BARRON, WI (WTAQ) – The Wisconsin Department of Justice announced on Thursday that its Office of School Safety is planning on deploying emergency resources, including trained therapists, school resources officers, and comfort dogs, to the Barron School District.
The Office of School Safety (OSS) is a relatively new department to assist in crisis situations and hasn’t gained much experience in deployment yet.
“The Office of School Safety was created on March 22, of this year and there really hasn’t been a situation that would meet that standard up until this point,” says OSS Director Kristen Devitt.
This announcement follows the aftermath of the disappearance of 13-year-old Jayme Closs. The search for her continues and it was recently announced that her parent’s death was ruled a homicide.
Due to the fluid nature of this investigation, there isn’t a hard timeline on how long resources will be implemented throughout the Barron School District.
“We’re just providing the support that’s needed and reevaluating every day to see what needs to happen tomorrow,” says Devitt.
Students and staff will be assisted in managing trauma and mental health needs.
The Wisconsin Safe and Healthy Schools Training & Technical Assistance Center will be providing emergency training to school staff and counselors through PREPaRE training.
This training focuses on a long-term approach to provide mental health support to students and staff after a crisis.
“It just talks about being ready to not just respond but also to recover from a significant incident,” explains Devitt.
Maybe most importantly, the OSS wants to offer help to every affected individual.
“This is sort of an enhancement that focuses on the school community, not just focusing on family and friends of the victim,” she says.
The services being provided are funded through an emergency grant from the Wisconsin Department of Justice.
