Federal Support for School Safety and Security

August 10, 2021 – June 15, 2022 R46872

Federal Support for School Safety and Security June 15, 2022
In the United States, more than 70 million students are enrolled in public elementary and
secondary (K-12) schools or degree-granting postsecondary institutions. School and campus
Kyrie E. Dragoo,
safety and security for these students encompasses many issues, including violence prevention
Coordinator
and response, school climate, and the physical and mental health of the school community.
Analyst in Education Policy
Students’ safety and security while in school is an area of concern for the federal government and

state and local governments, as well as school districts, institutions of higher education, students’
Nathan James
families, and Members of Congress.
Analyst in Crime Policy

Congress has responded to school safety and security concerns with hearings and legislation
creating new programs and mandating data collection efforts and reports. The focus of
Johnathan H. Duff
congressional efforts to support school safety has expanded over the years, from tracking and
Analyst in Health Policy
responding to individual incidents to promoting safe, positive school learning environments and

providing students and school personnel the tools and resources to respond to crises when they
Shawn Reese
arise.
Analyst in Emergency
Management and
State and local governments oversee K-12 education in public schools. Colleges and universities
Homeland Security Policy
are a mix of public, private nonprofit, and private for-profit entities with varying governance

structures. The federal government’s main avenue for supporting schools in general and school
Alexandra Hegji
and campus safety specifically is through grant programs. This report provides an overview of
Analyst in Social Policy
grant programs at the U.S. Department of Education (ED), U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ),

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) that provide direct or indirect funding for school and campus safety and security

initiatives. The report also provides an overview of programs and initiatives administered by
these departments that support school safety and security efforts in other ways, such as through data collection and reporting
and technical assistance.
Several federal grant programs provide funding to directly support school safety and security programs, including the
following examples. DOJ’s Matching Grant Program for School Security provides grants to support evidence-based
programs to improve security at schools and on school grounds. ED’s National Activities for School Safety authorizes the
Secretary of Education to carry out activities to improve students’ safety and well-being, during and after the school day.
HHS’s Project AWARE Educational Agency grants provide funding to support training teachers and school personnel on
mental health awareness, and to connect youth with behavioral health issues to needed services.
Most federal funding that is available for school safety and security programs is not explicitly required to be used for school
safety activities. For example, DOJ’s Community Oriented Policing Services Hiring Program provides grants to state, local,
and tribal governments for hiring police officers to engage in community policing activities. Among other purposes, funds
can be used to hire School Resource Officers. DHS’s Preparedness Grants provide funds to enhance the capacity of “state and
local emergency responders to prevent, respond to, and recover from a terrorism incident.” Funding may be used for public
school safety and security, if grant recipients determine it to be a priority. Because there are other uses of the grant funds for
these programs, it is difficult to track exactly how much funding under these programs has been awarded specifically for
school safety and security.
In addition, the federal government operates initiatives that support the efforts of state and local governments to secure
schools. For example, the Federal Commission on School Safety was formed in 2018 to make policy recommendations on a
range of school safety and security issues. As another example, the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council provides
advice and recommendations to the DHS Secretary and departmental senior leadership on matters related to homeland
security and the academic community.
Congressional Research Service

link to page 17 link to page 17 Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Introduction
In the United States, more than 50 million students are enrolled in public elementary and
secondary schools that educate children from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade; nearly 20
million more students attend degree-granting postsecondary institutions.1 Students’ safety and
security is a paramount concern of federal, state, and local governments, as well as for school
districts, institutions of higher education (IHEs), students’ families, and Members of Congress.
Through the mid-20th century, most of the school safety bills and resolutions that Congress
considered concerned children’s safety traveling to and from school, in the form of legislation on
school bus safety and in support of school safety patrols.2 In the 1970s, Americans grew
increasingly concerned with incidents of crime, violence, and vandalism on school grounds, and
Congress began considering bills proposing federal support to track, study, and address violence,
vandalism, and other school safety issues.3 In the decades since, research on the effects of trauma,
crises, and school climate on the learning environment, student health, and the ability of students
to engage in education increased. In response, the variety of initiatives considered at the federal
level to provide students with safe and secure learning environments increased as well.
When thinking about school safety and security, the public often focuses on violence prevention
and incident response. School safety and security also includes issues related to bullying,
harassment, childhood trauma, student mental health, substance abuse, school climate, and
student discipline. Many types of crises and incidents that disrupt the school learning
environment may be considered school safety issues. For example, when COVID-19 disrupted
the 2019-2020 school year, Congress, through Project School Emergency Response to Violence
(Project SERV), a program originally designed to bring resources to schools quickly in the event
of a school shooting or other violent crisis, provided $100 million in funding for elementary,
secondary, and postsecondary schools to clean and disinfect affected facilities and provide
counseling and distance learning programs.4 Similarly, Project Advancing Wellness and
Resilience in Education (Project AWARE) was originally part of a cross-agency effort to reduce
gun violence. Now, Project AWARE’s school safety focus has expanded to support several grant
programs designed to increase mental health awareness among school-aged youth and school

1 U.S. Department of Education (ED), National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data (CCD), Digest
of Education Statistics; Table 105.20. Enrollment in elementary, secondary, and degree-granting postsecondary
institutions, by level and control of institution, enrollment level, and attendance status and sex of student: Selected
years, fall 1990 through fall 2029, Washington, DC, 2019, https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d19/tables/
dt19_105.20.asp?current=yes.”
2 For example, see S.J.Res. 130 in the 89th Congress, Joint Resolution To provide for the designation of the week of
May 8 to May 14, 1966, as “National School Safety Patrol Week.”
3 According to archived CRS Memo DL771616, School Violence and Vandalism, CRS Education and Public Welfare
Division, June 30, 1977, the first bill proposing federal financial assistance to local educational agencies specifically to
help them respond to crime and safety concerns was entitled the Safe Schools Act and was introduced in the 92nd
Congress as H.R. 3101 (February 1, 1971).
4 The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136) provided $100 million for
Project SERV to supplement existing funds to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 domestically or
internationally and specifically stated that CARES Act Project SERV funds can be used by schools and IHEs for
counseling, for distance learning, or to clean and disinfect school buildings. See the “Project School Emergency
Response to Violence (Project SERV)” section of this report for more information.
Congressional Research Service

1

link to page 9 Federal Support for School Safety and Security

personnel and connect school-aged youth with mental health issues and their families to needed
services.5
State and local governments oversee K-12 education in public schools. Colleges and universities
are a mix of public, private nonprofit, and private for-profit entities with varying governance
structures. The federal government supports schools in general and school and campus safety
specifically through grant programs, research, data collection, reporting requirements, guidance,
and technical assistance. This report identifies select federal programs that support school safety
and security in elementary, secondary, and postsecondary educational institutions.6 Specifically,
the report describes programs, resources, and initiatives administered by the U.S. Department of
Education (ED), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Department of
Justice (DOJ), and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
School safety and security programs and activities can be divided into three broad, and often
overlapping, categories:
 Prevention: any efforts—such as anti-bullying campaigns or infrastructure
improvements—that aim to make school and IHE settings safer and more secure
for students, teachers, faculty, and staff.
 Mitigation and Response: initiatives that attempt to reduce school and IHE
violence and prepare institutions to respond to incidents that jeopardize safety
and security.7
 Recovery: programs that aim to help students and communities recover from
traumatic events, such as an act of violence that has occurred within the school
community.
The ED, HHS, DOJ, and DHS programs discussed in this report encompass prevention,
mitigation and response, or recovery efforts that provide direct or indirect funding for school and
campus safety and security initiatives. The program summaries in this report are not
comprehensive. In many cases, other Congressional Research Service (CRS) products are
referenced as sources for more detailed information about individual programs. This report also
provides an overview of federal programs and initiatives that support school safety and security
efforts in other ways, such as data collection and technical assistance.
Report Organization
This report organizes select federal programs related to school safety and security based on
whether the program directly addresses an aspect of school safety and security, or whether the
program’s primary purpose is something other than school safety but, in certain circumstances, it
can support school safety initiatives or activities that contribute to students’ health and safety.
Specifically, the report is organized into two broad categories, each of which comprises a primary
section of it.8

5 See the “Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (Project AWARE)” section for more information.
6 Although authorizations for the federal programs described in this report exist, it does not mean that these programs
are currently funded in the most recent appropriations.
7 For example, many schools employ School Resource Officers (SROs) in hopes that their presence may deter crime
and violence within the school and also to have someone ready to respond quickly to incidents of crime or violence
when needed. For more information on SROs, see CRS Report R45251, School Resource Officers: Issues for Congress.
8 Categories were determined by CRS for the sake of organizing this report. Executive agencies do not necessarily
conceptualize their programming in the same manner.
Congressional Research Service

2

link to page 7 link to page 24 link to page 39 link to page 39 link to page 49 link to page 8 link to page 19 link to page 19 link to page 8 link to page 19 Federal Support for School Safety and Security

 “Programs with an Explicit School Safety or Security Purpose” describes
programs that have school safety or security included as an explicit purpose in
one or more of the following: (1) the program’s authorizing legislation, (2)
congressional appropriations report language, or (3) agency documents (e.g.,
program web page or an agency’s Congressional Budget Justification). These
programs may have an exclusive focus on school safety or may address school
safety along with other issue areas. This section of the report first discusses grant
programs, followed by other programs, acts, and initiatives such as federal
commissions and councils on school safety and laws related to the possession of
firearms on school grounds.
 “Programs That May Support School Safety Initiatives” describes programs for
which school safety or security is not specified as a program purpose, but these
programs permit using funds to support school safety and security initiatives.
This section of the report first discusses grant programs, followed by other
programs and initiatives such as preparedness training and outreach programs.
Programs listed in this section were selected for inclusion if the activities they
supported were the same, or similar to, activities supported by programs with an
explicit school safety or security purpose, or if allowable uses of funds were
broad enough to encompass these types of activities.
In addition, Table A-1 in Appendix A provides a concise list of all of the grant programs in this
report by administering agency and provides information on each program, including the
authorizing legislation, the U.S. Code citation, federal eligibility, and a brief description of
relevant uses of funds. Appendix B provides examples of other federal school safety and security
resources, including research reports, technical assistance centers, and websites.
The funding and appropriations figures included in this report do not include supplemental
appropriations provided by Congress in response to COVID-19 through the Coronavirus Aid,
Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act; P.L. 116-136);9 the Coronavirus Response and
Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA; Division M of the Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2021 (P.L. 116-260)); and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA;
P.L. 117-2), unless otherwise specified.
Programs with an Explicit School Safety or Security
Purpose
This section of the report provides an overview of programs that have an explicit school safety or
security purpose and include specific school safety or security activities in the allowable or
required uses of funds. Programs listed in this section provide funding to eligible entities (e.g.,
state or local governments or local educational agencies [LEAs]) specifically for the purpose of
implementing initiatives that promote school safety or security. The programs fall into two
categories: (1) “Grant Programs,” including formula grants and competitive grants; and (2) “Non-
grant Programs and Initiatives,” which include councils, commissions, or task forces specifically
targeting school safety and security and laws related to school safety and security. Within the
“Grant Programs” section, grant programs are ordered from largest to smallest by their most
recent available appropriations levels. Within the “Non-grant Programs and Initiatives” section,

9 For more information about the Education Stabilization Fund under the CARES Act, as enacted, see CRS Report
R46378, CARES Act Education Stabilization Fund: Background and Analysis.
Congressional Research Service

3

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

items are listed alphabetically, subsections are also listed alphabetically, and laws are listed
chronologically by year of initial enactment.
Some of the grant programs described in this section are solely intended to support school safety
and security purposes; others explicitly list school safety or security activities as a purpose of the
program or among other possible uses of funds.
Grant Programs
Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education
$1.3 bil ion
(OESE), Office of Safe and Healthy Students (OSHS)
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
Authorizing Legislation
LEAs receiving an SSAE grant ≥$30,000 must provide
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)
assurances that they wil use ≥20% of their grant funds
(P.L. 114-95), Title IV-A, §§4104, 4108
for activities to support “safe and healthy students.”
The exact amount used for school safety and security
activities is unknown.
The SSAE grants program is a block grant program authorized under Title IV-A of the
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), as amended by the Every Student Succeeds
Act (ESSA; P.L. 114-95). The purpose of SSAE grants is to improve students’ academic
achievement by increasing the capacity of states, LEAs, schools, and local communities to (1)
provide all students with access to a well-rounded education, (2) improve school conditions for
student learning, and (3) improve the use of technology in order to improve the academic
achievement and digital learning of all students.10
SSAE grant funds are allocated by formula to each state in proportion to the state’s prior-year
allocation under Title I-A of the ESEA.11 The state must then reserve at least 95% of the allotment
it receives to make allocations to LEAs via a similar formula. LEAs that receive a grant of
$30,000 or more must provide assurances that they will use funds toward each of three broad
categories of activities: (1) activities to support well-rounded educational opportunities, (2)
activities to support safe and healthy students (they must use at least 20% of their funds for this
purpose), and (3) activities to support the effective use of technology.12 Regardless of the size of
an LEA’s SSAE grant, it may choose to spend the funds it reserves for supporting safe and
healthy students on programs or initiatives focused on school safety only (e.g., programs focused
on preventing violence, bullying, or harassment), on promoting student health only (e.g.,
programs focused on nutrition, exercise, or first aid training), or on both student health and school
safety.13 For example, many programs that support student mental health relate to school safety
because they aim to improve school climate, help prevent dangerous behaviors or activities (e.g.,
bullying, harassment, substance abuse), or help students respond to and recover from school
violence (e.g., counseling, support groups). SSAE grants are flexible enough to allow LEAs to

