YourVoice.Now Summary
Workers & JobsPolice grants could pay to hire veterans and retired officers as school resource officers
Workers & Jobs
COPS grants could be used to hire and train veterans and retired police to serve as school resource officers. They would still need sworn police powers and be assigned by a police department.
When choosing which grant requests to fund, the Justice Department could favor ones that hire and train these officers. It is allowed, not required, and only where it can.
The Justice Department could help police and local groups give school resource officers a yearly mental health check and yearly training on tactics and response. The bill does not require these checks.
The Department of Veterans Affairs would have to work with COPS grant users to link veterans who want to be school resource officers with local police running school programs.
More about this bill
If your child's school has a police officer, that officer could be a military veteran or a retired officer. Federal community policing grants, called COPS grants, could pay to hire and train veterans and retired police as school resource officers. These are officers who work in and around schools. The Justice Department could give extra weight to grant requests for this kind of hiring. The bill adds no new money. School resource officers would still need sworn police powers. A police department would still have to assign them to the school. Their job would also include meeting with students at least once a year. The Justice Department could help police give these officers a yearly mental health check and yearly training on tactics. The Department of Veterans Affairs would have to help veterans who want the job connect with local police. The bill was introduced in April 2025 and sent to three House committees. It has had no further action.
Congressional Summary
Ensuring Safer Schools Act of 2025 This bill allows funds under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program to be used to hire and train veterans and retired law enforcement officers as school resource officers. It also directs the Department of Veterans Affairs to coordinate with COPS grant recipients to connect veterans seeking to serve as school resource officers with local law enforcement agencies participating in school-based partnerships.
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2025-04-08
- Date Added
- 2026-10-02
- Source
- Congress.gov →
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