Master Phil in Your Corner: EP 138:Is the Left Yanking SRO’s from Our Schools?

There is a bill called the“Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act” introduced by Democratic lawmakers including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Senator Chris Murphy, and Senator Elizabeth Warren. The bill aims to limit police presence in K-12 public schools by prohibiting the use of federal funds tohire, recruit, or maintain police officers on school campuses. Instead, it proposes investing in school counselors, social workers, nurses, mental health professionals, and trauma-informed personnel who are trained to supportvulnerable students and create safer and healthier learning environments.
Key provisions of the bill include:
• Prohibiting federal funding for police in schools.
• Establishing a multi-billion dollar grant program to help school districtshire counselors and other support staff.
• Shifting focus from policing to mental health services and trauma-informedcare.
• Addressing the disproportionate impact of police in schools on Black, Latino,LGBTQ+ students, students with disabilities, and other marginalized groups.
• Aimed at reducing the school-to-prison pipeline and improving educationaloutcomes and school climate.

The bill is backed by major teachers’ unions and various civil rights organizations and is part of a broader effort to transform school safety practices nationwide by replacingpolice with counselors and support personnel proven to be more effective in creating supportive school environments

The “Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act” (H.R. 2739) introduced in 2025 by Rep. Ayanna Pressleycurrently has around 10 cosponsors. Some known cosponsors include:
• Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN)
• Rep. Summer L. Lee (PA)
• Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ)
• Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) has been associated with related bills andsupports the cause

The similar bill in the last Congress was also called the “Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act”and was introduced during the 118th Congress (2023-2024) as H.R. 6202 in the House and S. 3214 in the Senate. It had many of the same provisions, including:
• Prohibiting the use of federal funds for law enforcement officers in K-12 schools.

The cosponsors of the “Counseling Not Criminalization in Schools Act” in the last Congress (118th Congress,2023-2024) included:
• Rep. Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) — Lead Sponsor
• Rep. Jamaal Bowman (NY-16)
• Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05)
• Rep. Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01)
• Rep. Cori Bush (MO-01)
• Rep. Tony Cárdenas (CA-06)
• Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02)
• Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20)
• Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-09)
• Rep. Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03)
• Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (TX-18)
• Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)
• Rep. Hank Johnson (GA-04)
• Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37)
• Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-12)
• Rep. Summer Lee (PA-12)
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14)
• Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02)
• Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-03)
• Rep. Shri Thanedar (MI-13)
• Rep. Rashida Tlaib (MI-12)
• Rep. Nydia Velázquez (NY-07)
• Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12)
• Rep. Frederica Wilson (FL-33)

On the Senate side, cosponsorsincluded:
• Sen. Chris Murphy (CT) — Lead Sponsor
• Sen. Elizabeth Warren (MA)
• Sen. Cory Booker (NJ)
• Sen. Ed Markey (MA)
• Sen. Chris Van Hollen (MD)
• Sen. Ron Wyden (OR)

The New Jersey Education Association(NJEA) supports efforts like the “Counseling Not Criminalization in SchoolsAct,” which aims to end federal funding for police officers in schools andinstead invest in counselors, social workers, and trauma-informed staff toimprove school safety and student outcomes.