U.S. House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) wants America’s school safety considered a national security priority and has introduced legislation that would require the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to develop a strategy to bolster school security.
“Ensuring the security and well-being of our students and teachers is of the utmost importance,” Rep. McCaul said. “The recent school shootings, like the one at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, highlight the vulnerability of our education institutions.”
Rep. McCaul on May 9 introduced the Securing Our Schools Act, H.R. 5731, which would require DHS to develop a strategy to secure elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education from acts of terrorism, active shooters and other homeland security threats, among other purposes, according to the congressional record.
“My bill requires the Secretary to draft a DHS-wide school security strategy and ensures the department’s grant programs can be used to enhance school security,” Rep. McCaul explained.
Details provided in a summary from the Homeland Security Committee of H.R. 5731 noted that the school security strategy would be developed by the DHS Secretary through the Under Secretary of the National Protection and Programs Directorate and must describe coordination, ongoing efforts, how the department works with state, local, tribal, and territorial governments, and recommendations for future efforts and activities to secure schools.
Additionally, H.R. 5731 would clarify the allowable funding uses under the State Homeland Security Grant Program and the Urban Area Security Initiative for school security, according to the summary.
According to the draft text of the bill, proposed Sec. 3 Homeland Security Grants include two significant amendments to the Homeland Security Act of 2002. One would codify the following activities related to school security: planning, training, exercises, information sharing, and target hardening. The other amendment stipulates that a grant that would be awarded under section 2003 or 2004 of the law “may not be used for the provision to any person of a firearm or training in the use of a firearm.”
“Lastly, [the bill] authorizes the Office of Academic Engagement to conduct outreach to facilitate effective communication with schools on available DHS programs and other assistance,” Rep. McCaul said.
Specifically, H.R. 5731 would establish the department’s Office of Academic Engagement within its Office of Partnership and Engagement. The new office would be led by an executive director who would handle outreach and serve as a liaison between DHS and educational institutions.
Among the bill’s 12 GOP cosponsors are U.S. Reps. Dan Donovan (R-NY), Don Bacon (R-NE), John Katko (R-NY), and John Ratcliffe (R-TX).
H.R. 5731 has been referred for consideration to the Homeland Security Committee, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, and the U.S. House Education and the Workforce Committee. The measure was scheduled for markup by the Homeland Security Committee on May 16, but that meeting was postponed to a later, unlisted date.