Public schools; require to adopt policies to educate students about the dangers of social media and predators.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Hood, McLean, Hulum,
Nelson, Arnold, Hale

HOUSE BILL NO. 1578

AN ACT TO REQUIRE SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO ADOPT A DATING VIOLENCE 1
POLICY AND TO INCORPORATE INSTRUCTION ON THE POLICY AND ON HEALTHY 2
RELATIONSHIPS IN MANDATORY COURSES; TO REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF 3
EDUCATION TO ADOPT A MODEL DATING VIOLENCE POLICY THAT MAY BE USED 4
BY THE VARIOUS SCHOOL BOARDS IN DEVELOPING THEIR POLICIES; TO 5
REQUIRE EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT TO INCLUDE THE DATING VIOLENCE POLICY 6
IN THE DISTRICT'S CODE OF STUDENT CONDUCT; TO AMEND SECTION 7
37-11-55, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE 8
PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 9
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 10
SECTION 1. (1) The Legislature finds and declares that all 11
students have a right to work and study in a safe, supportive 12
environment that is free from harassment, sexually-oriented 13
material, intimidation and violence. The Legislature further 14
finds that when a student is not properly aware of the dangers of 15
social media, including revenge porn, blackmail, child predators 16
and grooming of minors that the students tend to find themselves 17
in harms way. Therefore, in an effort to reduce the occurrence of 18
grooming of minors, revenge porn, luring of minors and human 19
trafficking among students in our state, the Legislature declares 20
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that the school board of each school district must adopt a policy 21
to bring awareness to the students and parents of such dangers. 22
(2) Before July 1, 2027, the State Board of Education shall 23
develop and adopt a model policy to assist school districts in 24
developing policies on the dangers of sexual predators and crimes 25
committed via social media. The model policy must include, at a 26
minimum, provisions addressing the following: 27
(a) A definition of human trafficking, child 28
exploitation, sexting and grooming; 29
(b) Safety planning for victims of social media 30
predators; 31
(d) Procedures for reporting, investigating and 32
addressing social media predators and groomers, including 33
procedures for making referrals to local or community resources 34
for appropriate counseling for affected students; 35
(e) Required training for teachers, administrators and 36
other appropriate staff on the policy; and 37
(f) Outreach education for students and parents on the 38
policy. 39
(4) Before October 1, 2028, the school board of each school 40
district shall develop and adopt a specific policy that comports 41
with the model policy adopted by the State Board of Education. 42
Within thirty (30) days of the adoption of a policy, the school 43
board shall provide a copy of the policy adopted in that district 44
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to the State Department of Education, Division of Safe and Healthy 45
Schools. 46
(5) In order to ensure that proper notice of the school 47
district's dating violence policy is provided to students and 48
their parents, the school district must distribute and publish a 49
copy of the policy in the school district's personnel policies, 50
discipline policies and code of student conduct. 51
(6) In addition to education on the dating violence policy, 52
each school district shall incorporate teaching on healthy 53
relationships, which is age-appropriate, into curriculum 54
instruction for kindergarten through Grade 12, using resources 55
approved and provided by the State Department of Education. The 56
topic of sexual predators and the dangers of social media must be 57
taught in either the comprehensive health course or family and 58
individual health course or in any successor course that is 59
required for graduation from high school. Healthy relationship 60
education must include, but need not be limited to, identifying 61
characteristics of healthy dating relationships, defining dating 62
violence and recognizing dating violence warning signs. 63
SECTION 2. Section 37-11-55, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 64
amended as follows: 65
37-11-55. The local school board shall adopt and make 66
available to all teachers, school personnel, students and parents 67
or guardians, at the beginning of each school year, a code of 68
student conduct developed in consultation with teachers, school 69
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personnel, students and parents or guardians. The code shall be 70
based on the rules governing student conduct and discipline 71
adopted by the school board and shall be made available at the 72
school level in the student handbook or similar publication. The 73
code shall include, but not be limited to: 74
(a) Specific grounds for disciplinary action under the 75
school district's discipline plan; 76
(b) Procedures to be followed for acts requiring 77
discipline, including suspensions and expulsion, which comply with 78
due process requirements; 79
(c) An explanation of the responsibilities and rights 80
of students with regard to: attendance; respect for persons and 81
property; knowledge and observation of rules of conduct; free 82
speech and student publications; assembly; privacy; and 83
participation in school programs and activities; 84
(d) Policies and procedures recognizing the teacher as 85
the authority in classroom matters, and supporting that teacher in 86
any decision in compliance with the written discipline code of 87
conduct. Such recognition shall include the right of the teacher 88
to remove from the classroom any student who, in the professional 89
judgment of the teacher, is disrupting the learning environment, 90
to the office of the principal or assistant principal. The 91
principal or assistant principal shall determine the proper 92
placement for the student, who may not be returned to the 93
classroom until a conference of some kind has been held with the 94
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ST: Public schools; require to adopt policies
to educate students about the dangers of social
media and predators.
parent, guardian or custodian during which the disrupting behavior 95
is discussed and agreements are reached that no further disruption 96
will be tolerated. If the principal does not approve of the 97
determination of the teacher to remove the student from the 98
classroom, the student may not be removed from the classroom, and 99
the principal, upon request from the teacher, must provide 100
justification for his disapproval; 101
(e) Policies and procedures for dealing with a student 102
who causes a disruption in the classroom, on school property or 103
vehicles, or at school-related activities; 104
(f) Procedures for the development of behavior 105
modification plans by the school principal, reporting teacher and 106
student's parent for a student who causes a disruption in the 107
classroom, on school property or vehicles, or at school-related 108
activities for a second time during the school year; * * * 109
(g) Policies and procedures specifically concerning 110
gang-related activities in the school, on school property or 111
vehicles, or at school-related activities * * *; and 112
(h) The school district's policy on the dangers of 113
social media, sexual violence and grooming. 114
SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from 115
and after its passage. 116