Nearly $4 million in grants through the Wisconsin’s School Safety Grant Initiative were awarded by Attorney General Brad Schimel on Thursday to 89 schools and school districts, including local schools.
The program, which will be distributing $100 million in state-funded grants to K-12 public and private schools through the rest of the year, is part of an effort to improve safety measures and create a safe school environment. Funds focus on helping schools make baseline improvements, such as door locks and hardening school entryways, and advancing security beyond those thresholds.
Grants are awarded through a program by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) in which schools and law enforcement determined need at the local level and made requests. Since the signing of 2017 Wisconsin ACT 143 into law, which required the grant program, the DOJ has consulted with specialists in the fields of education, security, law enforcement, and mental health to develop how the initiative will improve Wisconsin schools.
Area schools which received funding include the school districts of Abbotsford, Spencer, Thorp, Pittsville, Loyal, and Immanuel Lutheran Grade School (Marshfield), Thorp Catholic, and Stevens Point Christian Academy.
At Spencer, the majority of the $42,217 in grant money will be used to upgrade the entrances for better security, according to Michael Endreas, Superintendent.
Rep. John Spiros joined Attorney General Brad Schimel, Sen. Jerry Petrowksi, Rep. Patrick Snyder at a special ceremony in Wausau to award the grants.
“I want to thank the AG for providing the school safety grants as two school districts in the 86th have been awarded funds,” said Spiros. “These grants were all part of special session bills that both the Assembly and Senate passed and the Governor signed. I am grateful that the Governor moved forward with many of my suggestions and ideas regarding school safety. These schools, as well as many schools in the state, will benefit greatly from these grants.”
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.
A full list of recipients can be found below.
List of schools awarded grants on July 19, 2018:
· Abbotsford School District, $43,155;
· Antigo Unified School District, $160,000;
· Barron Area School District, $98,592;
· Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran School (Germantown), $18,880;
· Bloomer School District, $65,075;
· Brown Deer School District, $42,678;
· Calvary Baptist Christian School (Watertown), $17,557;
· Chilton School District, $25,848;
· Chippewa Falls Area Unified School District, $205,023;
· Christ Child Academy (Sheboygan), $16,239;
· Clayton School District, $62,339;
· Coleman School District, $59,945;
· Colfax School District, $45,322;
· Cudahy School District, $138,168;
· Darlington Community School District, $40,000;
· Deerfield Community School District, $59,853;
· Delavan Christian School, $19,173;
· Evansville Community School District, $82,970;
· Fall River School District, $40,867;
· Fennimore Community School District, $51,182;
· Flambeau School District, $61,856;
· Fontana J8 School District, $19,654;
· Fort Atkinson School District, $146,889;
· Hayward Community School District, $120,261;
· Horicon School District, $61,173;
· Howard-Suamico School District, $189,381;
· Hurley Area School District, $41,294;
· Hustisford School District, $41,596;
· Immanuel Lutheran Grade School (Marshfield), $19, 278;
· Iola-Scandinavia School District, $43,510;
· Juda School District, $26,895;
· Kettle Moraine Lutheran High, $21,248;
· Lake Holcombe School District, $40,514;
· Little Chute Area School District, $83,746;
· Lourdes Academy of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Inc., $34,343;
· Loyal School District, $62,505;
· Lutheran Urban Mission Initiative, Inc. (Milwaukee), $123,085;
· Manitowoc Lutheran High School, $20,000;
· Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, $20,000;
· Mequon-Thiensville School District, $136,441;
· Milwaukee Jewish Day School, $20,000;
· Monona Grove School District, $148,568;
· Monticello School District, $26,305;
· Mosinee School District, $64,020;
· Northwood School District, $58,888;
· Norway J7 School District, $19,128;
· Oakhill Christian School (Janesville), $17,490;
· Oconto Falls Public School District, $122,496;
· Pewaukee School District, $78,564;
· Pittsville School District, $41,032;
· Pius XI Catholic High (Milwaukee), $19,750;
· Princeton School District, $21,500;
· Rib Lake School District, $63,149;
· River Falls School District, $140,000;
· Rosendale-Brandon School District, $132,408;
· Rosholt School District, $62,223;
· Saint Francis of Assisi School (Manitowoc), $27,038;
· Saint Joseph Parish School (Grafton), $19,455;
· Saint Mary School (Burlington), $19,234;
· Salem School District, $21,500;
· Seymour Community School District, $86,729;
· Shell Lake School District, $58,833;
· Spencer School District, $42,217;
· Spring Valley School District, $63,411;
· SS Andrew – Thomas School (Potosi), $19,960;
· St. Edward Catholic School (Appleton), $16,066;
· St. John Bosco Catholic School (Sturgeon Bay), $16,345;
· St. John the Evangelist School (Milwaukee), $19,205;
· St. John’s Lutheran School (Lannon), $19,996;
· St. Leonard School (Muskego), $19,850;
· St. Mark Lutheran School (Eau Claire), $19,996;
· St. Patrick School (Mauston), $19,960;
· St. Thomas More High (Milwaukee), $21,727;
· Stanley-Boyd Area School District, $82,204;
· Stevens Point Christian Academy, $19,944;
· Stockbridge School District, $63,879;
· Suring Public School District, $38,502;
· Thorp Catholic School, $2,280;
· Thorp School District, $42,400;
· Trinity Lutheran Grade School (Merrill), $19,594;
· Trinity Lutheran Grade School (Neenah), $19,052;
· Trinity Lutheran School (Caledonia), $19,968;
· Trinity Lutheran School (Waukesha), $19,741;
· Wabeno Area School District, $39,477;
· Washington-Caldwell School District, $20,600;
· Waterloo School District, $80,900;
· Wauwatosa School District, $387,395;
· Wisconsin Heights School District, $63,540;
· Yorkville J2 School District, $20,810.
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Local School Receives $18,000 from School Safety Grant Initiative
