Wisconsin State Assembly Rep. Todd Novak and Sen. Romaine Quinn recently introduced a bill to permanently fund the Office of School Safety, according to a WisPolitics press release.

Novak and Quinn are looking to receive consistent state funding rather than relying on short-term federal grants, according to Novak.

The OSS, founded in 2018, is a sector of the Wisconsin Department of Justice created as a resource to prevent and assess violence in Wisconsin schools, according to the press release.

Rep. Novak said the OSS trains school districts to recognize and notice signs of violence before they happen.

They also provide a tip line where staff or community members can express concerns and ask questions about situations regarding school safety to receive assistance, according to Rep. Novak.

The tip line, “Speak Up, Speak Out,” can also be used to deploy statewide resources to schools when a critical incident is reported, helping schools receive resources more efficiently, according to their website.

In previous years, the OSS was operated mainly through federal funds and funds coming from concealed carry permit fees, according to WisPolitics.

But Novak said the federal funding was used up long ago and there were concerns the OSS would have to cut back on staff. This is what he hopes to avoid by receiving permanent funding.

“To make it permanent, because the federal funding is long gone, we want to keep the staffing level the same,” Novak said.

Novak explained that, ideally, funding would be placed into the state budget.

The OSS also works to provide resources to schools in rural areas where programs aren’t always available.

According to Novak, if the bill were passed, it would ensure the 14 staff members could help throughout the state.

The bill was recently introduced for co-sponsorship but will be formally introduced to the legislature toward the end of February, according to WisPolitics. Novak stated the proposed legislation will first undergo a hearing process and then be introduced to both the Senate and Assembly floors.

“It’s not going to happen overnight,” Novak said.

Though the process won’t be quick, Novak is not concerned about opposition to the bill.

He stated that funding propositions have not received resistance in the past, and he and his team expect bipartisan support.

With the passage of the bill, the OSS hopes not to have to rely on federal funding and to keep supporting Wisconsin schools in terms of safety.