April 5, 2024

The Office of School Safety Funding Bill Has Been Signed into Law

The Office of School Safety Wisconsin Act 240

On March 27, 2024, the Department of Justice Office of School Safety (OSS) Funding Bill was signed into law by Tony Evers.

Senator Romaine Quinn (R-Cameron), and Representative Todd Novak (R-Dodgeville) are the authors of this Assembly Bill (1050). The bill, now known as 2023 Wisconsin Act 240, passed the Assembly and the Senate with a strong showing of bipartisan votes.

The bill is “short-term bridge funding,” which allows the state of Wisconsin to provide, “stable, ongoing funding for the OSS as part of the 2025-2027 biennial budget,” as per the Wisconsin Department of Justice’s news release. This bridge funding makes it possible for the OSS to continue to support school safety through September 2025.

Attorney General Kaul was quoted in the same news release, stating, “The Office of School Safety’s proactive and collaborative approach is helping keep kids safe when they’re at school. While there is still work to do to fund the Office of School Safety’s services for the long term, the enactment of this legislation is a critical step forward.”

In the news release, Governor Tony Evers said, “I’m glad that we were able to reach a bipartisan consensus to fund these additional positions so the Office of School Safety can continue their current operations, help prevent school violence, and keep our kids safe, including through the Speak Up, Speak Out tipline, which provides an important resource for kids, families, educators, and staff alike.”

In case you’re not familiar, the Speak Up, Speak Out Resource Center (tipline) Governor Evers spoke about provides communities with a centralized safety tool, which is available at no cost to schools.

It is a “one-stop resource” for:

  • Threat reporting
  • Threat assessment consultation
  • Critical incident response, and 
  • General school safety guidance

Ways to send a tip to Speak Up, Speak Out:

You can learn more about Speak Up, Speak Out on the organization’s website.