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HB893 • 2026

Autistic and children with development disabilities; require school district to develop safety plan to prevent elopement from school campuses.

AN ACT TO DEFINE DISABILITY AND ELOPEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF ENSURING STUDENT SAFETY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS; TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC SCHOOL TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL STAFF ASSISTANCE FOR EMERGENCIES (SAFE) TEAM AND TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL ELOPEMENT PLAN FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER OR INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES WHO ARE AT RISK OF ELOPEMENT; TO REQUIRE PROCEDURES FOR IMMEDIATE PARENTAL NOTIFICATION, COORDINATED ON-CAMPUS RESPONSE, AND LIMITED USE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES BASED ON VERIFIED RISK; TO PRESCRIBE THE COMPOSITION AND DUTIES OF THE SAFE TEAM, INCLUDING PLAN DEVELOPMENT, RESPONSE COORDINATION AND ANNUAL TRAINING OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL; TO REQUIRE THE DEVELOPMENT, MAINTENANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF INDIVIDUALIZED STUDENT ELOPEMENT QUICK REFERENCE GUIDES IN COORDINATION WITH PARENTS OR GUARDIANS, INCLUDING IDENTIFYING INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION NEEDS, HEALTH CONSIDERATIONS, BEHAVIORAL PROFILES, POTENTIAL LOCATIONS AND AVAILABLE LOCATING TECHNOLOGIES; TO REQUIRE ANNUAL SUBMISSION OF EACH SCHOOL'S ELOPEMENT PLAN TO THE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD; TO AUTHORIZE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO PROMULGATE RULES NECESSARY FOR IMPLEMENTATION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Children Education
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Yancey, Shanks, Ford (73rd)
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
Dead
Effective date
July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass, so its provisions have no legal effect.

Autistic and Developmental Disabilities Safety Plan

This bill requires public schools to establish a safety team and develop plans to prevent students with autism or intellectual disabilities from leaving school grounds without permission.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines 'disability' as an autism spectrum disorder or an intellectual disability for students in kindergarten through Grade 12.
  • Requires each public school to form a School Staff Assistance for Emergencies (SAFE) Team and develop an elopement plan for at-risk students with disabilities.
  • Specifies that the SAFE Team must include procedures for contacting parents, conducting on-campus searches, and using emergency services when necessary based on verified risk.
  • Directs the SAFE Team to create individualized quick reference guides for each student who is prone to leaving school without permission, including identifying information, communication needs, health considerations, behavioral profiles, potential locations, and available locating technologies.
  • Requires public schools to submit their elopement plans annually to the local school board.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Public schools in Mississippi
  • Students with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual disabilities
  • Parents of students at risk for elopement

Terms To Know

Disability
For this bill, it means an autism spectrum disorder or an intellectual disability.
Elopement
When a student with disabilities leaves a safe area without permission and poses a safety risk due to their condition.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass in the session it was introduced.
  • It specifies that schools must submit plans annually, but does not provide details on enforcement or penalties for non-compliance.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/03 (H) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-01-16 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/16 (H) Referred To Education

Official Summary Text

Autistic and children with development disabilities; require school district to develop safety plan to prevent elopement from school campuses.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
H. B. No. 893 *HR26/R1866* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR26/R1866
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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representatives Yancey, Shanks, Ford
(73rd)

