MS School Safety Task Force; create.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Grady

HOUSE BILL NO. 1490

AN ACT TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL SAFETY TASK FORCE; TO 1
PROVIDE FOR THE APPOINTMENT OF MEMBERS OF THE TASK FORCE; TO 2
PROVIDE THAT THE TASK FORCE WILL CONTINUALLY STUDY ENSURING AND 3
ENHANCING SAFE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTS FOR STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND 4
STAFF IN MISSISSIPPI, AND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BEST PRACTICES FOR 5
PREVENTION AND RESPONSE; TO PROVIDE FOR THE TASK FORCE TO CONDUCT 6
ITS BUSINESS; TO REQUIRE THAT THE TASK FORCE WILL REPORT ITS 7
FINDINGS AND ANY RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE LEGISLATURE ON AN ANNUAL 8
BASIS; TO BRING FORWARD SECTION 37-3-83, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 9
FOR THE PURPOSE OF POSSIBLE AMENDMENT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 10
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 11
SECTION 1. (1) There is created the Mississippi School 12
Safety Task Force for the purpose of the continual study of 13
ensuring and enhancing safe school environments for students, 14
teachers and staff in Mississippi, and the implementation of best 15
practices for prevention and response. 16
(2) The task force shall be composed of the following 17
twenty-five (25) members: 18
(a) The Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of 19
Public Safety, who shall serve as the Chairman; 20
(b) The Chairmen of the Education Committees of the 21
House of Representatives and Senate; 22
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(c) The Chairmen of the Judiciary A Committees of the 23
House of Representatives and Senate; 24
(d) The State Superintendent of Public Education; 25
(e) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Emergency 26
Management Agency; 27
(f) The Executive Director of the Mississippi 28
Department of Mental Health; 29
(g) The Director of the Mississippi Office of Homeland 30
Security; 31
(h) The Director of the Mississippi Bureau of 32
Narcotics; 33
(i) The Director of the Mississippi Highway Patrol 34
(Assistant Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Public 35
Safety); 36
(j) The Executive Director of the Mississippi Wireless 37
Communication Commission; 38
(k) The Director of the Office of Safe and Orderly 39
Schools within the State Department of Education; 40
(l) A representative from the Office of the Governor; 41
(m) The Attorney General; 42
(n) Four (4) law enforcement officers, one (1) selected 43
from each Congressional district, and two (2) of whom shall be a 44
county sheriff, and two (2) of whom shall be a municipal police 45
chief, who shall be appointed by the Commissioner; 46
(o) A school superintendent, appointed by the Governor, 47
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from the state-at-large; 48
(p) A representative of the Mississippi School Board 49
Association; 50
(q) A school resource officer, appointed by the 51
Governor, from the state-at-large; 52
(r) A student representative, appointed by the State 53
Superintendent of Public Education, from the state-at-large; 54
(s) A parent representative, appointed by the State 55
Superintendent of Public Education, from the state-at-large; and 56
(t) A representative of the Mississippi Association of 57
School Superintendents. 58
(3) The members of the task force shall be appointed within 59
thirty (30) days of the effective date of this act. Any vacancy 60
in the task force shall not affect its powers, but shall be filled 61
as prescribed in subsection (1) of this section. The task force 62
shall hold its first meeting within sixty (60) days of the 63
effective date of this act, on a call of the commissioner, as 64
chairman of the task force. A majority of the membership of the 65
task force shall constitute a quorum, and shall meet at the call 66
of the chairman. All members must be notified in writing of all 67
meetings at least five (5) days before the date on which a meeting 68
of the task force is scheduled. 69
(4) Members of the task force shall receive a per diem in 70
the amount provided in Section 25-3-69 for each day engaged in the 71
business of the task force. Members of the task force, other than 72
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the legislative members, shall receive reimbursement for travel 73
expenses incurred while engaged in official business of the task 74
force in accordance with Section 25-3-41 and the legislative 75
members of the task force shall receive the expense allowance 76
provided for in Section 5-1-47. 77
(5) The task force shall report its findings and 78
recommendations to the Legislature annually not later than 79
December 1 each year. 80
SECTION 2. Section 37-3-83, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 81
brought forward as follows: 82
37-3-83. (1) There is established within the State 83
Department of Education, using only existing staff and resources, 84
a School Safety Grant Program, available to all eligible public 85
school districts, to assist in financing programs to provide 86
school safety. However, no monies from the Temporary Assistance 87
for Needy Families grant may be used for the School Safety Grant 88
Program. 89
(2) The school board of each school district, with the 90
assistance of the State Department of Education School Safety 91
Center, shall adopt a comprehensive local school district school 92
safety plan and shall update the plan on an annual basis. 93
(3) Subject to the extent of appropriations available, the 94
School Safety Grant Program shall offer any of the following 95
