H.R. 2752 — Ensuring Safer Schools Act of 2025

This section expands the permitted uses of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grants to include the hiring and training of veterans and retired law enforcement officers to serve as school resource officers.

This section requires preferential consideration for grant applications under the community-oriented policing grant program (34 U.S.C. 10381) to hire and train veterans and retired law enforcement officers as school resource officers.

This section authorizes the Attorney General to provide technical assistance under the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) grant program to states, units of local government, Indian tribal governments, and other public and private entities using funds for school resource officer purposes (under 34 U.S.C. 10381(b)(13)) to provide those officers with an annual mental health screening and annual training on tactics and response.

This section revises the definition of school resource officer to include veterans and retired law enforcement officers (in addition to career law enforcement officers), provided they possess sworn authority and are deployed in community-oriented policing, and adds a new responsibility to meet at least annually with students to increase familiarity between students and the officer and to foster community engagement. (School resource officers are assigned by police departments to work in schools and community organizations to address crime, gangs, drugs, and related issues.)

This section directs the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to coordinate with recipients of grants under part Q of title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (i.e., Community Oriented Policing Services grants supporting school resource officers and school-based law enforcement partnerships) to connect veterans seeking to serve as school resource officers with local law enforcement agencies participating in such school-based partnerships.