PLAN for School Safety Act of 2025
The PLAN for School Safety Act of 2025 would create a new federal program under the Homeland Security Act to establish Regional School Safety Development Centers. These centers would provide customized consulting to schools to develop, improve, or implement school safety and student mental health plans based on evidence-based practices. The program would fund state-, regional-, and tribal-focused centers through grants or cooperative agreements, prioritizing rural, Tribal, low-resource, and minority-serving institutions. Centers would help with planning, implementation, training, and identifying funding opportunities, and would be subject to annual reporting to Congress on their activities and effectiveness. The act also includes governance elements (a Youth Advisory Council), administrative provisions, and limits on use of funds (not for firearm training or hiring schools’ personnel under the centers’ guidance). In short, this bill aims to standardize and bolster school safety planning across the country by creating regional expert centers that work directly with schools to craft and carry out comprehensive, evidence-based safety and mental health plans, with ongoing oversight and a strong emphasis on accessibility for underserved communities.
Key Points
- 1Establishment of School Safety Development Centers: New centers funded by the Director (of the relevant Homeland Security agency) to provide customized consultations to schools for developing or improving individualized school safety and mental health plans, based on evidence-based best practices.
- 2Eligibility and Awards: Eligible entities include States, State educational agencies, Tribal agencies, higher education institutions, and Tribal Colleges/Universities. Awards are grants or cooperative agreements, with a preference for entities already connected to local schools, especially in rural, Tribal, or low-resource areas, and minority-serving institutions.
- 3Center Activities: Funds must be used to (a) develop and distribute materials to improve public awareness of evidence-based safety and mental health practices, (b) conduct individualized school consultations to tailor safety/mental health plans, and (c) assist with plan implementation, including identifying and helping schools access relevant federal or state funding, and providing training to staff, families, and schools.
- 4Administrative Support and Expertise: The Director would provide training on best practices, ensure access to subject matter experts (including DOE detailees on a reimbursable basis), and create a Youth Advisory Council within a year to advise on implementation, with diverse participation (parents, mental health professionals, youth who have experienced school violence, etc.).
- 5Accountability and Reporting: The Director must report to multiple House and Senate committees, every two years (and annually thereafter) on program actions, center locations, comparative analysis of safety plan actions, and assessments of center effectiveness.
- 6Funding and Restrictions: Authorization of $25 million per year from 2026 through 2030. Federal funding cannot exceed 95% of total costs for activities financed under this section. Restrictions include no use of funds for firearm training and no hiring of school personnel or contractors for the schools being advised under the program.
- 7Definitions: Clear definitions for eligible entities, evidence-based, school, and school safety plan, with the safety plan including components such as staff, climate/mental health, reporting systems, threat assessment, emergency planning, training, drills, site assessments, and recovery planning.