Stronger Schools Act
The Stronger Schools Act would authorize competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Education to local educational agencies (LEAs) to fund physical security improvements at elementary and secondary schools served by those agencies. A key requirement is that recipient LEAs use the funds to hire school resource officers (SROs) who carry firearms and to establish a single entry point for visitors that includes a locked anteroom and metal detectors. The act also requires the application process for grants and a congressional report within one year of enactment, with definitions anchored to existing federal education and criminal justice statutes. In short, the bill ties federal grants to a specific security package—armed on-site law enforcement presence and controlled entry points with screening—across elementary and secondary schools within the awarded districts. It sets up a grant program, outlining how funds must be used, how to apply, and how the Department of Education will report progress to Congress.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a physical improvement grant program: The Secretary of Education may award competitive grants to LEAs to fund security-related improvements at their elementary and secondary schools.
- 2Use of funds focuses on armed on-site security: Each grant recipient must ensure every school served by the LEA hires a school resource officer who carries a firearm.
- 3Entry security requirements: Recipients must establish a single point of entry with a locked anteroom and metal detectors to screen visitors before they enter other parts of the school.
- 4Application and oversight: LEAs must apply to the Secretary in the manner and with information the Secretary requires; the Secretary must report to Congress on implementation within one year of enactment.
- 5Definitions and scope: The bill uses established federal definitions for terms like elementary school, secondary school, LEA, and SRO (with the SRO definition drawn from the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act). It ties the program to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) terms for consistency.