10 20 U.S.C. §7111; P.L. 114-95, §§4101 et al.
11 Ibid.
12 20 U.S.C. §7116; P.L. 114-95, §4106(e)(2).
13 Implementing both school safety and student health initiatives could mean (1) implementing two separate programs
or (2) implementing a program that could be considered as falling under both categories, such as suicide prevention or
schoolwide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) programs.
Congressional Research Service

4

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

use the majority (and in some cases the entirety)14 of their SSAE grant funds toward school safety
and security programs or to use them for activities completely unrelated to school safety (e.g., a
program on healthy eating and nutrition or Advanced Placement courses).
The programs and activities an LEA selects to support in the category of Safe and Healthy
Students (Section 4108) must, among other requirements, be used to develop, implement, and
evaluate comprehensive programs and activities that foster safe, healthy, supportive, and drug-
free environments that support student academic achievement. Examples of allowable activities in
this category related to school safety and security include programs and activities for elementary
and secondary students, and professional development and training for teachers and other school
personnel, in the following areas:
 drug and violence prevention;
 suicide prevention;
 bullying and harassment prevention;
 re-entry/transition programs for justice-involved youth;
 mentoring and school counseling;
 recognition and prevention of coercion, violence, or abuse, including dating
violence, stalking, and sexual violence and harassment;
 school-based mental health services, including early identification of mental
health symptoms, drug use, and violence;
 schoolwide multitiered behavioral frameworks, such as positive behavioral
interventions and supports (PBIS) programs; and
 trauma-informed practices in classroom management, crisis management, and
conflict resolution techniques.
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF10910, Student Support and Academic Enrichment
(SSAE) Grants.
Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education (Project AWARE)
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
HHS, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Project AWARE State Grants ($107.5 mil ion),
Administration (SAMHSA)
Mental Health Awareness Training ($25 mil ion),
ReCAST ($12.5 mil ion)
Authorizing Legislation
Public Health Service Act (PHSA), §520A Priority
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
Mental Health Needs of Regional and National
Project AWARE grants support youth mental health
Significance (Mental Health PRNS)
awareness and community treatment, often in K-12
public schools.
Project AWARE consists of competitive grants supporting activities that identify children and
youth in need of mental health services, increase access to mental health treatment, and promote
mental health literacy among teachers and school personnel.15 Project AWARE consists of three

14 For example, in the case of an LEA receiving a SSAE grant of less than $30,000, that LEA would only need to
provide assurance that it would use its funds to support one of the three activities listed in the previous sentence,
meaning the LEA could choose to use anywhere between 0% and 100% of its funds towards school safety activities.
15 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA), Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2020,
Congressional Research Service

5

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

components: (1) Project AWARE State Educational Agency grants (known as Project AWARE
State or SEA grants), (2) Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) grants,16 and (3) Resiliency
in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) grants.
Project AWARE originated as part of the Obama Administration’s 2013 Now Is the Time
initiative.17 Launched in the wake of the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in
Newtown, CT, in 2012, this plan introduced a number of activities aimed at protecting children
and communities by reducing gun violence.18 Project AWARE builds upon strategies used in the
Clinton Administration’s 1999 Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative for creating safe and
secure schools and promoting students’ mental health in communities across the country.19
Project AWARE State Grants
The purpose of the Project AWARE State grants is to build or expand the capacity of SEAs, in
partnership with State Mental Health Agencies, to: (1) increase awareness of mental health issues
among school-aged youth; (2) provide training for school personnel and other adults to detect
mental health issues; and (3) connect school-aged youth with mental health issues and their
families to needed services.20 Project AWARE SEA grantees use funds to train teachers and other
school personnel on mental health awareness and how to connect school-aged youth to needed
services. Other activities may include school-based mental health and wellness programs,
increased mental health services for school-aged youth, and implementation of evidence-based
mental health interventions, among others. Project AWARE is authorized through SAMHSA’s
Mental Health PRNS authorities.21
In FY2020, SAMHSA awarded 15 new Project AWARE State grants and supported the
continuation of 30 State grants. In FY2021, SAMHSA awarded 10 new State grants and
supported the continuation of 39 State grants.22 The program has also supported technical
assistance to develop school-based mental health models.23
Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT)
The MHAT program provides training to school personnel and individuals working with youth on
how to recognize a mental illness, provide initial help in a mental health crisis, and connect

http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
16 Previously known as “Mental Health First Aid” or MHFA grants.
17 The White House (Obama Administration), Now Is the Time: The President’s Plan to Protect Our Children and Our
Communities by Reducing Gun Violence, January 16, 2013, https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/sites/default/files/
docs/wh_now_is_the_time_full.pdf.
18 The White House (Obama Administration), Now Is the Time to Do Something About Gun Violence, 2013,
https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/issues/preventing-gun-violence.
19 HHS, SAMHSA, The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative: A Legacy of Success, HHS Publication No. (SMA)
13-4798, 2013, https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/sma13-4798.pdf. The Safe Schools/Healthy Students
initiative was instituted partially in response to a series of school shootings, including the incident at Columbine High
School in April 1999.
20 HHS, SAMHSA, Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) State Education Agency
Grants, Funding Opportunity Announcement, October 24, 2018, https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/
sm-19-003.
21 42 U.S.C. §290bb-32. HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2021,
http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
22 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2023, http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
23 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2021, http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
Congressional Research Service

6

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

students to appropriate care.24 The MHAT training program—known as Mental Health First
Aid—is structured similarly to standard first aid training: an eight-hour course that instructs
participants in how to identify, understand, and respond to the signs of a crisis mental illness and
substance use disorders.25 Through Project AWARE, SAMHSA and its partners have been
providing grants for Mental Health First Aid since 2013. SAMHSA partners with the National
Council for Mental Wellbeing26 to administer the MHAT grants. In FY2020, SAMHSA awarded
16 new MHAT grants and supported the continuation of 156 MHAT grants.27 In FY2021,
SAMHSA awarded 145 new MHAT grants and supported the continuation of the 33 existing
grants.28
Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) Grants
The ReCAST program, within Project AWARE, consists of competitive grants for communities
that have recently faced civil unrest or trauma. The purpose of the ReCAST program is to assist
high-risk youth and families by promoting resilience through implementation of evidence-based
violence prevention and youth engagement programs, as well as through linkages to trauma-
informed behavioral health services.
In FY2016, SAMHSA awarded the first eight ReCAST grants.29 SAMHSA awarded two new
ReCAST grants in each of FY2017 and FY2018 while supporting the continuation of eight
existing grants.30 In FY2019, SAMHSA supported the continuation of 11 ReCAST grants. No
new ReCAST grants were awarded in FY2020. In FY2021, SAMHSA awarded 9 new ReCAST
grants with COVID Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act funding.31 In FY2021, SAMHSA
supported three ReCAST continuation grants.

24 In 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act (P.L. 114-255) created a new MHAT authority in the Public Health Service Act
(§520J; 42 U.S.C. §290bb-41) which codified the Mental Health First Aid training grant component of Project
AWARE. The new authority applies to a more general population. As such, the MHAT program provides training
grants to a variety of entities, such as law enforcement agencies, fire departments, emergency first responders, and
others.
25 HHS, SAMHSA, Mental Health First Aid Offers Behavioral Health Training, March 15, 2017,
https://www.samhsa.gov/homelessness-programs-resources/hpr-resources/mental-health-first-aid-training.
26 The National Council for Mental Wellbeing (formerly the National Council for Behavioral Health) is a membership
and advocacy organization focusing on behavioral health and behavioral health providers. Members include health care
organizations and management entities that offer treatment for behavioral health issues. The National Council for
Behavioral Health frequently partners with HHS and SAMHSA to carry out certain activities. More information can be
found at https://www.thenationalcouncil.org/.
27 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2022, http://www.hhs.gov/budget
28 MHAT grants are typically in the amount of $125,000.
29 HHS, SAMHSA, ReCAST (Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma) Grants, Grants Archive, FY2016,
https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/awards/2016/SM-16-012.
30 HHS, SAMHSA, ReCAST (Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma) Grants, Grants Archive, FY2018,
https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/awards/2018/SM-17-009; and HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for
Appropriations Committees for FY2021, http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
31 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2023, http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
Congressional Research Service

7

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Matching Grant Program for School Security
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
DOJ, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of
For BJA: $82.0 mil ion
Justice Assistance (BJA); and DOJ, Community
For COPS: $53.0 mil ion
Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
Authorizing Legislation
All grants are awarded to state, local, and tribal
The Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act
governments for programs to address school violence
of 2000 (P.L. 106-386), §1108(b)
and enhance school security.
Under the Matching Grant Program for School Security, BJA is authorized to award competitive
grants to state, tribal, and local governments32 for
 training school personnel and students to prevent student violence against others
and themselves;
 developing and operating anonymous reporting systems for threats of school
violence, including mobile telephone applications, hotlines, and websites;
 developing and operating school threat assessment and intervention teams, which
may include coordination with law enforcement agencies and school personnel
and specialized training for school officials in responding to mental health crises;
and
 implementing any other measure that the BJA Director determines may provide a
significant improvement in training, school threat assessments and reporting, and
school violence prevention.
BJA awards the funding it receives pursuant to the authorization for the Matching Grant Program
for School Security under its STOP School Violence program. In addition, for FY2022, the Office
of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) opened a grant solicitation under an
Enhancing School Capacity to Address Youth Violence program, which OJJDP indicates is
authorized under the Matching Grant Program for School Security.
The COPS Office is authorized to make grants to state, tribal, and local governments33 for
 coordination between schools and local law enforcement to improve security on
school grounds;
 training local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence against others
and themselves;
 placing and using metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures in
schools;
 acquiring and installing technology for expedited notification of local law
enforcement during an emergency; and
 implementing any other measure that the COPS Office Director determines may
provide a significant improvement in security.

32 Per 34 U.S.C. Section 10554(1), for the purposes of this program, a local government is “a county, municipality,
town, township, village, parish, borough, or other unit of general government below the State level.”
33 Per 34 U.S.C. Section 10554(1), for the purposes of this program, a local government is “a county, municipality,
town, township, village, parish, borough, or other unit of general government below the State level.”
Congressional Research Service

8

link to page 17 Federal Support for School Safety and Security

The COPS Office awards the funding it receives pursuant to the authorization for the Matching
Grant Program for School Security under its School Violence Prevention program.
State, local, and tribal governments can use grant awards for contracts or subgrants to LEAs,
nonprofit organizations, and other units of local government or tribal organizations. Grantees
under this program are required to provide a 25% match.
National Activities for School Safety (selected by the U.S. Secretary of
Education)
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, OESE, OSHS
School Climate Transformation Grants ($56.9 mil ion),
Project Prevent ($14.6 mil ion),
Authorizing Legislation
Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration
National Activities for School Safety, ESEA,
Grants ($12.2 mil ion),
Title IV-F, §§4601, 4631
School-Based Mental Health Services Grants ($11.0
mil ion),
Grants to States for Emergency Management ($4.8
mil ion)

Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
All funds support grants, contracts, or cooperative
agreements selected by the Secretary of Education to
carry out activities to improve students’ safety and
well-being.
Title IV-F of the ESEA provides two authorizations for National Activities for School Safety
programs. The first, Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV),34 is
discussed separately later in this report. The second authorizes the Secretary of Education to use a
portion of funds reserved for National Activities for School Safety to carry out activities to
improve students’ safety and well-being, during and after the school day, with public or private
entities, individuals, or other federal agencies.35 This section of the report discusses five current
National Activities for School Safety programs created by the Secretary of Education under this
second authorization.
Since 2017, there have been new competitions under three of these programs that first awarded
grants in 2014—Project Prevent, School Climate Transformation Grants, and Grants to States for
Emergency Management. In addition, during the Trump Administration, U.S. Secretary of
Education Betsy DeVos created two new competitive grant programs—School-Based Mental
Health Services Grants and Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grants.
Descriptions of each of the five programs follow and are ordered by FY2022 appropriation
amount from largest to smallest.
School Climate Transformation Grants
During the last three Administrations, the Secretary of Education has used a portion of National
Activities for School Safety funds to award School Climate Transformation Grants (SCTGs) to
both state educational agencies (SEAs) and LEAs, known as SCTG-SEA and SCTG-LEA grants,
respectively. The Secretary competitively awarded the first cohort of SCTG-SEA and SCTG-LEA

34 20 U.S.C. §7281(a)(1)(A). See the “Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV)” section of this
report.
35 20 U.S.C. §7281(a)(1)(B).
Congressional Research Service