HOUSE BILL NO. 893

AN ACT TO DEFINE DISABILITY AND ELOPEMENT FOR PURPOSES OF 1
ENSURING STUDENT SAFETY IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS; TO REQUIRE EACH PUBLIC 2
SCHOOL TO ESTABLISH A SCHOOL STAFF ASSISTANCE FOR EMERGENCIES 3
(SAFE) TEAM AND TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT A COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL 4
ELOPEMENT PLAN FOR STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER OR 5
INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES WHO ARE AT RISK OF ELOPEMENT; TO REQUIRE 6
PROCEDURES FOR IMMEDIATE PARENTAL NOTIFICATION, COORDINATED 7
ON-CAMPUS RESPONSE, AND LIMITED USE OF EMERGENCY SERVICES BASED ON 8
VERIFIED RISK; TO PRESCRIBE THE COMPOSITION AND DUTIES OF THE SAFE 9
TEAM, INCLUDING PLAN DEVELOPMENT, RESPONSE COORDINATION AND ANNUAL 10
TRAINING OF SCHOOL PERSONNEL; TO REQUIRE THE DEVELOPMENT, 11
MAINTENANCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF INDIVIDUALIZED STUDENT ELOPEMENT 12
QUICK REFERENCE GUIDES IN COORDINATION WITH PARENTS OR GUARDIANS, 13
INCLUDING IDENTIFYING INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION NEEDS, HEALTH 14
CONSIDERATIONS, BEHAVIORAL PROFILES, POTENTIAL LOCATIONS AND 15
AVAILABLE LOCATING TECHNOLOGIES; TO REQUIRE ANNUAL SUBMISSION OF 16
EACH SCHOOL'S ELOPEMENT PLAN TO THE LOCAL SCHOOL BOARD; TO 17
AUTHORIZE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO PROMULGATE RULES 18
NECESSARY FOR IMPLEMENTATION; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 19
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 20
SECTION 1. (1) For purposes of this section, the following 21
terms shall have the meanings herein ascribe, unless context of 22
use clearly requires otherwise: 23
(a) "Disability" means, for a student in kindergarten 24
through Grade 12, an autism spectrum disorder, as defined in the 25
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth 26
H. B. No. 893 *HR26/R1866* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1866
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Edition, published by the American Psychiatric Association or 27
an intellectual disability. 28
(b) "Elopement" means when a student with autism or 29
another disability, who has a documented history of elopement or 30
an identified safety risk related to elopement, leaves a safe or 31
designated area, the supervision of school staff or school 32
grounds without authorization or awareness of potential risk. 33
The term may include wandering, walking away, running away or 34
otherwise departing an assigned location unsupervised or 35
unnoticed. This term only applies when the behavior is connected 36
to the student's disability-related needs and poses a safety 37
concern. The term does not include intentional class skipping or 38
other nondisability-related absences. 39
(2) To ensure the safety of students with disabilities at 40
risk of elopement, each public school shall create a School 41
Staff Assistance for Emergencies (SAFE) Team and a school 42
elopement plan. The plan must include: 43
(a) Procedures for immediately contacting the student's 44
parent or guardian if a student with disabilities elopes; and 45
(b) Procedures for conducting an immediate, coordinated 46
on-campus search and contacting emergency services only when the 47
student is reasonably believed, based on verified information or 48
direct observation, to have left school grounds and to be at 49
risk of harm. 50
(3) The school principal and an assistant principal shall 51
H. B. No. 893 *HR26/R1866* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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serve on the SAFE Team and the school principal shall appoint at 52
least three (3) other members to serve on the team, including a 53
school resource officer. The SAFE Team shall: 54
(a) Create and annually update the school elopement 55
plan and respond to all elopements. 56
(b) Provide training to all school personnel to 57
familiarize such personnel with the school elopement plan and 58
all necessary procedures. 59
(4) (a) If a student with disabilities is prone to 60
elopement, the SAFE Team, in coordination with the student's 61
parent, must create a student-specific elopement quick reference 62
guide. The elopement quick reference guide must include all of 63
the following: 64
(i) The student's identifying information; 65
(ii) A current photograph of the student; 66
(iii) The student's level of communication; 67
(iv) A list of the student's interests, behaviors, 68
preferences and aversions; 69
(v) Any health considerations for the student; 70
(vi) A list of any GPS technology that could be 71
used to help locate the student; and 72
(vii) A list of possible locations where the 73
student may go when eloping. 74
(b) The SAFE Team must distribute a student's elopement 75
quick reference guide to the student's parent and all relevant 76
H. B. No. 893 *HR26/R1866* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: Autistic and children with development
disabilities; require school district to develop
safety plan to prevent elopement from school
campuses.
school personnel. 77
(5) Each public school must annually provide its elopement 78
plan to the local school board. 79
(6) The state board may adopt rules to administer this 80
section. 81
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 82
and after July 1, 2026. 83