Bill Overview
Title: Safe Schools Act
Description: This bill allows state and local educational agencies to use certain COVID-19 emergency relief funds to carry out school security measures (e.g., trainings and security assessments).
Sponsors: Rep. Garcia, Mike [R-CA-25]
Target Audience
Population: People involved in primary and secondary education worldwide
Estimated Size: 120000000
- The 'Safe Schools Act' pertains to educational institutions across states and local areas, indicating its primary impact is on school environments.
- Students who attend these schools will be directly impacted due to changes in school security measures and protocols.
- Teachers and educational staff will also be influenced as they will participate in trainings and be subject to new security assessments.
- Parents may also be indirectly impacted as they are concerned about the safety measures at their children's schools.
- Given the bill involves the use of COVID-19 emergency relief funds, it highlights a redirection of funds impacting various stakeholders initially allocated these resources as emergency relief.
Reasoning
- The primary target population for the 'Safe Schools Act' includes students, educational staff, and indirectly parents, emphasizing school security.
- Considering the budget, the policy will likely focus initially on priority areas with higher needs or larger populations, potentially overlooking some smaller or less impacted districts until later years when the budget increases.
- In understanding the impact, individuals most closely linked to the school ecosystem will feel the effects of extended security and training measures.
- As the funds are redirected from COVID-19 relief, stakeholders originally relying on such funds may feel this shift.
- Since this policy affects security measures in schools, families with children in school and the school staff will bear a closer scrutiny of changes in security perceptions and individual experiences.
Simulated Interviews
high school student (Los Angeles, CA)
Age: 17 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 15/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I feel somewhat safe at my school, but hearing about more security can be reassuring.
- I hope this doesn't mean there will be a heavy police presence or metal detectors; that would make school feel more like a prison.
- I'd prefer if the funds also went towards mental health resources because students are dealing with lots of stress.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
middle school teacher (Houston, TX)
Age: 45 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 12/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Our school definitely needs more security training; sometimes it's chaotic.
- I worry about redirecting funds from COVID relief though—our class sizes are still too large because of budget constraints.
- Security training is good, but I hope they listen to our needs as teachers too.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 9 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 4 |
school administrator (Chicago, IL)
Age: 38 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 10/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Balancing security needs with educational concerns is always tricky, especially with limited budgets.
- This policy promises funds, but there have been so many shifts from COVID relief priorities, we're constantly having to reassess.
- Security improvements are welcome, but they can't overshadow educational funding within our school.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
parent of two elementary students (Miami, FL)
Age: 29 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 8
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 9/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Knowing my kids' school will have better safety measures gives me peace of mind.
- I'm cautious about how funds redirected from COVID relief might affect other important areas like school nurses.
- Overall, I'm supportive as long as the changes are clearly communicated to us as parents.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 8 | 8 |
| Year 2 | 9 | 7 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 7 |
| Year 10 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
school security officer (New York, NY)
Age: 33 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 5/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Increased funding for security means more training and possibly better equipment.
- The policy will help my team be more effective, but I'm concerned about potential red tape or delays in funds reaching our school.
- School security isn't just about physical barriers; we need comprehensive approaches that involve the whole school community.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 5 |
educational policy analyst (Washington, D.C.)
Age: 52 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 3/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Redirecting funds from COVID relief to security could have a wide range of effects, both positive and negative.
- Increased security measures need to be implemented mindfully, ensuring they don't infringe on the learning environment.
- The effectiveness of this policy will heavily depend on local implementation strategies.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 8 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 7 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
retired teacher and grandparent (Rural Vermont)
Age: 65 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 7
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 8/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I'm glad my grandkids will be in a more secure environment but I worry if this will mean more strip-down security or sensible changes.
- Rural areas often get overlooked in funding, so I am skeptical how much this will actually trickle down here.
- Any increase in ensuring children's safety is a step in the right direction, but schools have other urgent needs too.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 7 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Year 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 20 | 7 | 6 |
student teacher (Philadelphia, PA)
Age: 23 | Gender: other
Wellbeing Before Policy: 6
Duration of Impact: 5.0 years
Commonness: 7/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Security training will be helpful for me as an upcoming teacher, but I also need proper teaching resources.
- I hope this doesn't mean focusing only on external security without considering the wellbeing and support of students.
- Access to more training resources is generally positive, but balanced needs are essential.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 2 | 7 | 6 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 6 | 5 |
school district superintendent (Phoenix, AZ)
Age: 41 | Gender: female
Wellbeing Before Policy: 4
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 4/20
Statement of Opinion:
- Balancing the needs across a diverse district is hard, especially when funds are scarce.
- While I welcome increased funding for security, I worry about the sources and consistency of said funds.
- We have been struggling with funding since the pandemic, and I hope this policy fulfills more than just a checklist compliance.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 2 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Year 5 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 4 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 4 |
high school janitor (Baltimore, MD)
Age: 63 | Gender: male
Wellbeing Before Policy: 5
Duration of Impact: 10.0 years
Commonness: 6/20
Statement of Opinion:
- I hope new security measures mean fewer break-ins and safer conditions for myself and the students.
- It's important that security improvements also consider the wellbeing of all school staff, not just the students and teachers.
- I'm wary that the extra measures don't just add more work without the proper support.
Wellbeing Over Time (With vs Without Policy)
| Year | With Policy | Without Policy |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 2 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 5 | 6 | 5 |
| Year 10 | 5 | 5 |
| Year 20 | 5 | 5 |
Cost Estimates
Year 1: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $35000000)
Year 2: $20000000 (Low: $15000000, High: $35000000)
Year 3: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 5: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 10: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Year 100: $0 (Low: $0, High: $0)
Key Considerations
- This policy allows for the reallocation of existing unused COVID-19 emergency relief funds, minimizing new direct federal expenditures.
- The short-term cost is primarily administrative in facilitating the use of funds for school security.
- In the medium term, this reallocation could benefit community safety but those effects are subjective and difficult to quantify.