9

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

grants in FY2014 to SEAs and LEAs that were developing, implementing, or expanding
multitiered systems of support for improving school climate, fostering safety, and/or promoting
supportive environments for students in public elementary and secondary schools.
Among the most researched and widely implemented multitiered systems of support for
improving school climate are multitiered behavioral frameworks, such as PBIS programs.36
Multitiered behavioral frameworks provide differing levels of behavioral support and intervention
to students based on their needs. The broadest level of support in a multitiered behavioral
framework involves the whole school (e.g., consistent rules, consequences, and reinforcement of
appropriate behavior). Subsequent tiers in the framework provide more intensive levels of support
to groups of students exhibiting at-risk behaviors, and individualized services to students who
continue to exhibit problem behavior.37
An FY2018 SCTG-SEA competition awarded new grants totaling approximately $9.0 million to
14 SEAs. In FY2019, the SCTG-LEA competition awarded grants of $200,000 to $750,000 per
year for up to five years to 69 LEAs in 25 states, totaling nearly $42.4 million in grants in its first
year.38 Both the FY2018 SCTG-SEA and the FY2019 SCTG-LEA competitions included a
competitive preference priority for programs with plans to support communities impacted by the
opioid crisis by incorporating opioid abuse mitigation and prevention strategies into the
multitiered systems of support for improving school climate described in their applications.39
SCTG-SEA grant recipients are eligible for continuation awards through FY2022 and SCTG-LEA
grant recipients are eligible for continuation funding through FY2023.
Project Prevent
Project Prevent grants are intended to increase the capacity of LEAs to assist schools in providing
students who have been directly or indirectly exposed to violence with a variety of support
services and school-based violence prevention strategies in order to help break the cycle of
violence in their communities. Project Prevent grantees must provide counseling, school-based
social emotional and behavioral supports, and other assistance to schools to help them identify,
assess, and serve students exposed to violence. In addition, in the most recent Project Prevent
grant competition in FY2019, grantees were encouraged to demonstrate how they would
collaborate with a local mental health agency in their applications.40 In 2019, ED awarded Project

36 ED supports a technical assistance center on PBIS and SCTGs. See the PBIS website for additional information,
available at https://www.pbis.org/.
37 U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, “Applications for New Awards;
School Climate Transformation Grant Program-State Educational Agency Grants,” 83 Federal Register 35466, July 26,
2018.
38 The total amount of SCTG-LEA grants awarded in the first year of the 2019 grant competition was $42,385,286
according to ED, OESE, “School Climate Transformation Grant - Local Educational Agency Grants, 2019 Grant
Awards,” https://www2.ed.gov/programs/schoolclimatelea/2019awards.html, October 21, 2019.
39 See ED, OESE, “Applications for New Awards; School Climate Transformation Grant Program-State Educational
Agency Grants,” 83 Federal Register 35465-35469, July 26, 2018; ED, “Applications for New Awards; School
Climate Transformation Grant Program-Local Educational Agency Grants,” 84 Federal Register 26829-26835, June
10, 2019; and ED, Performance Summary Report Fiscal Year 2019: In Support of the National Drug Control Strategy,
Washington, DC, March 13, 2020, https://oese.ed.gov/files/2020/09/FY-2019-ONDCP-Performance-Summary-
Final.pdf.
40 The FY2019 Project Prevent grant competition included a Competitive Preference Priority (which could result in up
to eight additional points on the application score) for projects that showed they had an agreement with a local mental
health agency to provide resources and/or administer services to support their program. See ED, OESE, “Applications
for New Awards; Project Prevent Grant Program,” 84 Federal Register 26082, June 5, 2019.
Congressional Research Service

10

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Prevent grants to 15 LEAs in 14 states, totaling approximately $11.4 million, to support initiatives
offering students social and emotional supports to cope with trauma or anxiety due to violence in
their communities and implementing conflict resolution and other school-based strategies to
prevent future violence.41 In FY2022, ED awarded $11.6 million in Project Prevent grant
continuation awards, and an additional $3 million in new grant awards.42
Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grants
In FY2019, ED awarded the first cohort of Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration
Grants. In the only competition for this program to date, ED granted up to $500,000 to 3 SEAs
and 24 LEAs in 17 states to support partnerships that are to train school-based mental health
service providers to serve in schools located in high-need LEAs.43 The program’s purpose is to
“expand the pipeline of high-quality, trained professionals to address shortages of mental health
services in high-need schools[44] and to provide supports that encompass social and emotional
learning, mental wellness, resilience, and positive connections between students and adults.”45
School-Based Mental Health Services Grants
In summer 2020, as the country was confronting the mental health impacts of the COVID-19
pandemic on children and youth, ED solicited applications for the first School-Based Mental
Health Services Grants competition. In FY2020, Congress increased ED’s funding for the overall
School Safety National Activities program and included instructions in the Explanatory Statement
that a grant program should be created with the purpose of increasing the number of counselors,
social workers, psychologists, or other service providers who deliver school-based mental health
services to K-12 students. School-Based Mental Health Services Grants were awarded to six
SEAs46 to increase the number of mental health professionals (e.g., counselors, social workers,
psychologists) who provide school-based mental health services to students in high-need LEAs.
SEAs awarded School-Based Mental Health Services Grants must abide by supplement-not-
supplant provisions and are required to provide matching funds of at least 25% of their grant
amounts.

41 ED, Project Prevent Grant Program, November 6, 2019, https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/safe-
supportive-schools/project-prevent-grant-program/.
42 U.S. Department of Education, Department of Education Safe Schools and Citizenship Education Fiscal Year 2023
Budget Request, Washington, DC, p. 14, https://www2.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget23/justifications/d-
ssce.pdf.
43 High-need local educational agency (LEA) is defined in the Federal Register based on factors such as the number
and percentage of low-income families living in the LEA, rural status, and teachers with emergency, provisional, or
temporary certification or licensure. For the full definition, see ED, OESE, “Applications for New Awards; Mental
Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program,” 84 Federal Register 29180-29186, June 21, 2019,
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-13289/p-68.
44 High-need school is defined in the Federal Register based on each LEA’s ranking of each school by percentage of
students from low-income families enrolled in the LEA’s schools, as determined by the LEA based on one of several
measures of poverty. For more information, see ED, OESE, “Applications for New Awards; Mental Health Service
Professional Demonstration Grant Program,” 84 Federal Register 29180-29186, June 21, 2019,
https://www.federalregister.gov/d/2019-13289/p-75.
45 ED, “U.S. Department of Education Announces New Grant Awards to Address School Safety and Improve Access to
Mental Health Services,” press release, October 8, 2019, https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-
education-announces-new-grant-awards-address-school-safety-and-improve-access-mental-health-services.
46 The six SEAs were in Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Rhode Island, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Congressional Research Service

11

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Grants to States for Emergency Management
In FY2018, ED awarded 10 SEAs and the Public School System of the Northern Mariana Islands
five-year grants of up to $750,000 under the Grants to States for Emergency Management
(GSEM) program.47 The GSEM program is intended to build the capacity of states to provide
LEAs training and technical assistance in the development and implementation of high-quality
school emergency operations plans to address both natural and man-made threats. To be
considered high-quality under the terms of the grant, school emergency operations plans
developed with GSEM grant funding must address five mission areas: (1) prevention, (2)
protection, (3) mitigation, (4) response, and (5) recovery.48
Healthy Transitions Program
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
HHS, SAMHSA
$29.5 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
PHSA, §520A Mental Health PRNS
The Healthy Transitions program supports services
addressing serious mental disorders among youth and
young adults aged 16 to 25.
The Healthy Transitions program supports services for youth and young adults aged 16 to 25 who
either have, or are at risk of developing, a serious mental health condition. According to
SAMHSA, youth and young adults with mental illness and substance use disorders are more
likely than their peers to face a more difficult transition to adulthood.49 Healthy Transitions grants
support screening and detection, outreach and engagement, referrals to treatment, coordination of
care, and evidence-based treatment interventions for this population. Grant-supported activities
emphasize outreach and engagement to facilitate access to effective behavioral health
interventions. Grantees include the state, tribal, or territorial agencies responsible for delivery of
mental health services to youth and young adults.
The Healthy Transitions program originated in the Obama Administration’s 2013 Now Is the Time
initiative.50 In its FY2020 Congressional Budget Justification, SAMHSA stated that this
program—in addition to Project AWARE—is “in support of the Federal Commission on School
Safety which is aimed at reducing the incidences of school violence across the country and
increasing school-based mental health services.”51 In 2019, The Healthy Transitions: Improving
Life Trajectories for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Disorders Program grants
specifically supported services addressing serious mental disorders among youth and young
adults aged 16 to 25. In FY2021, SAMHSA awarded one new grant and support the continuation
of 27 grants.

47 The 10 SEAs were in Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, New York, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South
Carolina, and Tennessee. GSEM grants were awarded one previous time (in 2014).
48 ED, OESE, “Applications for New Awards; Grants to States for School Emergency Management Program,” 83
Federal Register 37797, August 2, 2018.
49 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2021, http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
50 HHS, SAMHSA, “Now is the Time” Healthy Transitions (HT): Improving Life Trajectories for Youth and Young
Adults with, or at Risk for, Serious Mental Health Conditions, Funding Opportunity Announcement, April 11, 2014,
https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/sm-14-017.
51 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2020, p. 4, http://www.hhs.gov/
budget.
Congressional Research Service

12

link to page 8 Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Trauma Recovery Demonstration Grants
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, OESE, OSHS
$6.6 million
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
ESEA, Title IV-A, §4103(a)(3)
All funds support demonstration grants to help
students from low-income families who have
experienced trauma access trauma-specific mental
health services.
In FY2019, ED established Trauma Recovery Demonstration grants to SEAs to fund model
programs supporting students from low-income families who have experienced trauma that
negatively affects their educational experience. Specifically, these grants are intended to help
such students and their families access trauma-specific mental health services.52 To establish this
grant program, ED used funds from the 2% reservation under Section 4103(a)(3) of the ESEA,
which provides for technical assistance and capacity building to support the SSAE grants
program.53 The competition included a competitive preference priority for SEAs that partnered
with one or more nonprofit organizations, IHEs, or state or local mental health agencies.54 SEAs
awarded a Trauma Recovery Demonstration grant are required to provide students who access
mental health services through the program with a choice of providers to best meet their needs.
ED awarded the first five Trauma Recovery Demonstration grants to SEAs in Alaska, Delaware,
Hawaii, Louisiana, and Nevada.
Project School Emergency Response to Violence (Project SERV)
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, OESE, OSHS
$5.0 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
FY2022 Awards (as of June 16, 2022)
National Activities for School Safety,
$3,012,293
ESEA, Title IV-F, §§4601, 4631
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
100% of Project SERV grants support schools
recovering from crises or traumatic events. The
number of grants provided to K-12 schools recovering
from school violence varies each year. IHEs and schools
recovering from natural disasters also may receive
Project SERV grants.
Section 4601 of the ESEA requires the Secretary of Education to reserve $5 million of the
National Activities appropriation, under the Title IV, 21st Century Schools program, for National
Activities for School Safety. The only National Activities for School Safety program that the
Secretary of Education is required to use a portion of this reservation for is Project SERV. ED
awarded Project SERV grants to LEAs and IHEs totaling over $8.83 million in FY2019, $2.80
million in FY2020, $2.77 million in FY2021, and $3.01 million in the first half of 2022.

52 ED, “U.S. Department of Education Announces New Grant Awards to Address School Safety and Improve Access to
Mental Health Services,” press release, October 8, 2019, https://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/us-department-
education-announces-new-grant-awards-address-school-safety-and-improve-access-mental-health-services.
53 For more information, see the “Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants” section of this report,
and CRS In Focus IF10910, Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants.
54 ED, “Applications for New Awards; Trauma Recovery Demonstration Grant Program,” 84 Federal Register 32128,
July 5, 2019.
Congressional Research Service

13

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Appropriations for Project SERV not used in the fiscal year in which they are appropriated remain
available for awards in subsequent years. ED reported it had more than $13 million available for
Project SERV grants, in May 2022, prior to awarding $1.5 million to the Uvalde Consolidated
Independent School District in Texas.55
Project SERV was first proposed in October 1998 as a program that would allow ED to help
schools quickly in the wake of a school shooting.56 It was conceived of as a way for ED to
respond to school based crises in the way the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
supports communities struck by natural disasters.57 Congress first funded Project SERV in
FY2000 after the 1999 mass shooting at Columbine High School in Columbine, CO. In its first
year, Project SERV provided support to two school communities after school shootings. When the
September 11th terrorist attacks occurred in 2001, Congress recognized that Project SERV was a
program that could support school communities through a wide variety of crises and expanded the
list of crises affecting LEAs and IHEs that could qualify for Project SERV grants.58
Currently, LEAs and IHEs are eligible to apply for a Project SERV grant if they experience a
violent or traumatic crisis, which disrupts the learning environment, and can:
1) Demonstrate the traumatic effect on the learning environment including how the event
has disrupted teaching and learning; and
2) Demonstrate that the needed services cannot be adequately provided with existing
resources in a comprehensive and timely manner, and that the provision of services and
assistance will result in an undue financial hardship on the LEA or IHE.59
LEAs and IHEs may apply for a Project SERV grant for a variety of reasons, including but not
limited to
 school shootings;
 suicide clusters;
 terrorism (e.g., September 11th attacks, DC sniper shootings);
 major natural disasters or pandemics (e.g., Hurricanes Harvey and Maria,
COVID-19);
 bus accidents;
 homicides of students, teachers, or school personnel (committed off school
grounds); and
 hate crimes committed against students, faculty members, and/or staff.60
Project SERV funds may be used for a wide variety of activities, including mental health
assessments, referrals, and services for students, faculty, other school personnel, and members of
their immediate families; temporary security measures; technical assistance in developing an

55 Juan Perez Jr., “Education Department fast-tracks $1.5 million to Uvalde schools,” Politico, June 13, 2022.
56 Jessica Portner, “President Seeks To Boost Federal Role in School Safety,” Education Week, Vol. 18, Issue 8,
October 18, 1998, pp. 6-7.
57 Joetta L. Sack, “Project SERV Funds Directed To Attacked Areas,” Education Week, October 3, 2001.
58 Ibid.
59 ED, “Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV): Eligibility,” website, accessed June 2021,
https://oese.ed.gov/offices/office-of-formula-grants/safe-supportive-schools/project-serv-school-emergency-response-
to-violence/eligibility-project-serv-school-emergency-response-to-violence/.
60 Ibid.
Congressional Research Service

