S 5468: Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act

S 5468 in plain English: This bill would redirect federal funding away from placing police in schools and toward counseling and mental health support. It authorizes $5,000,000,000 for these purposes, citing concerns that over $1,000,000,000 in federal investment since 1999 has increased student referrals to law enforcement rather than addressing underlying needs.

Stated purpose

The bill aims to shift federal funding away from placing police officers in schools and toward evidence-based, trauma-informed support services designed to address the needs of marginalized students and improve academic outcomes.

Key points

• Authorizes $5,000,000,000 for school counseling and mental health resources
• Aims to reduce student referrals to law enforcement in schools
• Shifts federal school safety funding away from police toward counselors
• Highlights that the U.S. spends $240 daily on average per youth detained in juvenile facilities

Arguments supporters make

• Research shows that police in schools have not been proven to make schools safer, while dramatically increasing the chances students get arrested, so redirecting that money to counselors addresses actual student needs
• Marginalized students — including Black, Native American, and disabled students — are disciplined and arrested at far higher rates than peers for similar behavior, and removing police presence could reduce that disparity
• Investing in trauma-informed mental health services addresses root causes of student struggles and produces better long-term academic outcomes than punitive discipline

Arguments opponents make

• Schools face real safety challenges, and removing or defunding police presence could leave students and staff more vulnerable to violence and serious incidents
• Local communities and school districts should decide for themselves whether police belong in their schools — a federal funding redirect imposes a one-size-fits-all approach on diverse communities with different needs
• Counselors and support staff, while valuable, are not equipped to handle serious criminal threats, and eliminating law enforcement funding could create dangerous gaps in school security

Tradeoffs

Shifting federal dollars from school policing to counseling services may improve outcomes for historically over-disciplined students, but could reduce a layer of security infrastructure that some schools and communities rely on; the bill prioritizes one conception of student safety — protection from over-criminalization — over another — protection from physical threats.

Current status in Congress: In committee.

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