Northwoods Reporter

Madison, Wis. — Senator Romaine Robert Quinn (R-Cameron) is proud that his bill to continue funding for the Office of School Safety (OSS) was signed into law earlier today.

"The Office of School Safety is an essential tool to prevent threats in our schools," Quinn said. "This week in Barron County we saw an example of just how important it is for the services provided by the Office of School Safety to remain in place."

On Monday, the Barron County Sheriff’s Department acted on a tip received from the state school tip line Speak Up, Speak Out, concerning a potential threat at Prairie Farm School. Authorities were able to quickly investigate and determine there was no threat to the school.

"Quickly responding and investigating such tips will hopefully prevent tragedies from happening in our communities," Quinn said. "I am appreciative that this legislation received bipartisan support and is now law."

The legislation, now 2023 Wisconsin Act 240, continues funding the office through the 2024-25 school year and the next state budget when a long-term funding solution can be considered.

The Speak Up, Speak Out Resource Center provides communities with a centralized safety tool, available at no cost to schools. It’s a one-stop resource for threat reporting threat assessment consultation, critical incident response, and general school safety guidance.

"Act 240 is the eighth bill to be signed into law this month that has been authored by Senator Quinn."