Deputy Superintendent Chad Weise told the Verona Area School District Board of Education on Tuesday that the district has reinforced school safety with a renewed multi-agency approach, new drills and software, and the return of a full‑time school resource officer.

The update — delivered by Weise with Verona Police Department leaders, Lieutenant Jeremy Hatfield of the Fitchburg Police Department and newly assigned school resource officer Brad Stoll — outlined emergency drills, two September incidents that led to police involvement, the district’s use of the Navigate360 response and reunification app, and ongoing conversations about restorative‑justice options for youth who are referred to the courts.

Weise said the district “did end up having 2 arrests, in the month of September,” and described one arrest that followed a fight in a dean’s office and a separate criminal referral after investigators concluded a student had brought a closed‑blade pocket knife to school with the intent to use it in a planned fight. Officer Brad Stoll said, “There was 1 single physical arrest, and that was for that fight in the dean of students office.”

The presentation stressed prevention and relationships as the first line of safety. Lieutenant Jeremy Hatfield and the Verona chief both emphasized building communication channels among school security, SROs and local law enforcement so incidents can be identified and addressed before they escalate. The chief told the board, “I just wanna stress, how positive our relationship is with the school district.”

The district described several concrete changes and tools: adoption of a standard response protocol used by neighboring districts; monthly multi‑agency coordination meetings; a tip line monitored around the clock; “patrol points” for security staff to show regular checks of exterior doors and bathrooms; and the Navigate360 phone app that lets staff trigger mass notifications and take attendance during lockdowns and reunifications. Weise said a recent lockdown drill at Country View registered “355 of 355 students during a lockdown drill in 6 minutes” using the new app.

Staff described two ongoing case‑management tracks: (1) school discipline and restorative interventions administered by building administration, and (2) criminal referrals when investigators conclude a law was broken or a weapon was intended to be used. Hatfield said restorative‑justice options are being explored with local providers: “One of the options on the table is reaching out to a local youth organization that already administers a form of a youth justice court.” Stoll added that discussions with partners such as Briarpatch and Dane County are underway and that the district hopes to have a clear approach by the end of the semester.

The police and district also raised outreach on firearm safety and youth access. The Verona Police Department encouraged parents to secure guns and offered free gun locks; the chief noted statistics about child gun deaths and urged a community approach to prevention. The board and presenters also discussed growing community complaints about electric bikes and scooters moving at high speed near school property; Hatfield said the city is drafting ordinances and planning an educational campaign for parents and students.

Board members asked about the community response to the SRO presence and were told students and staff have responded positively to Stoll’s districtwide visibility. Stoll described meeting students during lunches and giving out stickers to prompt questions and conversations; the SRO said much of his early work has been relationship building and aiding administrators with decisions about when to involve police.

Weise said the district will compile site safety plans and assessments (referencing state reporting requirements) and bring a package to the board for formal acknowledgement within the next month. He described an upcoming October 23 multi‑jurisdictional active‑threat training to be hosted at the high school, noting the district will notify the community about apparatus and road access on training days.

The board did not take formal policy action at the meeting; administrators sought the board’s endorsement of the compiled safety materials in a subsequent item and asked the board to be prepared to sign off on work required under state reporting standards within weeks.

The presentation included multiple follow‑up commitments: continuing monthly law enforcement coordination; evaluating restorative‑justice referral processes; pursuing an educational campaign and ordinance work on e‑bikes and e‑scooters; and monitoring results from the new app and patrol points.

For context, presenters named the Verona Police Department, Fitchburg Police Department and Dane County partners as active collaborators. The district also cited the national standard response protocol and the Navigate360 platform as the operational tools now in use.