MCOPS Grant Program; increase grant amount up to a minimum of $40,000 per officer employed as a school resource officer.

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To: Education;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Remak, Harris

HOUSE BILL NO. 485

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-3-82, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
INCREASE THE GRANT AMOUNTS UNDER THE MCOPS GRANT PROGRAM FROM A 2
MINIMUM OF UP TO $10,000.00 TO UP TO A MINIMUM OF $40,000.00 PER 3
OFFICER EMPLOYED BY A SCHOOL DISTRICT AS A SCHOOL RESOURCE 4
OFFICER; TO INCREASE THE REIMBURSEMENT COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE 5
SRO REQUIREMENT TO UNDERGO THE ADVANCED LAW ENFORCEMENT RAPID 6
RESPONSE TRAINING PROGRAM AT THE MISSISSIPPI LAW ENFORCEMENT 7
OFFICERS' TRAINING ACADEMY TO UP TO A MAXIMUM OF $2,400.00; AND 8
FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 9
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 10
SECTION 1. Section 37-3-82, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 11
amended as follows: 12
37-3-82. (1) There is hereby established the Mississippi 13
Community Oriented Policing Services in Schools (MCOPS) grant 14
program in the State Department of Education to provide funding, 15
pursuant to specific appropriation by the Legislature therefor, to 16
assist law enforcement agencies in providing additional School 17
Resource Officers to engage in community policing in and around 18
primary and secondary schools. The MCOPS program shall authorize 19
the State Department of Education to make grants to increase 20
deployment of law enforcement officers in order (a) to increase or 21
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enhance community policing in this state, (b) that trained, sworn 22
enforcement officers assigned to schools play an integral part in 23
the development and/or enhancement of a comprehensive school 24
safety plan, and (c) that the presence of these officers shall 25
provide schools with a direct link to local law enforcement 26
agencies. 27
(2) The MCOPS program shall meet the following requirements 28
and standards: 29
(a) This program shall provide an incentive for law 30
enforcement agencies to build collaborative partnerships with the 31
school community and to use community policing efforts to combat 32
school violence and implement educational programs to improve 33
student and school safety. 34
(b) The additional School Resource Officers must devote 35
at least seventy-five percent (75%) of their time to work in and 36
around primary and secondary schools, in addition to the time that 37
School Resource Officers are devoting in the absence of the MCOPS 38
in Schools grant. 39
(c) Beginning with the * * * 2026-2027 school year, the 40
MCOPS in Schools program shall provide a minimum state 41
contribution of up to * * * Forty Thousand Dollars ($40,000.00) 42
per officer position over the one-year grant period, to be matched 43
from local funds on a 50/50 matching basis. Officers paid with 44
MCOPS funds may be employed by the local law enforcement agency or 45
by the local school district. MCOPS funds may be used to pay for 46
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entry-level salaries and benefits of newly trained additional 47
School Resource Officers and may be used to pay the salaries and 48
benefits of School Resource Officers employed prior to July 1, 49
2013. All jurisdictions that apply must demonstrate that they 50
have primary law enforcement authority over the school(s) 51
identified in their application and demonstrate their inability to 52
implement this project without state assistance. Schools or law 53
enforcement agencies may not reduce its overall federal, state, 54
locally funded level of sworn officers (including other School 55
Resource Officers or other sworn officers assigned to the schools) 56
as a result of applying for or receiving MCOPS in Schools grant 57
funding. MCOPS in Schools funding may be used to rehire sworn 58
officers previously employed who have been laid off for financial 59
reasons unrelated to the availability of the MCOPS in Schools 60
grant, but must obtain prior written approval from the State 61
Department of Education. MCOPS in Schools funding may be used to 62
train school resource officers. In order to be eligible for such 63
program, each local school board desiring to participate shall 64
apply to the State Department of Education by May 31 before the 65
beginning of the applicable fiscal year on forms provided by the 66
department. The State Department of Education shall determine by 67
July 1 of each succeeding year which local school districts have 68
submitted approved applications for School Resource Officer 69
funding. 70
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(d) School Resource Officers (SROs) may serve in a 71
variety of roles, including, but not limited to, that of a law 72
enforcement officer/safety specialist, law-related educator, and 73
problem-solver/community liaison. These officers may teach 74
programs such as crime prevention, substance abuse prevention, and 75
gang resistance as well as monitor and assist troubled students 76
through mentoring programs. The School Resource Officer(s) may 77
also identify physical changes in the environment that may reduce 78
crime in and around the schools, as well as assist in developing 79
school policies which address criminal activity and school safety. 80
The application must also include a Memorandum of Understanding 81
(MOU), signed by the law enforcement executive and the appropriate 82
school official(s), to document the roles and responsibilities to 83
be undertaken by the law enforcement agency and the educational 84
school partner(s) through this collaborative effort. The 85
application must also include a Narrative Addendum to document 86
that the School Resource Officer(s) will be assigned to work in 87
and around primary or secondary schools and provide supporting 88
documentation in the following areas: problem identification and 89
justification, community policing strategies to be used by the 90
officers, quality and level of commitment to the effort, and the 91
link to community policing. 92
(e) All agencies receiving awards through the MCOPS in 93
Schools program are required to send the School Resource Officer 94
position(s) funded by this grant, to the Mississippi Law 95
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ST: MCOPS Grant Program; increase grant amount
up to a minimum of $40,000 per officer employed
as a school resource officer.
Enforcement Officers' Training Academy where they shall be 96
required to participate in training through the Advanced Law 97
Enforcement Rapid Response Training Program at the academy, with 98
the cost to be defrayed from the MCOPS program. The MCOPS Office 99
of the State Department of Education will reimburse grantees for 100
training, per diem, travel, and lodging costs for attendance of 101
required participants up to a maximum of * * * Two Thousand Four 102
Hundred Dollars ($2,400.00) per person attending. Applicants 103
receiving an MCOPS in Schools grant, will receive additional 104
training information following notification of the grant award. 105
The MCOPS in Schools training requirement must be completed prior 106
to the end of twelve-month grant funding for officer positions. 107
(3) The State Department of Education shall promulgate rules 108
and regulations prescribing procedures for the application, 109
expenditure requirements and the administration of the Mississippi 110
Community Oriented Policing Services in Schools (MCOPS) program 111
established in this section, and shall make a report on the 112
implementation of the MCOPS program with any recommendations to 113
the 2020 Regular Session of the Legislature. 114
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 115
and after July 1, 2026. 116