Legislation seeks to redirect COVID funds for school safety effort

U.S. Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA) has introduced legislation that seeks to clarify state flexibility to apply unused state and local COVID-19 Fiscal Recovery Funds school security measures.

The Securing Our Schools Act (H.R. 7979) would provide schools with additional needed resources.

“We need to give schools more resources to keep our students safe,” Miller-Meeks, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, said. “There are currently billions of dollars sitting unused in states around the country. Clarifying states have the flexibility to use relief money to increase security is a commonsense step that would see immediate results. I hope that Congress can act to keep our students safe and responsibly use taxpayer dollars.”

School security measures would include evidence-based programming designed to prevent violence; training to prevent student violence against others and self, development and operation of an anonymous reporting system for threats of school violence that includes a mobile telephone application, hotline, or internet website; and development and operation of
a school threat assessment and intervention team, including coordination with law enforcement agencies and school personnel.

School security measures could also include installing a system to monitor hallways and stairwells and hiring and paying the salaries of qualified individuals such as retired law enforcement officers or military veterans to serve as armed school resource officers.