Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act
The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act would redirect federal funding away from police presence in public schools and toward non-police, trauma-informed supports. It prohibits federal funds from being used to hire, maintain, or train law enforcement officers assigned to schools (including school resource officers) and would strip certain federal grant programs of funding that support police in schools. Instead, the bill creates a new grant program to help local educational agencies replace police presence with mental health professionals and other trauma-informed services, reform school safety policies, and invest in staff and practices that aim to improve climate, equity, and academic outcomes. The bill emphasizes community engagement, accountability, and safeguards against surveillance or punitive discipline. In short, if enacted, the bill would largely end federal support for police in schools, promote alternatives focused on counseling and trauma-informed care, and require LEAs to show how they are reducing disparities in discipline and arrests while increasing student well-being and safety.
Key Points
- 1Prohibition on federal funding for police in schools: The bill bars all federal funds from being used to hire, maintain, or train covered law enforcement officers in any capacity, including those assigned to schools or contracted with school programs.
- 2Reforms to existing grant programs: The COPS grant program would be amended to remove funding for covered law enforcement officers, ensuring recipients cannot use those grants to employ or equip police in schools.
- 3New grant program for LEAs transitioning away from police in schools: The Secretary of Education would award competitive, rolling grants to LEAs to replace police presence with mental health and trauma-informed staff and to reform safety and discipline policies away from the criminal-justice approach. Grants require termination of police contracts (or dissolution of district police) before funds are received and prohibit new police contracts during the grant period.
- 4Uses and restrictions of grant funds: Funds must be used to hire or train counselors, psychologists, nurses, social workers, credible messengers, trauma-informed personnel, and staff skilled in de-escalation and anti-bias work. They may also support schoolwide positive behavior interventions, restorative justice, social-emotional learning, and related professional development—provided these are trauma-informed and evidence-based.
- 5Prohibitions and privacy safeguards: Grants cannot fund punitive discipline policies, surveillance equipment (e.g., metal detectors, cameras, facial recognition), or arming school personnel. They also limit data collection to protect student privacy and require transparency in reporting.
- 6Accountability and reporting: LEAs receiving grants must submit annual public reports detailing fund use, changes in arrests or referrals, demographic data of affected students, and information about surveillance equipment or software use, with privacy protections for individuals.
- 7Funding level: The bill authorizes $5 billion for the program established in the legislation.