The Keep Kids Fed Act of 2022 (S. 2089) extends certain flexibilities for child nutrition programs and provides temporary increases in reimbursement rates for meals provided at schools and child care centers (fact sheet).
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (S. 2938) enhances certain restrictions and penalties on firearm purchases, promotes best practices for school safety, authorizes grants to expand access to mental health services, and appropriates emergency funding for mental health resources and school safety measures (fact sheet, President’s remarks and Secretary Cardona’s tweet).
In related news, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) issued “Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021,” highlighting new data on victimization, bullying, school conditions, and K-12 and postsecondary safety and security measures. Overall, a number of crime and safety issues have become less prevalent over the past decade, while cyber-bullying has become more prevalent. Also, there were more school shootings with casualties during the 2020-21 school year — during the pandemic — than in any other year since official data collection began in the 2000-01 school year (press release).
And, the President released a statement on the shooting in Highland Park, Illinois, on Independence Day
Don’t miss out on our blog posts! Subscribe to the ED311 newsletter.