Two of Dane County’s school systems will receive state funding for school safety programs, Wisconsin Attorney Brad Schimel announced Monday.
The DeForest Area School District was awarded $207,617 and the Sun Prairie Area School District received $463,308 as part of the state’s $100 million effort to improve school safety. Sun Prairie received the most money after the Milwaukee Public School District, which was given just under $2.6 million.
With this latest round of funding, the state will end its $100 million campaign that began in March when the state legislature passed Act 143, creating the Office of School Safety. In the first round of funding in June, the Madison Metropolitan School District received more than $990,000 for improving safety features on windows and doors as well as active shooter training for staff and additional security cameras.
Schimel estimated the state had about $6 million left to spend, which would be used to create a mobile application and phone line for tip reporting as well as an emergency response fund in case of a crisis.
The emergency response fund had already been put to use in the Barron School District, Schimel said, where therapists were sent following the disappearance of a 13-year-old student last Monday.
Monday marked the beginning of the state Department of Justice’s Safe Schools Week, in which the Department will hold adolescent mental health training for teachers and police officers, including some from the Madison Police Department.
