Speak Up, Speak Out school safety hotline runs out of money in 2024
WAUKESHA, Wis. - Funding for Wisconsin programs aimed at preventing school shootings and school violence runs out in a year. It will take about $2.2 million to keep it going. School leaders and police say it’s vital these programs continue.
After the Wisconsin Department of Justice's request to permanently fund current OSS programming in the next biennial budget went unfilled by the Legislature, the DOJ reallocated $1,340,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to extend the operations of the OSS including the Speak Up, Speak Out 24-hour tipline, critical incident response teams and threat assessment consultation.
The money runs out at the end of 2024.
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"Without the Office of School Safety, our students would have been at a great disadvantage," said Donna Bembenek, Waukesha Catholic Memorial president.
At Catholic Memorial High School on Tuesday, Sept. 5, school leaders and police joined Attorney General Josh Kaul in a plea for funds.
Keeping Wisconsin students safe; AG, officials talk about resources
A news release says since its inception in 2018, OSS has become a key resource for students, teachers, school administrators, and educational communities across the state of Wisconsin by implementing practices proven to prevent violence in schools.
The OSS will run out of money by the end of 2024, meaning the 2023-2024 school year could be the last full school year that services like the Speak Up, Speak Out program are offered to schools for free.
"When a student shows signs that they might be planning an act of violence, their peers know about it: 81% of the time when there’s been a school shooting, a peer knew of a classmate's plan to attack," said Trish Kilpin, Office of School Safety director.
Speak Up, Speak Out
Speak Up, Speak Out is a 24-7 hotline where students can provide anonymous tips. Since the program’s inception, leaders say there have been 7,500 calls. Most of them are about school bullying, but Kaul said the hotline also prevented tragedy.
"We received over 100 reports with concerns there may be a planned school attack," said Kaul.
Waukesha police: Boy with gun arrested near North High School
OSS also helps districts with school safety drills and critical incident response.
Catholic Memorial leaders say representatives were "immediately" available to help after the 2021 Waukesha Christmas parade attack.
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In April 2023, Waukesha police credit the Speak Up, Speak Out for stopping a potential school shooting. North High School students went directly to their school resource officer after they saw a teen with a gun outside the building.
"This is allowing kids a conduit because they were brought up in this digital age where modes of communication are between texting, anonymous reporting," said Waukesha Police Captain Dan Baumann.
Speak Up, Speak Out
Kaul hopes state leaders will approve funding during this legislative session. If lawmakers wait until next year’s session, he says the OSS will have already run out of money.
Statement from Representative Mark Born's office
"The Legislature continued funding the Office of School Safety in the state budget at current levels to continue performing the core functions of the Office, along with providing $2.5M in additional grants to the Office for critical incident mapping. The State cannot backfill the expansion of government that occurred in nearly every agency due to one-time federal money, and this Office is no different."
Speak Up, Speak Out reports can be made 24 hours a day, seven days a week:
- Online at https://speakup.widoj.gov/
- 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 (1-800-697-8761)
- Mobile app (iOS/Android)