specific preventive services, and other additional services 96
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appropriate to the most current school district school safety 97
plan: 98
(a) Metal detectors; 99
(b) Video surveillance cameras, communications 100
equipment and monitoring equipment for classrooms, school 101
buildings, school grounds and school buses; 102
(c) Crisis management/action teams responding to school 103
violence; 104
(d) Violence prevention training, conflict resolution 105
training, behavioral stress training and other appropriate 106
training designated by the State Department of Education for 107
faculty and staff; and 108
(e) School safety personnel. 109
(4) Each local school district of this state may annually 110
apply for school safety grant funds subject to appropriations by 111
the Legislature. School safety grants shall include a base grant 112
amount plus an additional amount per student in net enrollment in 113
the school or school district. The base grant amount and amount 114
per student shall be determined by the State Board of Education, 115
subject to specific appropriation therefor by the Legislature. In 116
order to be eligible for such program, each local school board 117
desiring to participate shall apply to the State Department of 118
Education by May 31 before the beginning of the applicable fiscal 119
year on forms provided by the department, and shall be required to 120
establish a local School Safety Task Force to involve members of 121
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the community in the school safety effort. The State Department 122
of Education shall determine by July 1 of each succeeding year 123
which local school districts have submitted approved applications 124
for school safety grants. 125
(5) As part of the School Safety Grant Program, the State 126
Department of Education may conduct a pilot program to research 127
the feasibility of using video camera equipment in the classroom 128
to address the following: 129
(a) Determine if video cameras in the classroom reduce 130
student disciplinary problems; 131
(b) Enable teachers to present clear and convincing 132
evidence of a student's disruptive behavior to the student, the 133
principal, the superintendent and the student's parents; and 134
(c) Enable teachers to review teaching performance and 135
receive diagnostic feedback for developmental purposes. 136
(6) Any local school district may use 137
audio/visual-monitoring equipment in classrooms, hallways, 138
buildings, grounds and buses for the purpose of monitoring school 139
disciplinary problems. 140
(7) As a component of the comprehensive local school 141
district school safety plan required under subsection (2) of this 142
section, the school board of a school district may adopt and 143
implement a policy addressing sexual abuse of children, to be 144
known as "Erin's Law Awareness." Any policy adopted under this 145
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subsection may include or address, but need not be limited to, the 146
following: 147
(a) Methods for increasing teacher, student and 148
parental awareness of issues regarding sexual abuse of children, 149
including knowledge of likely warning signs indicating that a 150
child may be a victim of sexual abuse; 151
(b) Educational information for parents or guardians, 152
which may be included in the school handbook, on the warning signs 153
of a child being abused, along with any needed assistance, 154
referral or resource information; 155
(c) Training for school personnel on child sexual 156
abuse; 157
(d) Age-appropriate curriculum for students in 158
prekindergarten through fifth grade; 159
(e) Actions that a child who is a victim of sexual 160
abuse should take to obtain assistance and intervention; 161
(f) Counseling and resources available for students 162
affected by sexual abuse; and 163
(g) Emotional and educational support for a child who 164
has been abused to enable the child to be successful in school. 165
(8) As part of the school safety grant program, the State 166
Department of Education shall establish three (3) pilot programs 167
in six (6) school districts utilizing an evidence-based curriculum 168
to provide students in Grades K-5 with skills to manage stress and 169
anxiety in order for them to be better equipped to handle 170
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ST: MS School Safety Task Force; create.
challenges in a healthy way and build resiliency. The Mississippi 171
Department of Mental Health shall be responsible for the selection 172
of the content of the evidence-based curriculum. The results of 173
this pilot program shall be measured and reported, and such 174
results shall be used in consideration of the implementation of 175
this curriculum statewide. 176
(9) As a component of the comprehensive local school 177
district safety plan required under subsection (2) of this 178
section, beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, the State 179
Department of Education shall require local school districts to 180
conduct, every two (2) years, refresher training on mental health 181
and suicide prevention for all school employees and personnel, 182
including all cafeteria workers, custodians, teachers and 183
administrators. The Mississippi Department of Mental Health shall 184
be responsible for the development and/or selection of the content 185
of the training, which training shall be provided at no cost to 186
school employees. School districts shall report completion of the 187
training to the State Department of Education. 188
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 189
and after July 1, 2026. 190