MADISON, Wisconsin — A new annual report from Attorney General Josh Kaul shows that bullying remained the leading concern flagged through Wisconsin’s Speak Up, Speak Out school safety tip line last year. The program, created to give students, parents, and school staff a confidential way to report potential threats or safety issues, received nearly 7,000 tips in total.
More than 2,200 of those reports — almost one-third — involved bullying, making it by far the most common issue raised. The second-largest category was vaping, with 505 tips. Far fewer reports involved weapons: only 136 tips, or less than 2%, concerned guns or other weapons. Another 145 tips involved allegations of sexual misconduct, though the report does not distinguish between student-to-student cases and incidents involving school personnel.
Kaul emphasized the program’s growing impact, saying the volume of submissions demonstrates its value in identifying risks early and improving school safety statewide. However, the report contains limited detail about the severity of individual cases.
According to the data, 14% of all tips were classified as “imminent concern,” including threats of school attacks, weapons possession, or suicide risk. Another 11% were labeled “elevated concerns” involving violence, criminal activity, or recent self-harm indicators. The remaining 75% were categorized as general concerns.
The findings highlight both the scale of bullying in Wisconsin schools and the role of the statewide tip line in identifying more serious threats before they escalate.
Sources:
Discover more from News Facts Network
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
