Local Schools To Get Funds From DOJ School Safety Grant Program
Friday, September 21st, 2018 -- 10:34 AM
Attorney General Brad Schimel on Thursday announced 66 schools and school districts will receive $3,969,793 from the second round of the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) School Safety Grant program, which focuses on advanced initiatives to bolster student mental health.The Office of School Safety has upcoming training events across the state and during America’s Safe Schools Week (Oct. 21 ??" 27). The second round of grant funding, utilizing approximately $48 million, will build upon the baseline mental health and physical security improvements made in the first round of grant funding by offering advanced training for teachers on mental health issues. Funds are also available to create local teams of educators, counselors, and law enforcement, called school safety intervention teams, that will assess threats and identify students in need of support. Additional physical security upgrades will also be funded.
To qualify for the second-round funds, applicants must agree to send 10 percent of full-time teachers and counselors to a DOJ-approved, 12-hour Adolescent Mental Health training by August 31, 2020, and schools may use grant funds to pay expenses incurred. Schools applying must also establish a school safety intervention team based on a model set by the U.S. Secret Service, which will engage in behavior monitoring, threat assessments, and intervention.
Districts in our area receiving the round two grants include:
Colby School District, $49,707
Columbus Catholic Schools (Marshfield), $27,429
Greenwood School District, $21,355
Feel free to contact us with questions and/or comments.