Christopher Murphy (D-CT)
Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act
A Democratic bill with 4 Democratic cosponsors · See all 4 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
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
This bill is called the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act. It stops the use of Federal funds for hiring, maintaining, or training police officers in schools. The bill also creates a grant program through the Department of Education to help local school agencies remove police and replace them with mental health professionals and trauma-informed personnel. Schools that want these grants must agree to terminate existing police contracts and not establish new ones during the grant period. The bill sets aside money to prioritize schools with high numbers of economically disadvantaged students and those that engage with their communities. Finally, schools receiving these grants must report annually on their use of funds, arrest demographics, and surveillance technologies.
Yes· 3 of 15
- Scored +8
Does this change how police departments operate?
The bill prohibits federal funding for police in schools and incentivizes local educational agencies to terminate school police contracts.
- Scored +7
Would children be better off under this?
Students will benefit from increased access to school-based mental health professionals and reduced exposure to the criminal justice system.
- Scored +7
Would Black Americans be better off under this?
Black students face disproportionately high rates of school arrests and severe discipline, which this bill seeks to mitigate.
The opposite
- Scored -3
Does this reduce what the federal government spends?
The bill authorizes $5,000,000,000 in new federal appropriations for school mental health grants.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Mental Health Support in Schools: Under Section 6(d)(1), schools are required to use grant funds to hire and train school counselors, psychologists, nurses, social workers, and trauma-informed personnel, which helps address the lack of these professionals in schools.
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Reduced Disparities in Discipline: Under Section 6(d)(2)(B), schools can provide ongoing professional development focused on anti-bias practices and the proper implementation of behavior plans, which aims to reduce the disproportionate punishment experienced by students of color and students with disabilities.
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Community Engagement: Under Section 6(c)(3), priority is given to schools that base their funding uses on meaningful community engagement and establish ongoing stakeholder oversight, ensuring that parents and students have a voice in shaping school safety.
Potential Negative Impacts for People
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Restrictions on School Safety Options: Under Section 5(a) and Section 6(e), the bill permanently prohibits the use of Federal funds for police in schools and bans grant recipients from using funds for surveillance equipment or arming school personnel, which may be viewed negatively by communities that prefer having armed officers or security hardware for protection.
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Loss of Existing Law Enforcement Funding: Under Section 5(b), the bill removes specific authorizations for school resource officers within existing federal grant programs, meaning schools currently relying on these funds will no longer be able to use them for law enforcement purposes.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would Black Americans be better off under this? — Black students face disproportionately high rates of school arrests and severe discipline, which this bill seeks to mitigate. Would children be better off under this? — Students will benefit from increased access to school-based mental health professionals and reduced exposure to the criminal justice system. Would students be better off under this? — Students gain expanded access to counselors and supportive services while being removed from school policing environments. Would people with disabilities be better off under this? — Students with disabilities experience disproportionate restraint, seclusion, and arrests, which the bill's support services and anti-bias training target. Would immigrants be better off under this? — The bill prohibits information-sharing agreements between schools and immigration enforcement agencies like ICE. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill prioritizes grant awards for local educational agencies serving high shares of economically disadvantaged students.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Does this change how police departments operate? — The bill prohibits federal funding for police in schools and incentivizes local educational agencies to terminate school police contracts. Does this narrow racial gaps in how people are treated? — The bill aims to reduce disproportionate exclusionary discipline and arrests affecting students of color by removing police from schools and funding anti-bias training. Does this expand the rights of people with disabilities? — The legislation provides specialized training and behavior intervention plans to reduce the disproportionate discipline and restraint of students with disabilities.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this make what the government does easier for the public to see? — The bill requires local educational agencies receiving grants to publicly report arrest demographics, disciplinary reasons, and the use of surveillance technologies. Does this protect people from being watched or searched? — The legislation prohibits grant funds from being used for student surveillance technologies, facial recognition, or social media monitoring software. Does this give the federal government more power? — The legislation places strict federal funding conditions and reporting requirements on local educational agencies regarding school safety and policing.
- Healthcare
- Does this make mental health care easier to get? — The bill provides federal grant funding to hire and maintain school counselors, psychologists, social workers, and trauma-informed personnel. Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The legislation increases access to school nurses and mental health professionals for students.
- Education And Technology
- Does this put more money into public schools? — The bill authorizes $5 billion in federal grants for local educational agencies to replace school police with mental health and support personnel.
- Economy And Finance
- Does this reduce what the federal government spends? — The bill authorizes $5,000,000,000 in new federal appropriations for school mental health grants.
- 9/23/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
- 4 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
3 bills Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
Edward MarkeyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Chris Van HollenDemocrat · Maryland