make requests in consultation with the team at DOJ.”
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.
Grant applicants will also be required to partner with law enforcement agencies to ensure that proposed expenditures, visitor protocols, and school safety plans will be effective and provide our children with the safest learning environment possible.
“A primary goal of this grant program is to forge long-lasting partnerships between our schools and the law enforcement community,” Schimel said.