The Covenant School shooting in Nashville last month has states shaken up and confused over how to prevent and deter safety threats in their schools. Since last year, K12 schools have had access to federal funds through the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which can support them in creating safer schools. The question is, what safety upgrades are eligible to receive funding?
In a letter obtained by Politico’s Weekly Education, U.S. Department of Education Secretary Miguel Cardona reminds Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), a ranking member of the Senate HELP committee, how BSCA funds can help prevent tragedies like the Nashville school shooting.
“Shootings should never happen in any of our schools or communities,” he wrote. “Schools must be safe environments for students to learn and grow, and no student, parent or teacher should worry about their physical safety at or around school buildings.”
Cardona’s remarks come in response to a letter sent by Cassidy in late March asking for further clarification on how to spend federal funds on physical security improvements.
“States and district leaders need to know that they can and should use these funds to harden schools,” Cassidy wrote. “Any confusion about that fact could lead to dangerous delays in protecting our students.”
Cassidy went as far as telling Politico that the administration is “dragging their feet” and intruding on schools’ efforts to receive these federal funds.
“The purpose of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was to prevent shootings like Nashville,” he said in a statement to Weekly Education. “The administration is getting in the way of this legislation accomplishing that goal.”
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Last week, the ED finalized its FAQ document to better guide education leaders on how to receive and use BSCA funds. In his letter, Cardona restates and rehashes four federally approved solutions education leaders can implement to harden their schools:
- Emergency operations plans: Cardona encourages local education agencies to use BSCA funds for “activities that foster safe, health, supportive and drug-free environments, including the development and implementation of emergency operations plans.”
- School-based police officers: The ED’s guidance details how schools can use funds for law enforcement and SROs as long as they comply with federal civil rights laws and implement high-quality training.
- Surveillance cameras, metal detectors and other physical security equipment: Traditional methods of school hardening are fair game, he wrote, “including minor remodeling that may be related to the installation of this equipment.”
- Threat assessment systems or teams: Multidisciplinary teams must comply with federal civil rights and disability laws. He also encourages LEAs to seek out an evidence-based, comprehensive approach to bolstering student safety, well-being, health and academic development.
“As a parent and an educator, I remain deeply committed to ensuring that schools are safe places that promote the academic, physical, social and emotional well-being of students,” Cardona wrote. “I also believe that leaders in government and beyond must redouble efforts to end, once and for all, the scourge of gun violence in and around our schools.”