14

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

appropriate recovery plan for addressing student needs; and training for teachers and staff in
implementing the LEA’s recovery plan.
Project SERV funds are managed by different offices within ED, depending on the type of event
that has disrupted the learning environment in the school(s) receiving Project SERV funds.
Project SERV funds for schools that have experienced violent or traumatic events are managed by
the department’s Office of Safe and Supportive Schools, while Project SERV funds provided in
response to a major natural disaster are managed by the ED’s Disaster Recovery Unit.
Student Safety and Campus Emergency Management Grants
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED
$0
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
Higher Education Act (HEA; P.L. 89-329, as amended)
All program funds are used to make grants to IHEs or
Title VIII-L, §821
consortia of IHEs to carry out a range of activities to
improve safety and emergency communications at IHEs.
Grantees must provide nonfederal matching funds equal
to 100% of the amount of the federal grant.
HEA Section 821 authorizes the Student Safety and Campus Emergency Management grant
program. Under the program, ED is authorized to award grants, on a competitive basis, to IHEs or
consortia of IHEs to pay for the federal share of costs to carry out a range of activities to improve
safety and emergency communications at IHEs. Grant recipients must provide nonfederal
matching funds equal to 100% of the amount of the federal grant.
Recipients may use funds for a variety of activities, including (1) developing and implementing
an emergency communications system to notify students of a significant emergency or dangerous
situation; (2) supporting measures to improve safety at the grantee IHE campuses, such as
security assessments, personnel security training, and acquisition of security technologies and
systems (e.g., video surveillance); and (3) coordinating with local entities for the provision of
mental health services for students and staff affected by a campus or community emergency.
The program was first authorized under the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-
315). Appropriations were authorized for FY2009 through FY2014 at “such sums as may be
necessary.”61 The program has never received an appropriation and, thus, has never been
implemented.
Non-grant Programs and Initiatives62
DHS Outreach and Capacity Building
Following the February 2018 mass shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, FL, DHS began focusing departmental resources on school security. Some of the
resources include a school safety after-action report and downloadable school safety and security
guides.63 Other DHS outreach and capacity-building programs specifically focus on school

61 Section 422 of the General Education Provisions Act automatically extended the authorization of appropriation for
the program for an additional year (through FY2015).
62 Programs and initiatives are listed alphabetically.
63 U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), “School Safety and Security,” website, accessed June 2021,
https://www.cisa.gov/school-safety-and-security.
Congressional Research Service

15

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

security and include guidance, training, and support to assist LEAs with identifying and
addressing vulnerabilities, and evaluating and building capabilities, as described below.
Enhancing School Safety Using a Threat Assessment Model
The U.S. Secret Service National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) developed and published an
operational guide that outlines steps schools can take to enhance their security.64
Active Shooter Preparedness: School Security and Resilience Training
DHS developed and published an active shooter preparedness training for educators, SROs, and
school administrators.65 The training is provided remotely through videos.
Campus Resilience Program (CRP)
The Campus Resilience Program (CRP) in DHS’s Office of Academic Engagement supports
IHEs in developing and testing emergency preparedness and resilience. Through this program,
DHS assists IHEs in building, sustaining, and promoting resilience by helping them identify
vulnerabilities, providing best practice guides and templates, and supporting opportunities for
IHEs to evaluate their preparedness, response, and recovery capabilities. CRP has a resource
library for the academic community, including templates to address a range of vulnerabilities and
risks. It includes a variety of capacity-building resources and tools to empower practitioners and
campus leaders to better prepare for, respond to, and recover from various threats and hazards
posing a risk to the academic community,66 including guides and best practices on school and
workplace violence.67
School Transportation Security Outreach
DHS provides guidelines and other materials to LEAs and their transportation providers on
school bus security. Publications include the “Employee Guide to School Bus Security”68 issued
by DHS’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
Federal Commission on School Safety
In the wake of the February 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in
Parkland, FL, the Trump Administration formed the Federal Commission on School Safety to
make policy recommendations on a range of school safety and security issues. Chaired by then-
Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, the commission also included the leaders of DHS, DOJ, and
HHS. Throughout the spring and summer of 2018, the commission conducted a series of
meetings, field visits, and listening sessions culminating in the Final Report of the Federal
Commission on School Safety Presented to the President of the United States, which was released
in December 2018. The report provided recommendations to the federal government and state and
local communities on 19 school safety-related issues organized under three main topic areas:

64 DHS, “School Safety and Security,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.cisa.gov/publication/enhancing-
school-safety-using-threat-assessment-model-operational-guide-preventing.
65 DHS, “School Safety and Security,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.cisa.gov/school-safety-and-security.
66 For more information on the CRP, see https://www.dhs.gov/academicresilience.
67 DHS, “School and Workplace Violence,” website, https://www.dhs.gov/school-and-workplace-violence.
68 DHS, “School Safety and Security,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.hsdl.org/?abstract&did=770767.
Congressional Research Service

16

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

1. Prevent—preventing school violence,
2. Protect and Mitigate—protecting students and teachers and mitigating the effects
of violence, and
3. Respond and Recover—responding to and recovering from attacks.69
SchoolSafety.gov
The Final Report of the Federal Commission on School Safety Presented to the President of the
United States provided the recommendation that “the federal government should develop a
clearinghouse to assess, identify, and share best practices related to school security measures,
technologies, and innovations.”70 DHS administers SchoolSafety.gov, which provides a central
location for school safety and security materials provided by ED, DHS, HHS, and DOJ and serves
as the clearinghouse recommended by the commission. SchoolSafety.gov provides schools and
school districts with actionable recommendations and school safety resources to help create safe
and supportive learning environments. SchoolSafety.gov’s resources are presented along a
preparedness continuum, beginning with prevention and progressing through protection,
mitigation, response, and recovery. Topics covered include bullying, mental health, school
climate, physical security, security personnel, emergency planning, threat assessment and
reporting, and recovery.
Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 and Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994
Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990
The Gun-Free School Zones Act71 was originally enacted as part of the Crime Control Act of
1990 (P.L. 101-647) prohibiting “any individual knowingly to possess a firearm at a place that the
individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school zone.”72 Among other things, the
law prohibits individuals (with certain exceptions73) from bringing a firearm into, on the grounds
of, or within 1,000 feet of a school, meaning a public, parochial, or private school that provides
elementary or secondary education.74 Individuals who violate the Gun-Free School Zones Act
may be fined, imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.75
After the Supreme Court ruled in 1995 that the Gun-Free School Zones Act exceeded Congress’
Commerce Clause authority,76 the 104th Congress amended the associated U.S. Code provisions77

69 Federal Commission on School Safety, Final Report of the Federal Commission on School Safety Presented to the
President of the United States, ED, DOJ, DHS, and HHS, Washington, DC, December 18, 2018, p. 13,
https://www2.ed.gov/documents/school-safety/school-safety-report.pdf.
70 Ibid., p. 126.
71 Section 1702 of P.L. 101-647.
72 18 U.S.C. §922(q)(1)(A).
73 Exceptions under current law include if the individual is a law-enforcement officer, traversing school premises to
gain access to hunting lands, in possession of a license issued by the state or a political subdivision of the state,
participating in a school-approved program or pursuant to contract with the school, or on private property not part of
school grounds; or if the firearm is not loaded and is in a locked container or motor-vehicle-mounted gun rack. See 18
U.S.C. §922(q).
74 18 C.F.R. §§921(a)(25-26).
75 18 C.F.R. §924(a)(4).
76 United States v. Lopez, 514 U.S. 549 (1995).
77 18 U.S.C. §922(q).
Congressional Research Service

17

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

in the 1997 Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 104-208) to include an explicit
connection between guns and interstate commerce, declaring among its findings, “firearms and
ammunition move easily in interstate commerce and have been found in increasing numbers in
and around schools.”78 In addition, Congress added a clause about interstate commerce to the
provisions, specifying the act applies to individuals who knowingly possess “a firearm that has
moved in or that otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce.”79
Gun-Free Schools Act of 1994
In March 1994, Congress enacted the similarly named Gun-Free Schools Act (GFSA), which
requires states to adopt certain policies as a condition of receiving federal funding under the
ESEA. The GFSA was originally enacted as an amendment to the ESEA under the Goals 2000:
Educate America Act (P.L. 103-227), requiring LEAs that received ESEA funds to have in effect a
policy requiring any student who was determined to have brought a weapon to a school within
that LEA be expelled from school for at least one year.80 Congress reauthorized the GFSA81 as
part of the comprehensive reauthorization of the ESEA under the Improving America’s Schools
Act of 1994 (P.L. 103-382). The last significant update to the GFSA was during the
comprehensive reauthorization of the ESEA under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (P.L.
107-110).
With certain exceptions,82 the GFSA requires states receiving federal education funds under the
ESEA to:
(1) have in effect a State law requiring LEAs to expel from school for a period of not less
than one year a student who is determined to have brought a firearm to school, or to have
possessed a firearm at school; (2) have in effect a State law allowing an LEA’s chief
administering officer to modify the expulsion requirement on a case-by-case basis, if such
modification is in writing; and (3) report to the Secretary on an annual basis concerning
information submitted by LEAs to the SEA.83
Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC)
DHS, in partnership with ED, chairs the Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council
(HSAAC), which works with and advises state and local schools, including colleges and
universities, on security issues. The HSAAC is currently comprised of 19 members in addition to
the DHS Chair: 16 members are administrators of IHEs or leaders of higher education
consortiums or associations, and 3 are ex-officio members from DOJ, ED, and the U.S.
Department of State. The HSAAC also provides advice and recommendations to the DHS
Secretary and departmental senior leadership on matters related to homeland security and the

78 18 U.S.C. §922(q)(1)(C).
79 18 U.S.C. §922(q)(2)(A); “It shall be unlawful for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm that has moved in
or that otherwise affects interstate or foreign commerce at a place that the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to
believe, is a school zone.”
80 The provisions allowed for LEA’s policies to contain an exception allowing the “chief administering officer of the
agency to modify such expulsion requirement for a student on a case-by-case basis.” P.L. 103-227, §8001(a)(1).
81 Section 14601 of P.L. 103-382.
82 Exceptions under current law include, “a firearm that is lawfully stored inside a locked vehicle on school property, or
if it is for activities approved and authorized by the local educational agency and the local educational agency adopts
appropriate safeguards to ensure student safety.” 20 U.S.C. §7961(g).
83 U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Guidance Concerning State and
Local Responsibilities, Washington, DC, November 2018.
Congressional Research Service

18

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

academic community, including student and recent student graduate recruitment, international
students, academic research, campus resilience, homeland security academic programs, and
cybersecurity.84
Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime
Statistics Act
HEA Section 485(f), referred to as the Clery Act, requires domestic IHEs that participate in the
HEA Title IV federal student financial aid programs to (1) report campus crime statistics to ED85
and (2) establish and disseminate campus safety and security policies. Both the campus crime
statistics and campus safety and security policies must be compiled and disseminated to current
and prospective students and employees in an IHE’s annual security report (ASR).
Campus crime statistics that IHEs are required to report to ED and include in their ASRs include
data on the on campus86 occurrence of a range of offenses specified in statute, including murder,
burglary, robbery, domestic violence, rape, and other forms of sexual violence.
ASRs must also include statements of campus safety and security policies regarding, for example,
 procedures and facilities for students and others to report criminal actions or
other emergencies occurring on campus and an IHE’s response to such reports;
 facilities’ security and access;
 campus law enforcement, including the law enforcement authority of campus
security personnel;
 programs designed to inform students and employees about the prevention of
crimes; and
 current campus policies regarding immediate emergency response and evacuation
procedures.
Model Emergency Response Policies, Procedures, and Practices
HEA Section 822 requires the Secretary of Education, in consultation with the Attorney General
and the Secretary of Homeland Security, to continue to (1) advise IHEs on model emergency
response and preparedness policies and procedures and (2) disseminate information about those
policies and procedures. Following Section 822’s enactment, ED and several other agencies
(including DHS and DOJ) published the Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency
Operations Plans for Institutions of Higher Education87 to aid IHEs in creating emergency
operations plans, which may meet Section 822’s mandate.

84 DHS, Homeland Security Academic Advisory Council (HSAAC), https://www.dhs.gov/homeland-security-academic-
advisory-council-hsaac#.
85 For additional information, see ED, “Campus Safety,” https://www2.ed.gov/admins/lead/safety/campus.html,
accessed May 14, 2021.
86 For purposes of the Clery Act, campus includes campus areas, noncampus areas, and public property, if certain
criteria are met. HEA §485(f)(6)(A)(ii).
87 ED et al., Guide for Developing High-Quality Emergency Operations Plans for Institutions of Higher Education,
June 2013, https://rems.ed.gov/docs/rems_ihe_guide_508.pdf.
Congressional Research Service

19

link to page 37 Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Youth Preparedness Council
DHS, through FEMA, created the Youth Preparedness Council in 2012 to engage young leaders
interested in supporting emergency preparedness in their communities and schools. According to
DHS, the members meet with FEMA staff throughout the school year to provide input on
strategies, initiatives, and projects, which may include school safety initiatives. Additionally,
according to DHS, members attend FEMA’s annual council summit in Washington, DC.88
Programs That May Support School Safety
Initiatives
This section of the report presents federal programs that do not specifically cite school safety and
security as a primary purpose but may support related activities. These programs permit using
funds to support school safety and security initiatives but do not require funds to be used in this
way. School safety efforts may or may not be explicitly cited as a permitted use of funds in
authorizing legislation, appropriations report language, or other agency documents (such as the
program web page or agency Congressional Budget Justifications). For example, programs that
are primarily focused on students’ academic achievement but allow a portion of funds to be used
toward a variety of school-based programs—including school safety activities—are included in
this section, as are children’s mental health programs implemented in schools.89 Activities for
some programs included in this section may not appear to be related to school safety, but may
affect school safety-related outcomes.
Programs listed in this section are predominantly grant programs, including block grants, formula
grants, or competitive grants. The “Non-grant Programs and Initiatives” subsection describes
several DHS security infrastructure programs and one Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) surveillance and support initiative.

