Claim suggests billions should go to SWAT in schools. But there’s more to consider

The U.S. has spent $53 billion on aid to Ukraine as part of a bipartisan effort to oppose Russia's invasion of the fledgling democracy. More than $3 billion goes toward U.S. schools safety equipment and personnel every year, according to market research analysis and federal figures. Researchers largely agree that armed officers at K-12 schools do not prevent mass shootings or other gun-related incidents from happening. Instead, experts recommend threat assessment programs to help school staff identify behavioral warning signs among students and intervene to provide support before violent incidents occur. Our ruling A Facebook post claimed that with the $53 billion spent in Ukraine aid, the U.S. "could pay five SWAT members $80,000 each and have them at EVERY school front door." The U.S. has allocated about $53 billion in aid to Ukraine. And if one wanted to pay this amount to station five SWAT members at every public and private K-12 school in the country, it would also add up to about $53 billion over one year. But that statement alone lacks context about current security funding for schools and what research shows about the effect of such measures. More than $2.7 billion is already spent each year on school safety equipment and services nationwide. And this $53 billion, if spent as the claim suggested, would cover just one year of SWAT team coverage for schools. Additionally, research shows that the presence of armed officers on campuses does not help prevent school shootings from happening. We rate this claim Half True.