Milwaukee’s public schools will spend an additional $1 million on safety after a prominent principal was punched and thrown against a counter and wall in her school’s office by a student, reports the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The school system will set up a “crisis response team” of safety aides who can be sent to trouble spots on quick notice. The principal was trying to calm a girl, who had become loud and profane, when the girl became violent.
School Superintendent William Andrekopoulos said principals are concerned about an increasing number of students with mental problems that lead them to be violent and the response time of Milwaukee police. He said the $1 million will fund the hiring of 10 safety aides and other security-related steps that have not been set yet. The system cut its security staff from 231.4 positions to 216 going into this year. Andrekopoulos hopes to use some of the $1 million to provide additional mental health services. Some of the money may go to new security-related equipment, such as better machines for screening students entering schools for weapons and contraband.