WASHINGTON—U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, and U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) on Friday highlighted growing grassroots support for the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act, which seeks to disrupt the school to prison pipeline by shifting how the federal government invests in school safety. The bill prohibits the use of federal funds for maintaining and growing police presence in schools and establishes a $2.5 billion grant program to support schools that choose to invest in the number of counselors, nurses, mental health professionals and trauma-informed staff. You can read about what the bill does and doesn’t do here.
“Too many kids in our country attend a school with a police officer but without a single counselor, social worker or school psychologist. The Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act encourages people to rethink the way we look at school safety—helping districts move away from the presence of police and investing in the mental health professionals that improve school climate and reduce the school-to-prison pipeline. We are grateful to have the support of so many committed advocates as we fight to make sure every child feels safe at school,” said Senator Murphy
“By putting an end to the over-policing in our schools and instead investing in counselors, nurses, social workers, and other trained professionals who actually make our schools safer, the Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act would help end the criminalization of Black and Brown students and affirm their right to learn in a setting free from fear,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “I’m grateful for the growing coalition of individuals and organizations from across the country who have joined us in support of this bill, and I look forward to their continued partnership as we work to end the school to confinement pathway and ensure all students can learn, grow, and thrive in the classroom.”
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