Dear [elected official],

I am writing with urgency and deep concern about the White House’s Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposal, which eliminates all funding for both the CISA School Safety Task Force and the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse (SchoolSafety.gov). These programs were created following the school shooting in Parkland, FL on Valentine’s Day of 2018 and have been in place through both the Trump and Biden presidential administrations. They serve as the cornerstone of federal efforts to keep our children and educators safe from violence and evolving threats in K-12 schools. We need funding for the CISA School Safety Taskforce and Federal School Safety Clearinghouse explicitly mentioned in the text of the federal appropriations bills.

As one of your constituents I ask that you take the steps necessary so Congress can properly fund and preserve these critical programs in the final FY26 appropriations bills, specifically within the Homeland Security subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

Why This Matters:

• Federal school safety support is being dismantled. The budget justification proposes shifting responsibility to state and local governments, despite the fact that many lack the expertise, resources, training, and infrastructure to respond to complex, cross-border threats like cyberattacks, targeted violence, and school shootings.
• Specialized federal expertise will be lost. No other entity within DHS or the federal government holds the level of subject matter expertise in K-12 school safety currently housed in the CISA Task Force and Clearinghouse.
• The Clearinghouse is uniquely efficient. SchoolSafety.gov provides a centralized, cost-effective hub of evidence-based tools and funding opportunities for school leaders. It also fulfills Congressional mandates under the Luke and Alex School Safety Act part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.
• This is not just a state issue, it is a national imperative. The Federal Commission on School Safety (2018) was clear: protecting students requires a coordinated federal role. The proposed elimination of these programs would roll back the federal progress made since Parkland, at the direct expense of students’ lives and well-being.

In closing, I ask that you take the steps necessary so Congress can properly fund and preserve these critical programs in the final FY26 appropriations bills, specifically within the Homeland Security subcommittees of the House and Senate Appropriations Committees.

Thank you for your time and prompt attention to this vital issue.