WAUSAU, Wis. (WSAW) – After yet another tragedy in one of our country’s schools, the need for students to be safe is even more important.
It’s a task the Wisconsin Department of Justice Office of School Safety (OSS) has set out to achieve for several years.
An 8 and a 10-year-old were killed in a shooting at a catholic school in Minneapolis. OSS says tragedies like this don’t just happen. They’re typically planned out over time and that process is noticeable to others.
“You have lots of times that kids might get mad and in response to something, they might make a threat or make an impulsive statement. That’s very different than someone who’s planning a predatory attack,” OSS Executive Director Trish Kilpin said. “82% of the time when there’s been a school shooting, a peer knew about a shooter’s plan to do so.”
With the help of their Speak Up, Speak Out tipline, it’s allowed OSS to prioritize several things simultaneously, including prevention, protection, mitigation response and recovery, and providing resources and tools to schools.
It’s also developed a strong relationship with law enforcement.
“We train law enforcement and school teams on how to engage in best practices, how to utilize a process called behavioral threat assessment and management to determine if a child poses a threat versus the fact that they made a threat,” Kilpin said.
She says they’ve received over 17,000 SUSO tips since last September.
“Our SUSO Resource Center is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” Kilpin said. This allows law enforcement to get the information that they need in order to assess a situation and determine whether or not it’s safe to have school the next day.”
Kilpin adds they continue to follow the same practice of making school safety a priority across Wisconsin.
Kilpin says if you see something, or you’re worried a violent act is imminent, tell an adult or reach out to the SUSO tipline. OSS will also be in Wausau on September 9 to educate people on keeping kids safe online.
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