88 DHS, “School Safety and Security,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.ready.gov/youth-preparedness-
council.
89 While research suggests that individuals with mental health issues are not necessarily more likely to commit violent
acts than other individuals, mental health services (including a variety of social-emotional and behavioral health
interventions) are often included as part of prevention, intermediation, and recovery activities pertaining to school
safety. Therefore, programs that include school-based mental health services but may not explicitly mention “school
safety and security” are included in this section. Most federally supported mental health programs that are administered
in community-based settings—and do not explicitly address school safety and security—are not included in this report.
Congressional Research Service

20

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Grant Programs
Education for the Disadvantaged: Grants to LEAs (Title I-A)
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, OESE, Office of State Support (OSS)
$17.5 bil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
ESEA, Title I-A, §§1114, 1115
Title I-A schoolwide programs and targeted assistance
programs primarily provide academic support to
disadvantaged children, but may be used, in certain
circumstances, to provide school-based mental health
services or other social services. The exact amount
used for school safety and security activities is
unknown.
Title I-A of the ESEA authorizes federal aid to LEAs for the education of disadvantaged children.
Title I-A grants provide supplementary educational and related services to low-achieving and
other students attending elementary and secondary schools with relatively high concentrations of
students from low-income families. LEAs allocate Title I-A funds to the school level. Public
schools operate either schoolwide programs90 or targeted assistance programs (TAP).91
Schoolwide programs are authorized if the percentage of low-income students served by a school
is 40% or higher.92 In schoolwide programs, Title I-A funds may be used to improve the
performance of all students in a school. Under TAP, Title I-A services are generally limited to the
lowest-achieving students in the school.
While Title I-A does not include a specific list of required or allowable uses of funds, statutory
language does specifically mention the use of Title I-A funds for activities related to school
safety. Under schoolwide programs, statutory provisions require a school’s schoolwide plan to
include a description of the strategies the school will implement to address school needs,
including addressing the needs of all students through activities that may include counseling,
school-based mental health programs, mentoring services, and a schoolwide tiered model to
prevent and address problem behavior. Under TAP, each school must use methods and
instructional strategies to strengthen the school’s academic program through activities that may
include mental health services, other social services, or a schoolwide system of interventions and
supports to prevent and address problem behavior. It may be possible for schools to use Title I-A
funds for other school safety-related purposes if they are related to improving student academic
achievement. Both schoolwide programs and TAP may support programs developed in
coordination with, as well as integration with, other federal, state, and local services, resources,
and programs, including violence prevention programs.
For more information, see CRS Report R45977, The Elementary and Secondary Education Act
(ESEA), as Amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA): A Primer.

90 Schoolwide programs are authorized under ESEA, Section 1114.
91 Targeted assistance programs are authorized under ESEA, Section 1115.
92 A Title I-A school in which less than 40% of the children are from low-income families may request a waiver from
the SEA to operate a schoolwide program.
Congressional Research Service

21

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Supporting Effective Instruction
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, OESE, OSS
$2.2 bil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
ESEA, Title II-A, §2103
At the discretion of the state or LEA, funds may be
used to train educators and other personnel in
children’s mental health and school safety. The exact
amount used for school safety and security activities is
unknown.
Supporting Effective Instruction grants provide funds to states and LEAs to support programs
aimed at improving the quality and effectiveness of teachers, principals, and other school leaders,
with the goal of increasing student achievement. Among numerous possible uses of funds, these
grants may be used to develop programs or provide in-service training for educators and other
school personnel on
 recognizing and preventing child sexual abuse;
 using multitier systems of support such as PBIS;
 understanding when and how to refer students affected by trauma and children
with, or at risk of, mental illness to appropriate treatment and intervention
services in the school and in the community;
 forming partnerships between school-based mental health programs and public or
private mental health organizations; and
 addressing issues related to school conditions for student learning, such as safety,
peer interaction, drug and alcohol abuse, and chronic absenteeism.93
Historically, LEAs have used the majority of their ESEA Title II-A funds94 to support class size
reduction and teachers’ professional development.95
Preparedness Grants
Federal Agency
Appropriations (FY2022)
DHS
Urban Area Security Initiative ($615 mil ion),
State Homeland Security Grant Program ($425 mil ion),
Authorizing Legislation
Emergency Management Performance Grant Program
Homeland Security Act (P.L. 107-296),
($355 mil ion)
§§2003-2004
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
As determined by state, territorial, and tribal
governments. The exact amount used for school safety
and security activities is unknown.
FEMA administers a number of grants that “provide state and local governments with
preparedness program funding in the form of non-disaster grants to enhance the capacity of state

93 20 U.S.C. §6613, P.L. 114-95 §2103.
94 Reauthorization of the ESEA as the Every Student Succeeds Act (P.L. 114-95), in December 2015, revised Title II-A
and changed the name of the program to Supporting Effective Instruction, but its general purpose remained the same.
95 ED, Findings From the 2014–15 Survey on the Use of Funds under Title II, Part A, Washington, DC, July 2015,
https://www2.ed.gov/programs/teacherqual/learport.pdf.
Congressional Research Service

22

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

and local emergency responders to prevent, respond to, and recover from a weapons of mass
destruction terrorism incident involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, explosive
devices, and cyber-attacks.”96 Three of these programs may be used for public school safety and
security if the state, territory, or tribal government awarded the grant determines that public
school safety and security is a homeland security priority. These programs include the Urban Area
Security Initiative (UASI), the State Homeland Security Grant Program (SHSGP), and the
Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (EMPG).
Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI)
The UASI helps high-threat, high-density urban areas to build and sustain the capabilities
necessary to prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from terrorist attacks,
which may include public school security activities. UASI recipients are determined annually by
DHS and are based on the top 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA) as determined by the
U.S. Census Bureau. Annually, a limited number of high-risk and high-threat MSAs receive
funding. Federal UASI investments are based on UASI recipients’ THIRAs.
State Homeland Security Grant Program
The SHSGP assists state, territorial, tribal, and local governments with addressing high-priority
preparedness gaps related to potential acts of terrorism.97 Communities develop capabilities to
prevent, protect against, mitigate, respond to, and recover from threats and hazards that pose the
greatest terrorism risk, and this may include threats to schools.98 All SHSGP grants are based on
preparedness capability gaps identified during DHS’s Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk
Assessment (THIRA) process and assessed in the Stakeholder Preparedness Review (SPR).99
THIRA is a three-step risk assessment process that assists individuals, businesses, faith-based
organizations, nonprofit groups, schools and academia, and all levels of government in
understanding their threats and hazards, and the capabilities required to manage their risk.100 SPR
is a self-assessment of a jurisdiction’s current capability levels evaluated against the capability
targets established in its THIRA.101
Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (EMPG)
The EMPG program provides federal funds to states to assist state, local, territorial, and tribal
governments in preparing for all hazards, including human-caused disasters. These funds support
the development of an emergency preparedness system for the protection of life and property in
the United States from hazards and to vest responsibility for emergency preparedness jointly in

96 See DHS, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), https://www.fema.gov/preparedness-non-disaster-
grants.
97 For more information on national preparedness and response, see CRS Report R46696, National Preparedness: A
Summary and Select Issues.
98 DHS, “National Preparedness Goal,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.fema.gov/national-preparedness-
goal.
99 Ibid. See also https://www.fema.gov/emergency-managers/risk-management/risk-capability-assessment.
100 DHS, FEMA, “Threat and Hazard Identification and Risk Assessment,” website, accessed June 2021,
http://www.fema.gov/threat-and-hazard-identification-and-risk-assessment.
101 DHS, FEMA, “Risk Capability Assessment,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.fema.gov/emergency-
managers/risk-management/risk-capability-assessment.
Congressional Research Service

23

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

the federal government, states, and their political subdivisions.102 School security is part of
protection of life and property.
Community Mental Health Services Block Grant (MHBG)
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
HHS, SAMHSA
$857.6 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
PHSA, Title XIX-B, Subpart I
The MHBG supports community mental health services
for adults with serious mental il ness and children with
serious emotional disturbance. States have flexibility in
the use of MHBG funds within the framework of the
state plan and federal requirements. Most services are
community-based, though schools may be a service
location.
The MHBG supports community mental health services for adults with serious mental illness
(SMI) and children with serious emotional disturbance (SED). SAMHSA distributes MHBG
funds to states (including the District of Columbia and specified territories103) according to a
formula specified in statute. Each state may distribute MHBG funds to local government entities
and nongovernmental organizations to provide community mental health services for adults with
SMI and children with SED in accordance with the state’s plan. States have flexibility in the use
of MHBG funds within the framework of the state plan and federal requirements. While use of
funds is generally determined by the states, each state must expend at least 10% of its block grant
funds each fiscal year (or at least 20% by the end of the succeeding fiscal year) to support
evidence-based programs to address early SMI. Most services are community-based, though
schools may be a service location.104
The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
DOJ, OJP, BJA
$381.9 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
The Violence Against Women and Department of
JAG grant recipients may use their funding for school
Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-162),
safety initiatives, but they are not required to do so.
§1111
The exact amount used for school safety and security
activities is unknown.
JAG is a formula grant program that provides funding to state, local, and tribal governments for a
variety of criminal justice initiatives. Grant recipients can use their JAG funds for technical
assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and criminal justice
information systems related to JAG’s program purpose areas.105

102 DHS, FEMA, “Emergency Management Performance Grants Program,” website, accessed June 2021,
https://www.fema.gov/grants/preparedness/emergency-management-performance.
103 Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, the Marshall
Islands, and Micronesia. See 42 C.F.R. §300x-64(b)(3).
104 For more information on the MHBG, see CRS Report R46426, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA): Overview of the Agency and Major Programs.
105 JAG’s program areas are enumerated at 34 U.S.C. §10152(a)(1).
Congressional Research Service

24

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

JAG’s broad program purpose areas are intended to give grantees flexibility in using grant funds
to address local needs. As such, grant recipients may use their funding for school safety
initiatives, but they are not required to do so. According to BJA, states can subaward JAG funds
to public or private schools as long as their intended program falls within one of JAG’s program
purpose areas.106
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF10691, The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice
Assistance Grant (JAG) Program.
Community Support for School Success
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, OESE
Promise Neighborhoods: $85.0 mil ion
Ful -Service Community Schools: $75.0 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
ESEA, Title IV-F-2, §§4624, 4625
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
As determined by grantees (states, LEAs, IHEs, Indian
tribes, tribal organizations, and nonprofit organizations)
who must provide pipeline services, which may include
mental health services and supports. The exact amount
used for school safety and security activities is
unknown.
The Community Support for School Success subpart (Title IV-F-2 of the ESEA) authorizes both
the Promise Neighborhoods and the Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS) programs. Both
programs are designed to provide pipeline services, defined as “a continuum of coordinated
supports, services, and opportunities for children from birth through entry into and success in
postsecondary education, and career attainment.”107 Pipeline services are designed to address the
needs of children and youth in the communities served, and may include services such as family
and community engagement and support, workforce readiness activities, and mental health
services and supports.
Promise Neighborhoods
The Promise Neighborhoods program is designed to provide pipeline services in neighborhoods
with high concentrations of low-income individuals and multiple signs of distress (e.g., high rates
of poverty, academic failure, and juvenile delinquency), and in schools implementing
comprehensive or targeted support and improvement activities under Title I-A. Among other
requirements, pipeline services must include strategies to address, through services or programs,
mental health services and supports.
Full-Service Community Schools (FSCS)
The FSCS program provides grants to public elementary and secondary schools to participate in a
community-based effort to coordinate and integrate educational, developmental, family, health,
and other comprehensive services through community-based organizations and public and private
partnerships. Access to such services is provided in schools to students, families, and the
community. Similar to Promise Neighborhoods, FSCS must also provide pipeline services, which

106 DOJ, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant
(JAG) Program Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs), updated May 2021, p. 6, https://bja.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/
xyckuh186/files/media/document/jag-faqs.pdf.
107 20 U.S.C. §7272(3), P.L. 114-95 §4622(3).
Congressional Research Service

25

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

must include strategies to address mental health services and supports. Each FSCS must have a
plan that describes a needs assessment that identifies academic, physical, nonacademic, health,
mental health, and other needs of students, families, and community members. Each FSCS must
also have a full-time coordinator to coordinate the delivery of pipeline services.
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF11196, ESEA: The Promise Neighborhoods and Full-
Service Community Schools Programs.
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Hiring Program
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
DOJ, COPS
$156.5 mil ion
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
Authorizing Legislation
COPS hiring grants may be used to hire law
Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of
enforcement officers to serve as SROs. The exact
1994 (P.L. 103-322), as amended, Title I, §10003
amount used for school safety and security activities is
unknown.
The COPS hiring program provides grants to state, local, and tribal governments with primary
law enforcement responsibilities to hire new or former law enforcement officers for entry-level
positions (e.g., patrol officers, sheriff’s deputies).108 COPS hiring grants can be used to hire law
enforcement officers to serve as SROs (though there is no data on how frequently COPS grants
are used for this purpose). Applicants who want to hire SROs are required to submit a
memorandum of understanding between the law enforcement agency and the partner school that
outlines the “roles, responsibilities, and expectations of the individuals and partners involved
including SROs, school officials, law enforcement, education departments, students, and
parents.”109 The COPS Office also requires SROs hired with grant funds to complete a 40-hour
SRO basic training course from a list of providers approved by the COPS Office.110
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF10922, Community Oriented Policing Services
(COPS) Program.

