Summary
Aims to prevent school shootings and save lives by improving safety technology, training, and data collection for schools across the country.
What problem does this solve?
Schools may lack the best tools and plans to quickly respond to emergencies like shootings. This bill expands a federal program to research and share the best safety practices, including panic alarms and digital maps, to help schools and first responders save lives.
Who does this affect?
- Students and school staff
- First responders
- School administrators
What does this bill do?
Develops panic alarm technology for schools
Creates a program to develop, test, and evaluate panic alarm technology. This includes wearable devices that allow for immediate contact with emergency services to improve response times during school emergencies.
Sets standards for emergency response maps
Prohibits federal funds from being used to buy emergency response maps unless they meet specific digital standards. The maps must be accessible on mobile devices, easily updated, and secure.
Creates a national school safety data center
Establishes a national center to collect, analyze, and share information about school emergencies. The center will identify major safety problems and help schools and police set priorities.
Reference
Text:
Section:
Sec. 2(a)
Header:
Expansion of the federal clearinghouse on school safety evidence-based practices
Expands the federal clearinghouse on school safety
Adds new duties to the Federal Clearinghouse on School Safety, including public education efforts, training for schools, and hiring experts to help put safety plans into action.
Requires annual reports on school safety
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit yearly reports to Congress. These reports will detail the clearinghouse's activities, analyze losses from school shootings, and suggest new laws.
Provides training and assistance to schools
Directs the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide training and technical help to schools. This includes one-on-one consulting to figure out the best way to use the clearinghouse's safety advice.
Involves the U.S. secret service
Adds the Director of the U.S. Secret Service to the group that develops school safety practices. This ensures that the advice given to schools aligns with the expert support of the National Threat Assessment Center.
What is the real world impact?
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Standardizes school safety measures
Establishes a national framework for school safety technology and data collection. This ensures that schools and first responders across the country have access to consistent, effective tools and information to protect students during an emergency.
When does this start?
This bill sets several different deadlines for its requirements to be put into action.
Funding ban for non-compliant maps
Beginning in fiscal year 2026, federal money cannot be used to buy emergency response maps that do not meet the bill's new digital standards.
Appointment of clearinghouse director
Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to name a Director for the School Safety Clearinghouse within 120 days of the bill becoming law.
Establishment of data center
The National School Safety Data Center must be created within one year of the bill becoming law.
Strategy for federal emergency maps
A strategy for creating and sharing digital emergency maps for critical government buildings must be submitted to Congress within one year.
First annual report on clearinghouse
The first yearly report on the School Safety Clearinghouse's activities is due by June 30 of the year after the bill becomes law.
First report on master plans
The first report on the use and effectiveness of school safety master plans across the U.S. must be submitted to Congress within four years.