Kenosha Schools receive first School Safety Grant

KENOSHA, Wis. (CBS 58) – Attorney General Brad Schimel announced that Kenosha Unified School District has received the first School Safety Grant. Kenosha will receive $888,788, which will be spent on building safety improvements for all 43 schools in the district, as well as training for faculty and staff.

“I’m proud to stand alongside leaders from the Kenosha Unified School District and Kenosha-area law enforcement agencies as we take the first step in improving school safety across our state,” said Attorney General Schimel. “The grant program created by the Wisconsin Department of Justice is a smart and innovative approach to implementing the change needed to keep students, faculty, and staff safe. Our program is efficient, smart, and innovative - and we're seeing results 65 days later. That is quite a feat. I can't think of too many programs that have done so much in such a short time related to such an important policy - the safety of our children."

KUSD staff will receive training in youth mental health first aid, building security assessments, and digital threat assessments as the result of the School Safety Grant. KUSD also received grant funding under both School Safety Grant categories, the Primary School Safety Grant and Advanced School Safety Grant. DOJ’s Primary School Safety Grants focus on baseline improvements to schools, including door locks and hardening school entryways. The Advanced School Safety Grants, are prioritized to award grants on a competitive basis to schools that have met minimum security thresholds.

“School safety has been and will continue to be one of our top priorities in Kenosha Unified, which is why we are thrilled to be the first recipient of School Safety Initiative grant funds,” said KUSD Superintendent Dr. Sue Savaglio-Jarvis. “These funds will allow us to implement additional safety features designed to provide a safer learning environment for our students and work environment for our staff. We are extremely grateful to the legislators who supported this initiative. By doing so, they have given schools in Wisconsin the opportunity to better protect our cherished students and staff."

Grant applicants are required to partner with law enforcement agencies to ensure that proposed expenditures, visitor protocols, and school safety plans will be effective and provide students with the safest learning environment possible. 

In addition to helping keep schools safe from violent attacks, DOJ will be closely monitoring for behavior that could affect a school’s ability to pay market rates for products like door locks and shatter-resistant film for glass. DOJ will review and investigate any instances of inappropriate pricing behavior so the benefits of the program are not reduced.

Schools have until June 8 to submit their grant applications. 33 districts have submitted proposals and more than 500 applications have been started.