108 For more information on the COPS program, see CRS In Focus IF10922, Community Oriented Policing Services
(COPS) Program.
109 DOJ, Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office, School Resource Officer Memorandum of
Understanding, p. 1, https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2022ProgramDocs/chp/FY22_SRO_MOU_v1_508.pdf.
110 DOJ, COPS Office, Pre-Award Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for FY 2022 COPS Hiring Program (CHP), p. 7,
https://cops.usdoj.gov/pdf/2022ProgramDocs/chp/faq.pdf.
Congressional Research Service

26

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Children’s Mental Health Initiative (CMHI)
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
HHS, SAMHSA
$125 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
PHSA, §§561-565.
CMHI grants support a wide variety of activities,
including caregiver and family support, legal advocacy,
tutoring and mentoring, vocational skil s training, case
management, medical care, diagnostic and therapeutic
services, individual and family therapy, diversion and
prevention services, and special education classes,
among others. Most services are community-based,
though schools are a common service location. The
Systems of Care portion of CMHI focuses exclusively
on children’s mental health.
Created in 1992, SAMHSA’s Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children
with Serious Emotional Disturbances Program—known as the Children’s Mental Health Initiative
(CMHI)—serves children with SED.111 The program does this by supporting Systems of Care for
children with emotional disturbances and their families. Systems of Care is a strategic approach
to the delivery of services that incorporates family-driven, strengths-based, and culturally
competent care to meet the physical, intellectual, emotional, cultural, and social needs of children
and youth. Systems of Care is designed to promote partnerships across child-serving agencies that
care for children with SED. The Systems of Care Expansion and Sustainability grants assist states,
local governments, tribes, and territories in their efforts to deliver or facilitate access to
community-based or school-based mental health services. Most services are community-based,
though schools are a common location for services.112 Since 2018, there has been a 10% set-aside
for efforts to address youth at high clinical risk for psychosis (known as the prodrome phase). In
FY2021, SAMHSA awarded 12 new grants and supported 63 continuation grants, and a technical
assistance center.113

111 Children with serious emotional disturbance are defined as “persons [f]rom birth up to age 18, [w]ho currently or at
any time during the past year, [h]ave had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder of sufficient duration
to meet diagnostic criteria ... [t]hat resulted in functional impairment which substantially interferes with or limits the
child’s role or functioning in family, school, or community activities” according to 58 Federal Register 29422, May 20,
1993.
112 HHS, SAMHSA, Center for Mental Health Services, The Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for
Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances Program, Report to Congress 2016, PEP18-CMHI2016, 2016,
https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/pep18-cmhi2016.pdf.
113 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2023, http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
Congressional Research Service

27

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Education of Homeless Children and Youth
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, OESE, OSHS
$114.0 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, Title VII-B
Title VII-B requires SEAs to provide competitive
subgrants to LEAs to facilitate school enrol ment,
attendance, and success for homeless children and
youth. In certain circumstances, these funds may be
used to provide school-based mental health services,
violence prevention counseling, or other social services.
The exact amount used for school safety and security
activities is unknown.
Title VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Act authorizes the Education for Homeless Children and
Youth program, which is administered by ED and provides funds to SEAs to ensure all homeless
children and youth have equal access to public education. Grants made by SEAs to LEAs under
this program must be used to facilitate the enrollment, attendance, transportation to school, and
success in school of homeless youth. Funds may be used for services such as tutoring;
supplemental instruction; specialized instructional support services (including violence
prevention counseling); health services and referrals for medical, dental, mental, and other health
services; and activities to address the particular needs of homeless children and youth that may
arise from domestic violence and parental mental health or substance abuse problems. During
school year 2016-2017, more than 1.3 million homeless children and youth were eligible for
services. This included more than 118,000 unaccompanied youth.
For more information, see CRS In Focus IF11152, Federal Support for Runaway and Homeless
Youth.
National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI)
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
HHS, SAMHSA
$81.9 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
PHSA, §582
The NCTSI supports a network of members in
developing and promoting effective community
practices for children and adolescents exposed to a
wide array of traumatic events. Most of the service
providers are community-based, though many grantees
partner with local schools and LEAs to train educators
and staff. Some community treatment grantees also
provide services in school settings. The exact amount
used for school-related activities is unknown.
Established in 2000, the NCTSI aims to improve behavioral health services and interventions for
children and adolescents exposed to traumatic events. Through the NCTSI, SAMHSA provides
grants, education and training, technical support, data collection, evaluation services, and
information on evidence-based interventions for trauma care for use in mental health clinics,
schools, or child welfare or juvenile justice settings.
SAMHSA provides funding for a national network of grantees knowns as the National Child
Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). Funding supports the NCTSN members in developing and
promoting effective community practices for children and adolescents exposed to traumatic
Congressional Research Service

28

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

events. A component of this work has been the development of resources and delivery of training
and consultation to support the development of trauma-informed child-serving systems.
While most of the service providers are community-based, many service center grantees partner
with local schools and school systems to provide training to educators and school staff.
Additionally, some community treatment grantees provide services in school settings such as
school-based mental health programs.114 In FY2021, SAMHSA awarded a new cohort of 106
grants (including seven new grants from the COVID Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act and
two grants from the American Rescue Plan Act). SAMHSA also supported 34 continuation grants
in FY2021.115
Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, Part B, State Formula Grants
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
DOJ, OJP, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
$70 mil ion
Prevention (OJJDP)
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
Authorizing Legislation
States are authorized to use funding for a variety of
The Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-385)
juvenile justice related purposes, some of which might
promote school safety and security. The exact amount
used for school safety and security activities is
unknown.
Under this program, the OJJDP makes grants to states that can be used to fund the planning,
establishment, operation, coordination, and evaluation of juvenile delinquency programs and to
improve juvenile justice systems. State formula grant funds are allocated annually based on each
eligible state’s proportion of people under age 18.116
Under the program, 75% of the funding a state receives must be used for juvenile justice-related
programs, which could include school safety and security, such as
 comprehensive juvenile justice and delinquency prevention programs that meet
the needs of youth through the collaboration of the many local systems before
which a youth may appear, including schools, courts, law enforcement agencies,
child protection agencies, mental health agencies, welfare services, health care
agencies, and private nonprofit agencies offering youth services;
 education programs or supportive services in traditional public schools and
detention/corrections education settings to encourage youth to remain in school,
or alternative learning programs;
 mental health services for youth in custody who are in need of such services;
 programs that assist delinquent and at-risk youth in obtaining a sense of safety
and structure, belonging and membership, self-worth and social contribution,

114 For a list of grantees and a brief description of grant-funded programs and activities, see HHS, SAMHSA,
“Individual Grant Awards,” 2016, https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/awards/2016/SM-16-005.
115 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2023, http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
116 There are four core mandates with which, except for specified exceptions, states must generally comply: states must
keep status offenders (such as truants) out of secure detention or correctional facilities, states cannot detain or confine
juveniles in facilities in which they would have contact with adult inmates, juveniles cannot be detained or confined in
any jail or lockup for adults, and states must show that they are working to address racial and ethnic disparities within
their juvenile justice systems.
Congressional Research Service

29

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

independence and control over one’s life, and closeness in interpersonal
relationships;
 programs, research, or other initiatives primarily to address issues related to
youth gang activity; and
 mentoring programs for at-risk youth, youth who have offended, or youth with a
parent or legal guardian who is or was incarcerated.
For more information, see CRS Report R44879, Juvenile Justice Funding Trends.
Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children and Youth Who Are
Neglected, Delinquent, or At-Risk
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED, OESE
$48.2 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
ESEA, Title I-D, §1424
LEAs may use funds for the coordination of health and
social services for eligible youth, if there is a likelihood
that the provision of such services wil increase the
probability that they wil complete their education. The
exact amount used for school safety and security
activities is unknown.
Title I-D of the ESEA authorizes a pair of programs intended to improve education for students
who are neglected, delinquent, or at risk of dropping out of school. Subpart 1 authorizes grants
for the education of children and youth in state institutions for the neglected or delinquent,
including community day programs and adult correctional institutions. Under Subpart 2, grants
are provided to LEAs with high numbers or percentages of children and youth in locally operated
correctional facilities for children and youth, including public and private institutions and
community day programs or schools that serve delinquent children and youth. These children and
youth are then served in accordance with Title I-D provisions, which may include using Title I-D
funds for the coordination of health and social services, including mental health services, if there
is a likelihood that the provision of such services will increase the probability that children and
youth served will complete their education.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Youth Violence Prevention
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
HHS, CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and
$15.1 mil ion
Control, Division of Violence Prevention
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
Authorizing Legislation
CDC Youth Violence Prevention initiatives include
Several authorities in PHSA Title III, including §301,
grants and cooperative agreements to schools,
§391, §392, §393.
community organizations, and local health departments
to implement youth violence prevention strategies. The
exact amount used for school safety and security
activities is unknown.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Injury Prevention and
Control, Division of Violence Prevention, provides research, information, and strategies for
Congressional Research Service

30

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

preventing bullying and school violence on its Youth Violence website.117 It also supports youth
violence prevention related initiatives through cooperative agreements with universities,
community organizations, and local health departments implementing youth violence prevention
strategies in local communities. Current initiatives include the following:
 Preventing Violence Affecting Young Lives (PREVAYL);118
 STRYVE: Striving To Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere;119 and
 National Centers of Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPCs).120
Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Youth Suicide Prevention Campus Grants
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
HHS, SAMHSA
$6.5 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
PHSA, §520E-2
The GLS Youth Suicide Prevention Campus Grants
program provides funding to IHEs to prevent suicide.
Grantees can use funds for a variety of activities related
to suicide prevention, including enhancing behavioral
health services on campus.
The GLS Youth Suicide Prevention Campus Grants program—authorized by the Garrett Lee
Smith Memorial Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-355)—provides grants to IHEs, including tribal colleges
and universities, to prevent suicide and suicide attempts. The purpose of the program is to
support comprehensive, collaborative, and evidence-based approaches to (1) enhancing mental
health services for all college students, including those at risk for suicide, SMI/SED, and/or
substance use disorders; (2) prevent mental and substance use disorders; (3) promote help-seeking
behavior; and (4) improve the identification and treatment of at-risk college students.121 As of
2020, the GLS Youth Suicide Prevention Campus Grants program has awarded 293 grants to 265
IHEs.122 In FY2021, SAMHSA awarded 25 new GLS Campus Grants and supported the
continuation of 38 GLS Campus Grants.123

117 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of
Violence Prevention, “Youth Violence,” page reviewed on April 14, 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/
youthviolence/index.html.
118 CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention, “Preventing Violence
Affecting Young Lives (PREVAYL),” page reviewed on August 19, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/
youthviolence/prevayl.html.
119 CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention, “STRYVE: Striving To
Reduce Youth Violence Everywhere,” page reviewed on February 25, 2021, https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/
youthviolence/stryve/index.html.
120 CDC, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Division of Violence Prevention, “National Centers of
Excellence in Youth Violence Prevention (YVPCs),” page reviewed on November 6, 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/
violenceprevention/youthviolence/yvpc/index.html.
121 HHS, SAMHSA, GLS Campus Suicide Prevention Grant, Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA), December
7, 2020, https://www.samhsa.gov/grants/grant-announcements/SM-21-003.
122 HHS, SAMHSA, FY2021 Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees, https://www.samhsa.gov/sites/
default/files/about_us/budget/fy-2021-samhsa-cj.pdf.
123 HHS, SAMHSA, Justification of Estimates for Appropriations Committees for FY2023, http://www.hhs.gov/budget.
Congressional Research Service

31

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, Title V, Incentive Grants for
Local Delinquency Prevention
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
DOJ, OJP, OJJDP
$1.5 mil ion
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
The Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-385)
Grants awarded by states to eligible entities can be
used for juvenile justice-related programs that might
promote school safety and security. The exact amount
used for school safety and security activities is
unknown.
Under this program, OJJDP is authorized to make grants to states, which are then transmitted to
units of local government or nonprofits in partnership with units of local government, to support
delinquency prevention programs for juveniles who have come into contact with, or are at risk for
contact with, the juvenile justice system. Grants under this program can be used to support,
among other things, child and adolescent health and mental health services, youth mentoring
programs, and after-school programs.
For more information, see CRS Report R44879, Juvenile Justice Funding Trends.
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Grants
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
ED
This program has never received an appropriation.
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
HEA, Title I-B, §120(e)
All program funds would be used to make grants to
IHEs or consortia of IHEs, and enter into contracts
with IHEs, consortia of IHEs, and other organizations to
carry out a range of activities to reduce and eliminate
the il egal use of drugs and alcohol and the violence
associated with such use.
HEA Section 120(e) authorizes the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention Grants program. Under
the program, ED is authorized to award grants, on a competitive basis, to IHEs or consortia of
IHEs, and to enter into contracts with IHEs, consortia of IHEs, or other organizations to “develop,
implement, operate, improve, and disseminate programs of prevention and education (including
treatment-referral) to reduce and eliminate the illegal use of drugs and alcohol and the violence
associated with such use.”124 Grants or contracts may also be used to support a higher education
center for drug and alcohol abuse prevention to provide training, technical assistance, and other
services to the higher education community.
Appropriations for the program were authorized for FY2009 through FY2014 at “such sums as
may be necessary.”125 The program has never received an appropriation and, thus, has never been
implemented.

