School Guardian Act of 2025
The School Guardian Act of 2025 would create a new federal grant program to fund armed security staffing at elementary and secondary schools. Specifically, it adds a new grant program (“PART PP—SCHOOL GUARDIAN GRANTS”) to the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, allowing states to receive federal money to hire, train, and equip armed law enforcement officers who will provide security at K-12 schools. States would distribute subgrants to local law enforcement agencies to hire full-time officers for each eligible school, with formal written agreements to place at least one officer at every K-12 school in the jurisdiction. The act includes reporting requirements, a mechanism to recover unobligated funds, and a large, new funding stream sourced by reallocating unobligated IRS funds, with a cap of up to $8 billion annually from 2025 through 2034. In short, if enacted, the bill would substantially increase federal funding for armed school security through a state-and-local grant framework, mandating at least one full-time armed officer at each K-12 school in participating jurisdictions, and tying funding to specific administrative and reporting requirements.
Key Points
- 1Establishes a new grant program titled “PART PP—SCHOOL GUARDIAN GRANTS” within Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (Sec. 3061).
- 2Grant purpose and use: Grants to States to cover the cost of assigning armed law enforcement officers to provide security at K-12 schools; funds may be used for officer pay, training, and equipment.
- 3Allocation and administration: Grants to states are proportional to each state's share of K-12 enrollment relative to national enrollment; administered by the head of the state’s chief law enforcement agency.
- 4Subgrants to local agencies: States may award subgrants to local government law enforcement to hire one or more full-time officers for security at K-12 schools; requires written agreements with each school or local education agency indicating officer assignments.
- 5Staffing requirement and funding basis: Subgrants are based on the number of officers hired as specified in written agreements; each K-12 school should have at least one full-time armed officer.
- 6Reporting and accountability: States must report to the Attorney General on subgrants, hires, and the number of schools served; includes obligations to report unobligated funds and the use of funds.
- 7Funding source and limits: Transfers $80 billion from unobligated IRS balances (Public Law 117-169) to the Attorney General to fund these grants, with annual availability capped at $8 billion for fiscal years 2025–2034; funds remain available until expended and subject to same terms as other funds for this purpose.