Last updated: July 2024
Below are instructions from the Department of Justice Office of School Safety (OSS) about submitting your required school safety documents.
Check out the recording WCRIS’ December Lunch & Learn webinar with the OSS for more information. Review the presentation slides here.
Wis. Stat §118.07 Annual School Submissions
Wisconsin Statute §118.07 requires public and private schools to submit required information to the Office of School Safety. While previous grant applicants may have provided some of this information, the statutory requirements apply to all schools, regardless of whether the school applied for grant funds in the past.
Required Information
By Jan. 1, every school board and governing body of a private school must also file the following information with the Office of School Safety (Wis. Stat. 118.07(4)(e)):
- Blueprints (or maps) of each school building and facility to the Office of School Safety and local law enforcement agencies (Wis. Stat. 118.07(4)(cf));
- A copy of its School Safety Plan, including the most recent date on which the school board or governing body reviewed and approved the school safety plan;
- The date(s) of the required annual School Violence Drill(s) during the previous year, including certification that the school board or governing body reviewed a required written evaluation of the school violence drill(s);
- The date of the most recent school safety plan training (required under 118.07(4)(c)), and the number of attendees;
- The most recent date on which the school board or governing body consulted with a local law enforcement agency to conduct required on-site safety assessments.
For more clarity about what is required of our schools, WCRIS met with the OSS in September 2022, during the meeting they informed us:
- It’s not required that local law enforcement sign off on a school’s safety assessment. Schools simply have to contact and invite law enforcement to discuss its safety plans. If they don’t respond or attend your meeting, you can still move forward with your submission. WCRIS advises that you document your attempt to meet with law enforcement;
- Even if you don’t have every required piece for the annual submission, still submit what you have by the January 1 deadline. Don’t wait until you have a complete submission.
How to Submit Information
Starting with the 2024 submissions, the OSS has updated the submission platform from Sharefile to SharePoint.
Information and instructions for the new platform were sent to each school’s OSS contact. Read an FAQ about the update here and watch a tutorial video here.
If you didn’t receive correspondence from the OSS or have questions about the new platform, contact the OSS.
