(DODGE COUNTY) Families in Dodge County are turning more often to Wisconsin’s statewide school-safety tipline, and new data shows just how frequently local schools are using it when concerns arise.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety released its 2024–25 Speak Up, Speak Out (SUSO) Impact Report, which highlights a sharp rise in student safety tips across the state and shows that Dodge County schools are tapping into all of the support services available.
A county-by-county map inside the report shows that Dodge County has received SUSO tips, received direct school-safety consultations from the Office of School Safety, taken part in OSS training, and received safety grants. In other words, Dodge County is making full use of every major program OSS offers.
Statewide, students, families, and school staff submitted 6,946 tips during the 2024–25 school year — nearly a 32 percent increase from the previous year. Bullying once again topped the list, with 2,234 reports, far more than any other category. The report notes that SUSO has now taken in more than 17,000 tips since the program launched in 2020.
Attorney General Josh Kaul said the growing use of the tipline shows how much families rely on it. “Speak Up, Speak Out has been a resource for students and others to report concerns about safety and student well-being,” Kaul said. “As the numbers show, this resource is being used a lot, helping to make schools safer.”
The report also breaks down which kinds of issues students are reporting. It shows hundreds of cases involving serious or potentially lifesaving concerns, including 438 tips involving possible suicide, 290 involving drugs, 236 involving cyberbullying, 188 involving self-harm, and 136 involving weapons. Several tips involved threats of school attacks, prompting immediate intervention by schools and law enforcement.
Training is another area where Dodge County appears to be fully engaged. The Office of School Safety trained more than 1,170 people statewide on school-safety practices such as the Standard Response Protocol and Standard Reunification Method. Attendees came from 44 counties, including educators, law enforcement officers, dispatchers, nurses, bus drivers, and other school partners. Dodge County is included among the counties taking part, according to the statewide training map.
Grant participation is also visible on the map. Dodge County has received support through OSS grant programs, which may include digital mapping of school buildings to help first responders, funding for crisis stabilization after traumatic events, or instructional materials that help schools teach students how and when to report concerns. The report notes that more than $6 million has been awarded statewide for digital mapping alone.
The report emphasizes that a strong reporting culture can prevent violence before it occurs. National research included in the document notes that in 81 percent of violent school incidents, at least one person knew about the plan in advance but didn’t report it. SUSO is designed to close that gap by giving students a safe, confidential place to share concerns.
“Speak Up, Speak Out has earned a reputation among youth as a safe, accessible, and credible place to report concerns,” the report states.
Anyone in Wisconsin can report a school-safety concern at any time by calling 1-800-MY-SUSO-1, texting SUSO to 738477, or visiting speakup.widoj.gov.
