A Democratic bill with 1 Republican cosponsor · See all 3 cosponsors
Last activity — Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The "Measures for Safer School Districts Act" aims to improve the safety of elementary and secondary schools. It requires local educational agencies to develop and implement emergency response procedures and parental notification protocols. These procedures must cover all students, faculty, and staff, including timely notifications for various covered threats and emergencies. Additionally, the bill mandates the creation of a rulemaking advisory committee to review door security. This committee will develop recommendations for installing or modifying reinforced interior and exterior doors in schools receiving federal funds. Finally, the act provides for a specific appropriation to support these door reinforcement efforts.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Enhanced Emergency Communication: Local educational agencies must ensure parents and guardians receive timely notification regarding threats and emergencies that occur on school grounds, during transportation, or at school-sponsored activities. (Section 2(a)(2))
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Standardized Emergency Responses: The bill requires procedures to include commonly used alarm system responses for specific types of emergencies, which helps create a predictable response to threats. (Section 2(b)(2))
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Clear Emergency Roles: Procedures must identify the primary emergency response agency for specific threats and the specific individuals within a school responsible for contacting those agencies. (Section 2(b)(3))
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Broad Protection Against Various Threats: The act defines a wide range of "covered threats and emergencies," including weapons possession, active shooters, bomb threats, fires, and natural disasters, ensuring schools prepare for many different scenarios. (Section 2(c))
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Improved Physical School Security: The bill seeks to enhance security through the potential installation or modification of reinforced interior and exterior doors in schools. (Section s 3(a) and 3(e))
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Financial Support for Security Upgrades: The act authorizes an additional $100,000,000 for the State Homeland Security Grant Program to be used specifically for carrying out the door reinforcement requirements. (Section 3(f))
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- Safety Risks during Evacuation or Response: There is a concern that reinforced door requirements must be carefully managed so they do not inhibit the ability of students, teachers, and personnel to safely evacuate during an emergency or prevent law enforcement from moving quickly to pursue a threat. (Section 3(c)(5))
- 5/29/2026
- 1 Cosponsor added.
- 2/13/2025
- Referred to the Committee on Education and Workforce, and in addition to the Committee on Homeland Security, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence.
- Referred to the Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology.
- 2 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in House
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormickDemocrat · Florida
Brian FitzpatrickRepublican · Pennsylvania
Josh GottheimerDemocrat · New Jersey