Sponsors
The bill increases federal funding and mandates armed officers and hardened entry screening to reduce school shooting risks, but does so at the cost of greater policing, privacy intrusions, equity concerns for minority students, and potential local budget strain.
Students and school communities receive a permanent armed security presence intended to deter or stop active shooter threats, potentially reducing on‑campus shooting harm.
Local educational agencies can use federal grant funds to pay for hiring security staff and constructing secure entry points, reducing reliance on local budgets.
Schools receive funded physical‑security upgrades (single locked entry, metal detectors, staffed screening) that standardize entry screening and harden facilities.
Racial‑ethnic minority students are likely to face increased surveillance, policing, and referrals to law enforcement because of greater police presence in schools.
Mandating armed officers in every school could increase risks of escalation, accidental firearm incidents, and disproportionate or harsher disciplinary outcomes for students.
If grant funding does not cover total costs, hiring SROs and constructing secure entry points may force school districts to reallocate local education funds or cut programs.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Authorizes competitive federal grants to LEAs to hire armed school resource officers and install a single locked anteroom single point of entry with metal detectors.
Provides federal grants for local school districts to improve school building security by hiring armed school resource officers and creating a single locked anteroom single point of entry with metal detectors where all visitors are inspected. Local educational agencies must apply for competitive grants in the form the Secretary of Education requires, and the Secretary must report to Congress on implementation within one year.
Introduced September 30, 2025 by Jefferson Van Drew · Last progress September 30, 2025