124 HEA §120(e)(1).
125 Section 422 of the General Education Provisions Act automatically extended the authorization of appropriation for
the program for an additional year (through FY2015).
Congressional Research Service

32

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Non-grant Programs and Initiatives
CDC Surveillance and Support
CDC’s Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) conducts public health surveillance of
school-aged children through their school-based surveillance branch. DASH works with
education agencies and youth-serving organizations to promote environments where youth can
gain fundamental health knowledge and skills and establish healthy behaviors. While DASH
focuses on physical health, such as sexually transmitted infection and HIV prevention, it also
identifies goals such as “establish[ing] safe environments where students feel connected to school
and supportive adults.”126
DHS Infrastructure Security
Federal Agency
Appropriation (FY2022)
DHS, Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency
Activities funded through multiple DHS entities with no
(CISA)
specific budget line item.
Authorizing Legislation
Funds for School Safety/Security Initiatives
Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Act
Activities are funded through multiple DHS entities
of 2018 (P.L. 115-278)
with no specific budget line item. The exact amount
used for school safety and security activities is
unknown.

Critical infrastructure describes the vital physical and cyber systems and assets for which
incapacity or destruction would have a debilitating impact on U.S. physical security, economic
security, public health, or public safety. DHS qualifies public schools as critical infrastructure by
this definition. On November 16, 2018, Congress enacted the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure
Security Agency Act of 2018, which established CISA. CISA coordinates security and resilience
efforts using partnerships across the private and public sectors, and delivers technical assistance
and assessments to federal stakeholders, as well as to critical infrastructure owners and operators
nationwide. Three CISA programs and activities that may assist with public school safety and
security are (1) the Hometown Security Program, (2) Active Shooter Preparedness, and (3) DHS
Protective Security Advisors.127
Hometown Security Program
Through the Hometown Security Program, DHS utilizes outreach activities to develop
partnerships between the private and public sectors to mitigate risks and enhance the security and
resilience of public sites and events. DHS provides counsel and recommendations about
protective measures that the private and public sectors can implement to protect venues and
facilities, such as public schools.128

126 CDC, About the Division of Adolescent and School Health, CDC/DASH Home, https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/
about/index.htm.
127 DHS, “Critical Infrastructure Security,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.dhs.gov/topic/critical-
infrastructure-security.
128 DHS, “Hometown Security,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.dhs.gov/cisa/hometown-security.
Congressional Research Service

33

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Active Shooter Preparedness
Through the Active Shooter Preparedness program, DHS provides products, tools, training, and
resources to assist communities to prepare for and respond to an active shooter incident.
Resources are tailored to first responders, human resource or security professionals, private
citizens, and training participants.129
DHS Protective Security Advisors
DHS’s Office of Infrastructure Protection operates the Protective Security Advisor (PSA)
program. PSAs are critical infrastructure and vulnerability subject matter experts who coordinate
and facilitate local activities to advise state, local, and private sector officials. The PSA program’s
primary mission is to plan, coordinate, and conduct security risk assessments of nationally
significant critical infrastructure. PSAs also provide planning and outreach activities to
communities and community services, such as public schools.130
Guidance on Mental Health Disclosures for Students
HEA Section 825 requires the Secretary of Education to provide guidance that clarifies the role of
IHEs regarding disclosure of education records. This includes the disclosure of education records
to a parent or legal guardian of a dependent student “in the event that such student poses a
significant risk of harm to himself or herself or to others, including a significant risk of suicide,
homicide, or assault.”

129 DHS, “Active Shooter Preparedness,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.dhs.gov/cisa/active-shooter-
preparedness.
130 DHS, “Protective Security Advisors,” website, accessed June 2021, https://www.dhs.gov/cisa/protective-security-
advisors.
Congressional Research Service

34

Appendix A. Federal School Safety and Security Programs
Table A-1. Federal Grant Programs that Support Safety and Security for Students in K-12 Public Schools and IHEs
(Listed in alphabetical order by agency)
Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
Programs Administered by the U.S. Department of Education (ED)
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Higher Education Act (HEA),
20 U.S.C. §1011i(e)
Grants and contracts may be
Competitive grants to
Prevention Grants
Title I-B, §120(e)
used to develop and implement institutions of higher education
programs to reduce and
(IHEs) and consortia of IHEs
eliminate il egal drug and
and competitive contracts to
alcohol use and the violence
IHEs, consortia of IHEs, and
associated with such use.
other organizations.
Community Support for School Elementary and Secondary
20 U.S.C. §§7273-7275
Grantees must use funds to
FSCS program: consortiums of
Success
Education Act (ESEA), Title IV-
provide pipeline services,
(1) one or more local

F-2, §§4624, 4625
meaning a continuum of
educational agencies (LEAs) or

Ful -Service Community
Schools (FSCS) program
coordinated supports, services,
the Bureau of Indian Education
and opportunities for children
(BIE) and (2) one or more

Promise Neighborhoods
to prepare them for
community-based
program
postsecondary education or
organizations, nonprofit
employment. Pipeline services
organizations, or other public
may include mental health
or private entities.
services and supports, and
Promise Neighborhoods: IHEs,
must facilitate the coordination
Indian tribes and tribal
of the provision of social,
organizations, or a nonprofit
health, and mental health
organization partnered with an
services and supports for
Indian tribe, school district, or
children, their families, and
another nonprofit.
community members.
CRS-35

link to page 48 link to page 48
Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
Education for the
ESEA, Title I-A, §§1114, 1115
20 U.S.C. §§6314-6315
Title I-A funds can be used by
LEAs with relatively high
Disadvantaged: Grants to Local
schools operating schoolwide
concentrations of students
Educational Agencies (Title I-A)
programsa for counseling,
from low-income families.
school-based mental health
services, and other strategies
among numerous possible uses
of funds. Schools operating
targeted assistance programsb
may also be able to use funds
for health and other social
services if they are not
otherwise available.
National Activities for School
ESEA, Title IV-F-3, §§4601,
20 U.S.C. §7281(a)
The Secretary of Education can
Eligibility varies by individual
Safety
4631
use funds for grants, contracts,
grant program, but often

or cooperative agreements to
includes state educational

Grants to States for
Emergency Management
carry out activities to improve
agencies (SEAs), LEAs, IHEs,
students’ safety and well-being.
federal agencies, nonprofit

Mental Health Service
organizations, and community-
Professional
based organizations.
Demonstration Grants

Project Prevent

School-Based Mental
Health Services Grants

School Climate
Transformation Grants
Prevention and Intervention
ESEA, Title I-D, §1424
20 U.S.C. §§6454, 6302(d)
Funds provided to LEAs may be LEAs with high numbers or
Programs for Children and
used for the coordination of
percentages of children and
Youth Who Are Neglected,
health and social services,
youth residing in locally
Delinquent, or At-Risk
including mental health
operated correctional facilities
services, if there is a likelihood
for children and youth.
that the provision of such
services wil increase the
probability that individuals
served wil complete their
education.
CRS-36

Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
Project School Emergency
ESEA, Title IV-F-3, §§4601,
20 U.S.C. §7281(b)
Project SERV grants are
LEAs and IHEs that have
Response to Violence (Project
4631
awarded to LEAs and IHEs that
experienced a violent or
SERV)
have experienced a violent or
traumatic crisis.
traumatic crisis to initiate or
strengthen violence prevention
programs and other activities
designed to restore learning
environments disrupted by the
crisis or traumatic event.
Examples of allowable services
and activities related to mental
health that schools and LEAs
may use Project SERV funds
toward include mental health
assessments, referrals, and
services related to the
traumatic event for students,
faculty, other school personnel,
and members of their
immediate families; and
overtime for teachers,
counselors, and other staff.
Student Support and Academic
ESEA, Title IV-A, §§4104, 4108
20 U.S.C. §§7111-7122
States may use funds reserved
Formula grants to SEAs are
Enrichment Grants (SSAE)
for state activities to support
based on their share of prior
LEAs in implementing mental
year ESEA Title I-A grants
health awareness training
provided to SEAs. SEAs make
programs and expanding access
subgrants to LEAs based on
to or coordinating resources
their share of prior year ESEA
for school-based counseling
Title I-A grants to LEAs in the
and mental health programs,
state.
among other possible uses.
LEAs may use funds for school-
based mental health services,
school-based mental health
services partnership programs,
and school counseling, among
other possible uses.
CRS-37

Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
Student Safety and Campus
HEA, Title VIII-L, §821
20 U.S.C. §1161l
Grants may be used to pay for
Competitive grants to IHEs and
Emergency Management Grants
the federal share of costs for
consortia of IHEs.
activities to improve safety and
emergency communications at
IHEs.
Supporting Effective Instruction
ESEA, Title II-A, §2103
20 U.S.C. §§6611-6614; and
Funds can be used by LEAs to
LEAs
§6603(a)
provide in-service training for
school personnel in forming
partnerships between school-
based mental health programs
and public or private mental
health organizations, among
other possible uses of funds.
Trauma Recovery
ESEA, Title IV-A, §4103(a)(3)
20 U.S.C. §§7113-7114
Grants must support students
Competitive grants to SEAs, or
Demonstration Grants
from low-income families who
SEAs in partnership with
have experienced trauma that
nonprofit organizations; IHEs;
negatively affects their
or state or local mental health
educational experience in
agencies.
accessing trauma-specific
mental health services.
Programs Administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Emergency Management
The Homeland Security Act
6 U.S.C. §762; 42 U.S.C. §5121;
Grants can be used to assist in
Grants are awarded to state,
Performance Grant Program
(P.L. 107-296), as amended; the 42 U.S.C. §§7701 et seq.; and
preparing for all hazards by
local, territorial, and tribal
Robert T. Stafford Disaster
42 U.S.C. §§4001 et seq.
supporting the development of
governments.
Relief and Emergency
emergency preparedness
Assistance Act (P.L. 93-288), as
systems.
amended; the Earthquake
Hazards Reduction Act of 1977
(P.L. 95-124), as amended; and
the National Flood Insurance
Act of 1968 (P.L. 90-448), as
amended.
CRS-38

Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
State Homeland Security Grant
The Homeland Security Act
6 U.S.C. §605
Grants can be used to assist
Grants are awarded to states.
Program
(P.L. 107-296), as amended,
state, local, and tribal
§2004.
governments in preparing for,
protecting against, and
responding to acts of
terrorism.
Urban Area Security Initiative
The Homeland Security Act
6 U.S.C. §604
Grants can be used to assist
Grants are awarded to high-
(P.L. 107-296), as amended,
high-risk urban areas in
risk urban areas.
§2003.
preventing, preparing for,
protecting against, and
responding to acts of
terrorism.

Programs Administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
Community Oriented Policing
The Violent Crime Control and 34 U.S.C. §§10381-10389 and
Grants can be used to hire
Grants can be awarded to
Services (COPS) Hiring
Law Enforcement Act of 1994
§10261(a)(11)
entry-level career law
state, local, and tribal
Program
(P.L. 103-322), as amended,
enforcement officers to
governments with primary law
§10003.
increase community policing
enforcement authority.
capacities and support crime
prevention efforts.
Edward Byrne Memorial Justice
The Violence Against Women
34 U.S.C. §§10151-10158
Grants can be used for state
Grants are awarded to state,
Assistance Grant (JAG)
and Department of Justice
and local initiatives, technical
local, and tribal governments.
Program
Reauthorization Act of 2005
assistance, training, personnel,
(P.L. 109-162), §1111.
equipment, supplies,
contractual support, and
criminal justice information
systems in one or more of
eight program purpose areas:
(1) law enforcement programs;
(2) prosecution and court
programs; (3) prevention and
education programs; (4)
corrections and community
corrections programs; (5) drug
treatment and enforcement
CRS-39

Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
programs; (6) planning,
evaluation, and technology
improvement programs; (7)
crime victim and witness
programs (other than victim
compensation); and (8) mental
health programs and related
law enforcement and
corrections programs, including
behavioral programs and crisis
intervention teams.
Juvenile Justice and
The Juvenile Justice and
34 U.S.C. §§11131-11133 and
Grants can be used to fund the
Grants are awarded to states.
Delinquency Prevention Act,
Delinquency Prevention Act
§11181(a)
planning, establishment,
Part B, State Formula Grants
(P.L. 93-415), as amended,
operation, coordination, and
§§220-223.
evaluation of projects that
improve juvenile delinquency
programs and states’ juvenile
justice systems.
Juvenile Justice and
The Juvenile Justice and
34 U.S.C. §§11311-11313
Grants can be used to support
Grants are awarded to states,
Delinquency Prevention Act,
Delinquency Prevention Act
delinquency prevention
and are then allocated to units
Title V, Incentive Grants for
(P.L. 93-415), as amended,
programs for juveniles who
of local government or
Local Delinquency Prevention
§§501-506.
have come into contact with,
nonprofits in partnership with
or are at risk for contact with,
units of local government.
the juvenile justice system.
Matching Grant Program for
The Victims of Trafficking and
34 U.S.C. §§10551-10556
Under this program, the
Grants can be awarded to
School Security
Violence Protection Act of
Bureau of Justice Assistance
state, local, and tribal
2000 (P.L. 106-368), §1108(b).
(BJA) is authorized to award
governments. Grants can be
grants for (1) training school
subwarded to LEAs, nonprofit
personnel and students to
organizations, or units of local
prevent student violence
government or tribal
against others and themselves,
organizations.
(2) developing and operating
anonymous reporting systems
for threats of school violence,
(3) developing and operating
school threat assessment and
CRS-40

Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
intervention teams and
specialized training for school
officials in responding to mental
health crises; and (4) any other
measure that BJA determines
may provide a significant
improvement in training, threat
assessments and reporting, and
violence prevention in schools.
The COPS Office is authorized
to award grants to state, local,
and tribal governments for: (1)
coordination with local law
enforcement; (2) training for
local law enforcement officers
to prevent student violence
against others and themselves;
(3) metal detectors, locks,
lighting, and other deterrent
measures; (4) acquiring and
installing technology for
expedited notification of local
law enforcement during an
emergency; and (5) any other
measure that the COPS Office
determines may provide a
significant improvement in
school security.
Programs Administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Children’s Mental Health
Public Health Service Act
42 U.S.C. §290ff
Comprehensive Community
Grants are awarded to states,
Initiative (CMHI)
(PHSA), §§561-565
Mental Health Services for
local governments, tribes, and
Children with Serious
territories to assist in their
Emotional Disturbance
efforts to deliver or facilitate
(Systems of Care Expansion
access to community-based or
and Sustainability Grants)
school-based mental health
grants support systems of care
services to support systems of
for children with serious
CRS-41

Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
emotional disturbances. Funds
care for children with serious
are used to create
emotional disturbances.
infrastructure and facilitate
access to community-based or
school-based mental health
services. Educational
professionals also coordinate
with CMHI-funded systems of
care for referrals, service
planning meetings, and
evaluation of outcomes.
Community Mental Health
PHSA, Title XIX-B, Subpart I
42 U.S.C. §300x
The MHBG supports
MHBG funds are distributed to
Services Block Grant (MHBG)
community mental health
states (including the District of
services for adults with serious
Columbia and specified
mental il ness and children with
territories) according to a
serious emotional disturbance.
formula specified in statute.
States have flexibility in the use
of MHBG funds within the
framework of the state plan
and federal requirements. Most
services are community-based,
though schools may be a
service location.
Garrett Lee Smith (GLS)
PHSA, §520E-2
42 U.S.C. §§290bb-36b
The GLS Campus Suicide
IHEs, including state
Campus Suicide Prevention
Prevention Grant Program
universities, private four-year
Grants
provides funding to IHEs to
col eges and universities
prevent suicide. Grantees can
(including those with religious
use funds for a variety of
affiliations), community
activities related to suicide
col eges, and minority-serving
prevention, including enhancing
institutions.
behavioral health services on
campus.
National Child Traumatic
PHSA, §582
42 U.S.C. §290hh-1
Through the NCTSI, the
Grants can be awarded to
Stress Initiative (NCTSI)
Substance Abuse and Mental
public and nonprofit private
Health Services Administration
entities, as well as to Indian
(SAMHSA) provides grants,
tribes and tribal organizations.
CRS-42

Brief Description of
Program
Authorizing Legislation
U.S. Code
Relevant Uses of Funds
Eligibility
education and training,
Priority is given to universities,
technical support, data
hospitals, mental health
col ection, evaluation services,
agencies, and other programs
and information on evidence-
that have established clinical
based interventions for trauma
expertise and research
care for use in child mental
experience in the field of
health clinics, schools, child
trauma-related mental
welfare, or juvenile justice
disorders.
settings.
Project Advancing Wellness
PHSA, §520A
42 U.S.C. §290bb-32
Project AWARE is part of
The HHS Secretary may carry
and Resiliency in Education
SAMHSA’s Priority Mental
out Mental Health PRNS
(AWARE)
Health Needs of Regional and
activities, including all Project

National Significance (Mental
AWARE programs, directly or

Project AWARE State
Grants
Health PRNS). Project AWARE through grants, contracts, or
grants fund activities to identify
cooperative agreements with

Mental Health Awareness
children and youth in need of
states, political subdivisions of
Training
mental health services, increase states, Indian tribes or tribal

Resiliency in Communities
access to mental health
organizations, health facilities,
After Stress and Trauma
treatment, and promote mental or programs operated by or in
(ReCAST)
health literacy among teachers
accordance with a contract or
and school personnel.
grant with the Indian Health
Service, or other public or
private nonprofit entities.
Youth Prevention and
PHSA, §514 (as amended by
42 U.S.C. §290bb-7a(c)
This grant program supports
Grants can be awarded
Recovery
P.L. 115-271 enacted October
evidence-based substance use
competitively to LEAs, SEAs,
24, 2018)
disorder prevention, treatment, IHEs or consortia of IHEs, local
and recovery programs for
boards or one-stop operators,
children, adolescents, and
nonprofit organizations, states,
young adults. For this program,
a political subdivision of a state,
the HHS Secretary, in
Indian tribes or tribal
consultation with ED, is to
organizations, or a high school
award competitive three-year
or dormitory serving high
grants to specified eligible
school students that receives
educational or community-
funding from the BIE.
based entities.
Source: Table prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) using relevant legislation and materials prepared by ED, DHS, DOJ, and HHS.
CRS-43

a. Schoolwide programs are generally authorized under Title I-A if the percentage of low-income students served by a school is 40% or higher. In schools operating
schoolwide programs, Title I-A funds may be used to improve the academic achievement of all students in the school.
b. Schools operating targeted assistance programs use Title I-A funds to provide supplemental educational services to students with the greatest academic needs.
CRS-44

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Appendix B. Other Resources on Federal School
Safety and Security
Research and Statistics
Indicators of School Crime and Safety is an annual report produced jointly by the National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES) in the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS) in the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This report presents federal data
on school crime and student safety based on information drawn from a variety of data sources,
including national surveys of students, teachers, and principals conducted by ED, DOJ, and the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS). Topics covered in the report include student and teacher victimization, bullying
and cyberbullying, school conditions, fights, weapons, student use of drugs and alcohol, student
perceptions of personal safety at school, and safety and security measures implemented by public
schools.
 Indicators of School Crime and Safety (BJS/DOJ and NCES/ED)
(https://nces.ed.gov/programs/crimeindicators/)

Data sources for the report:
 School-Associated Violent Deaths Surveillance System (SAVD-SS)
 National Vital Statistics System (NVSS)
 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
 School Crime Supplement (SCS)
 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)
 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS)
 National Teacher and Principal Survey (NTPS)
 School Survey on Crime and Safety (SSOCS)
 Fast Response Survey System (FRSS)
 Campus Safety and Security Survey
 EDFacts
 Monitoring the Future Survey
 Studies of Active Shooter Incidents
 School-Associated Violent Deaths Surveillance System (SAVD-SS; CDC/HHS)
(https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/
SAVD.html)
 Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC; includes data on school related arrests,
referrals to law enforcement, and bullying and harassment)
(https://ocrdata.ed.gov)
 National Threat Assessment Center (NTAC) Research and Publications
(https://www.secretservice.gov/protection/ntac/research/#section-2)
 Crime, Violence, Discipline, and Safety in U.S. Public Schools: Findings From
the School Survey on Crime and Safety: 2017-18 (https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2015/
2015051.pdf)
Congressional Research Service

45

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

The CDC provides research, information, and strategies for preventing bullying and school
violence on their Youth Violence website:
 Youth Violence
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/index.html.
CDC youth violence related research and materials include the following:
 School-Associated Violent Death Study
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/youthviolence/schoolviolence/
SAVD.html
 Bullying Surveillance Among Youths: Uniform Definitions for Public Health and
Recommended Data Elements
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/Bullying-Definitions-FINAL-a.pdf
Technical Assistance
Technical assistance (TA) centers help state and local agencies, schools, and institutions of higher
education (IHEs) to implement school safety and security programs and practices. TA centers are
typically competitively awarded grants that operate at a regional or national level. TA centers may
also provide information and resources to the general public through their websites.
Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety (SEL
Center)
The SEL Center provides technical assistance to state educational agencies (SEAs) and local
educational agencies (LEAs) in the implementing evidence-based social and emotional learning
programs and practices. The SEL Center provides different levels of TA ranging from the general
TA available through its website to intensive TA provided over extended partnerships with states
and LEAs to help build their capacity to integrate social and emotional learning and school safety
strategies into K-12 programming.
 Center to Improve Social and Emotional Learning and School Safety
(https://selcenter.wested.org/)
National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE)
NCSSLE offers information and technical assistance to states, LEAs, and schools that receive
Title IV-A Student Support and Academic Enrichment (SSAE) Grants. NCSSLE also provides
listings of grants received by each state, as well as by LEAs within each state, from ED and other
federal agencies to support safe and supportive school-based initiatives.
 National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
(https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/)
 NCSSLE School Climate Survey Tool
(https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/edscls)
Technical Assistance (TA) Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and
Supports (PBIS)
The PBIS TA Center provides technical assistance and evaluation tools to SEAs, LEAs, and
schools to support their implementation of PBIS.
Congressional Research Service

46

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

 Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) Technical Assistance
Center (https://www.pbis.org/)
Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance
(REMS TA) Center
The REMS TA Center builds the “preparedness capacity” of schools, LEAs, institutions of higher
education (IHEs), and their community partners and provides information, resources, and services
in the field of K-12 and higher education emergency operations planning.
 REMS TA Center (https://rems.ed.gov)
Websites
In addition to grant programs to support school safety and security initiatives, the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ED, DOJ, and HHS have compiled resources that
could be helpful to policymakers who want to understand more about these issues, or families,
teachers, school administrators, and law enforcement professionals who want to explore ways to
enhance the safety and security of their local schools.
 SchoolSafety.gov is a central location for school safety and security materials
from DHS, ED, DOJ, and HHS to provide schools and school districts with
actionable recommendations and school safety resources to help them create safe
and supportive learning environments. SchoolSafety.gov’s resources are
presented in a preparedness continuum, beginning with prevention and
progressing through protection, mitigation, response, and recovery. Topics
covered include bullying/cyberbullying, mental health, school climate, physical
security, school security personnel, emergency planning, threat assessment and
reporting, recovery, and training exercises and drills.
(https://schoolsafety.gov)
 The Federal Commission on School Safety provides information on its final
report and links to federal and state reports on incidents of school violence.
(https://www.ed.gov/school-safety)
 The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office web page provides
background information on School Resource Officers (SROs), and important
considerations when assigning SROs. (https://cops.usdoj.gov/
supportingsafeschools)
 Comprehensive Technical Package for the Prevention of Youth Violence and
Associated Risk Behaviors
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/yv-technicalpackage.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/yv-technicalpackage-spanish.pdf
 DOJ’s crimesolutions.gov website provides information on evaluations of school
safety programs and practices. Evaluations can be sorted by those DOJ has rated
as effective, those that are “promising,” and those that are ineffective.
(https://crimesolutions.gov)
 K-12 School Security Guide (2nd Edition) and School Security Survey
(https://www.dhs.gov/publication/k-12-school-security-guide)
 The National Criminal Justice Reference Service provides a directory of
resources related to school safety, including Q&As on school safety topics, links
Congressional Research Service

47

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

to DOJ publications on school safety, and links to other school safety resources.
(https://www.ncjrs.gov/schoolsafety/additional.html)
 National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) Comprehensive School Safety Initiative
(CSSI; NIJ/DOJ)
(https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/nijs-comprehensive-school-safety-initiative)
 What Do Data Reveal About Violence in Schools? (NIJ/DOJ)
(https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/what-do-data-reveal-about-violence-schools)
 School Safety and Security (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security
Agency/DHS)
(https://www.dhs.gov/cisa/school-safety-and-security)
 StopBullying.gov
(https://www.stopbullying.gov/)
 Suicide Prevention Resource Center: Youth
(https://www.sprc.org/populations/youth)
 Violence Education Tools Online (VetoViolence)
https://vetoviolence.cdc.gov/apps/main/home
 Violence Prevention at Youth.gov
(https://youth.gov/youth-topics/violence-prevention)

Author Information

Kyrie E. Dragoo, Coordinator
Shawn Reese
Analyst in Education Policy
Analyst in Emergency Management and Homeland

Security Policy

Nathan James
Alexandra Hegji
Analyst in Crime Policy
Analyst in Social Policy

Johnathan H. Duff

Analyst in Health Policy

Congressional Research Service

48

Federal Support for School Safety and Security

Disclaimer
This document was prepared by the Congressional Research Service (CRS). CRS serves as nonpartisan
shared staff to congressional committees and Members of Congress. It operates solely at the behest of and
under the direction of Congress. Information in a CRS Report should not be relied upon for purposes other
than public understanding of information that has been provided by CRS to Members of Congress in
connection with CRS’s institutional role. CRS Reports, as a work of the United States Government, are not
subject to copyright protection in the United States. Any CRS Report may be reproduced and distributed in
its entirety without permission from CRS. However, as a CRS Report may include copyrighted images or
material from a third party, you may need to obtain the permission of the copyright holder if you wish to
copy or otherwise use copyrighted material.

Congressional Research Service
R46872 · VERSION 10 · UPDATED
49

Download PDF

Download EPUB

Revision History

Jun. 15, 2022

HTML · PDF

2% changed

May. 27, 2022

HTML · PDF

2% changed

Aug. 10, 2021

HTML · PDF

Metadata