When critical incidents or crisis events occur in a school, quick access to effective resources that minimize the traumatic impact on students and staff is essential. At the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) – Office of School Safety (OSS), we prioritize the need for prompt, efficient, evidence-based crisis interventions to promote recovery after a crisis event.

This presentation is designed to provide an overview of the regionally based Critical Incident Response (CIR) teams that have been developed in Wisconsin based as part of a 2018 BJA Mental Health STOP federal grant that WI DOJ - OSS received. 

The CIR teams will provide support, resources, and assistance to all K-12 school districts in Wisconsin that have been faced with a critical incident. We will work with the impacted school to learn the needs of the educational community, and provide a right sized, solutions-oriented approach to crisis response and recovery best practices that “do no harm”. 

Attendees will have the opportunity to understand the vision and mission behind the project, learn about the components of the CIR teams, understand the development and overview of the project, and recognize the CIR structure and response procedures.