Summary

Requires the Department of Homeland Security, working with the Department of Education and other federal agencies, to develop and submit a national strategy to secure elementary and secondary schools against acts of terrorism. The Secretary must deliver the initial strategy to specified congressional committees within one year of enactment and brief those committees. The strategy must identify federal programs and spending related to school security, outline vulnerabilities and goals to address them, describe actions and reforms needed to meet those goals, and build on existing reviews and recommendations to avoid duplication. The Secretary must update the strategy as appropriate each year through 2033, brief Congress on updates, or certify when no update is issued.

Key Points

• Directs DHS, with Education and other agencies, to produce a national strategy to protect K–12 schools from terrorism.
• Initial strategy must be submitted to specified congressional committees within one year of enactment and accompanied by a briefing.
• Strategy must inventory federal programs and spending related to school security.
• Strategy must identify vulnerabilities, set goals, and describe actions and reforms to close gaps.
• Requires annual updates as appropriate through 2033, with briefings or certifications if no update occurs.
• Mandates building on and not duplicating findings from existing DHS working groups, commissions, and evaluations.
• Does not itself authorize new funding or create specific grant programs in the text provided.
• Adds a new statutory section to the Homeland Security Act and updates the Act's table of contents.

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