This bill creates a federal grant program to support school-community partnerships that implement evidence-based drug prevention programs in local schools, led by Drug-Free Communities coalitions. It targets elementary, middle, and high schools that are partnered with eligible coalitions to tailor prevention efforts to local environments and student needs.
The program sits inside the Office of National Drug Control Policy and aims to connect national prevention resources with local schools for youth-focused outcomes.
At a Glance
What It Does
The Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy may award grants to eligible coalitions to establish a school-community partnership with at least one local school and to implement effective drug-prevention programs. Grants are capped at $75,000 per fiscal year and may be renewed for up to three additional fiscal years.
Who It Affects
Eligible coalitions that serve communities with schools and that have MOUs with at least one local school; local elementary, middle, and high schools in those communities.
Why It Matters
This introduces a federally funded mechanism to tailor prevention to community contexts, leveraging existing coalition networks to implement programs that fit local school cultures and needs.
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What This Bill Actually Does
The Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act of 2025 creates a federal grant program coordinated by the Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy. The program funds school-community partnerships formed between Drug-Free Communities coalitions and local schools to implement prevention programs aimed at reducing youth substance use and misuse.
Eligible coalitions must have a memorandum of understanding with at least one local school, and the targeted schools can be elementary, middle, or high schools within the coalition’s service area. The grants are designed to support planning, implementation, and training aligned with the coalition’s approved plan.
Grants under the program are limited to $75,000 per fiscal year for each eligible entity and may be renewed for up to three fiscal years following the initial award. The program is funded at $7 million per year for fiscal years 2026 through 2031, with no more than 8 percent of the funds available for administrative costs.
Grants must supplement, not supplant, other federal or non-federal funding for drug-prevention activities in local schools. The Director may also enter into interagency agreements with National Drug Control Program entities to delegate grant execution and related responsibilities.Applicants must submit a plan as part of their grant application, and the funds may be used to implement the plan and, if needed, to obtain specialized training and assistance.
An evaluation framework tied to existing anti-drug program authorities applies to grants, ensuring oversight and alignment with statutory goals.
The Five Things You Need to Know
The bill caps annual grant amounts at $75,000 per eligible entity.
Renewal grants are available for up to three additional fiscal years.
Total authorizations fund the program at $7,000,000 annually from 2026 to 2031.
Only one eligible entity may receive a grant to establish a partnership with a particular local school.
Grants must supplement, not replace, existing drug-prevention funds and may cover training and plan implementation.
Section-by-Section Breakdown
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Short title
This section provides the official citation for the act as the Keeping Drugs Out of Schools Act of 2025.
Definitions
Key terms are defined to anchor the program: the Director (ONDCP head), Drug-Free Communities funded coalitions, eligible entities, local schools, school-community partnerships, and the scope of "substance use and misuse" including delivery mechanisms.
Grants Authorized
Initial grants may be awarded to eligible coalitions to implement a school-community partnership with at least one local school. Renewal grants may be issued for each of the next three fiscal years to continue the partnership, subject to availability of funds.
Interagency Agreement
The Director may enter interagency agreements with National Drug Control Program agencies to delegate authority for grant execution and related activities necessary to implement the section.
Application
Eligible entities must submit an application to the Director, in coordination with each local school, including a detailed plan for implementing effective drug-prevention programs.
Use of Funds
Funds must be used to implement the approved plan and, if necessary, for specialized training and assistance. Grants must supplement, not supplant, existing funds for drug-prevention activities.
Evaluation
The program uses the evaluation framework specified in 21 U.S.C. 1532(a)(6) to assess grants, mirroring the evaluation approach used for other anti-drug initiatives.
Authorization of Appropriations
The act authorizes $7,000,000 for each fiscal year from 2026 through 2031 and limits administrative costs to no more than 8 percent of the funds.
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Who Benefits
- Students in participating schools, who receive tailored, evidence-based prevention programs designed to address local risk factors.
- Drug-Free Communities coalitions, which gain federal funding and a formal mechanism to partner with local schools.
- School administrators and teachers, who gain structured programs and support for implementing prevention activities.
- Parents and local community groups involved in prevention efforts, who gain coordinated strategies and oversight.
- The ONDCP and federal agencies involved, which align resources with national prevention goals.
Who Bears the Cost
- Eligible coalitions must manage grant administration and reporting requirements, creating an administrative burden and staffing needs.
- Local schools must dedicate time and personnel to sustain MOUs and participate in the partnership planning and implementation.
- Federal funding is capped in annual amounts and time-limited (FY 2026–2031), which may affect long-term sustainability.
- The requirement to coordinate across multiple schools or districts may impose coordination costs on coalitions already serving large areas.
- Interagency coordination may introduce additional oversight and compliance requirements for grantees.
Key Issues
The Core Tension
The central dilemma is whether to maximize reach by funding many small, local partnerships or to invest in fewer, deeper programs with more robust support and evaluation, all while ensuring funds supplement rather than supplant existing local and federal drug-prevention efforts.
A key tension in this approach is the balance between breadth and depth. The program disperses relatively modest grants (up to $75,000 annually) to a broad set of coalitions, which could enable many local partnerships but risks limiting the scale and intensity of each program.
That creates implementation challenges for coalitions that must tailor interventions to diverse school environments while maintaining rigorous evaluation and reporting. The reliance on pre-existing Drug-Free Communities coalitions could also limit access for new coalitions that lack prior grant history or MOUs with a local school.
In addition, while the act authorizes funding and provides an interagency mechanism to delegate grant execution, it does not specify detailed performance metrics or long-term sustainability strategies beyond the initial grant period, which raises questions about enduring impact after federal support ends.
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