"Mississippi School Resource Officers Safety Act"; fund school security officers.

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To: Education;
Appropriations
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Rhodes

SENATE BILL NO. 2509

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH THE "MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS 1
SCHOOL SAFETY ACT" FOR THE PURPOSE OF AUTHORIZING THE DEPARTMENT 2
OF PUBLIC SAFETY TO ASSIST LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND 3
SCHOOL GOVERNING BODIES WITH THE COST OF EMPLOYING A SCHOOL 4
RESOURCE OFFICER (SRO) AT EACH SCHOOL CAMPUS WITHIN THE 5
JURISDICTIONS OF THEIR LAW ENFORCEMENT AND GOVERNING AUTHORITIES; 6
TO REQUIRE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND SCHOOL GOVERNING 7
BODIES TO MAKE JOINT APPLICATION TO THE DEPARTMENT FOR THE 8
APPROVAL OF ALLOCATION OF FUNDS; TO SPECIFY THE INFORMATION TO BE 9
INCLUDED IN THE APPLICATION; TO PRESCRIBE THE DETAILS OF THE 10
PROGRAM INCLUDING THE REQUIREMENT OF A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING 11
OR INTERLOCAL AGREEMENT BETWEEN A LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY AND 12
A SCHOOL GOVERNING BODY; TO CREATE THE MISSISSIPPI SCHOOL RESOURCE 13
OFFICERS SCHOOL SAFETY FUND AS A SPECIAL FUND IN THE STATE 14
TREASURY; TO PROVIDE THAT MONIES IN THE SPECIAL FUND SHALL BE USED 15
TO PROVIDE FUNDS TO LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES AND SCHOOL 16
GOVERNING BODIES FOR THE PURPOSES DESCRIBED IN THIS ACT; TO AMEND 17
SECTION 37-7-321, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY TO THE 18
PRECEDING PROVISIONS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 19
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 20
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 21
"Mississippi School Resource Officers School Safety Act." 22
SECTION 2. As used in this act, the following terms shall 23
have the meanings ascribed herein unless context or use requires 24
otherwise: 25
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(a) "Act" means the "Mississippi School Resource 26
Officers School Safety Act." 27
(b) "Department" means the Mississippi Department of 28
Public Safety. 29
(c) "Local law enforcement agency" means the local 30
police department or county sheriff's office that has primary law 31
enforcement authority over the schools within its jurisdiction. 32
(d) "Independent school" means a nonpublic school 33
operating within the State of Mississippi that: 34
(i) Is a member of the Midsouth Association of 35
Independent Schools (MAIS) and located in the State of 36
Mississippi; 37
(ii) Is accredited by a state, regional or 38
national accrediting organization, including the State Board of 39
Education; and 40
(iii) Is not subject to the purview of authority 41
of the State Board of Education, unless such school is accredited 42
by the board. 43
(e) "Program" means the Mississippi School Resource 44
Officers School Safety program, established in and administered by 45
the Mississippi Department of Public Safety. 46
(f) "School governing body" means: 47
(i) The local school board of a public school 48
district; 49
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(ii) The charter school governing board of a 50
charter school; and 51
(iii) The board or other governing body of an 52
accredited independent school, as such governing body is 53
prescribed in the charter, bylaws or other governing documents of 54
the independent school. 55
(g) "School resource officer" or "SRO" means a sworn 56
law enforcement officer employed by a local law enforcement agency 57
and assigned to public or private elementary or secondary school 58
campuses to provide community policing efforts to combat school 59
violence and improve student and school safety in or on the 60
property of the school campus to which he or she is assigned. 61
SECTION 3. (1) There is hereby established the Mississippi 62
School Resource Officers School Safety program in the Mississippi 63
Department of Public Safety to provide funding to assist local law 64
enforcement agencies in providing school resource officers (SROs) 65
to all public and private elementary and secondary school campuses 66
within the jurisdictions over which such agencies have primary law 67
enforcement authority for the purpose of providing enhanced 68
security and community policing in and around all elementary and 69
secondary schools therein. 70
(2) The program shall meet the following requirements and 71
standards: 72
(a) The program shall provide an incentive for law 73
enforcement agencies to build collaborative partnerships with the 74
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school community and to use community policing efforts to combat 75
school violence and implement educational programs to improve 76
student and school safety; 77
(b) The department shall provide the funds under the 78
authority of this act for the administration of the program to 79
provide the cost associated with the employment of one (1) school 80
resource officer (SRO) by a local law enforcement agency for each 81
school campus within the jurisdiction over which the agency has 82
primary law enforcement authority, to be applied towards the SRO's 83
salary and benefits, training, equipment and other costs deemed 84
necessary by the local law enforcement agency and school governing 85
authority to enable the SRO to perform his or her duties in and 86
around elementary and secondary schools; 87
(c) Local law enforcement agencies and school governing 88
bodies shall make joint application to the department for funds 89
under the authority of subsection (1) of this section for the 90
purpose of funding the employment of SROs. The joint application 91
submitted by the local law enforcement agency and school governing 92
body shall, at a minimum: 93
(i) Identify the local law enforcement agency to 94
provide the school resource officers, and the name of chief law 95
enforcement officer of the agency; 96
(ii) Identify the school governing body to be 97
served by the local law enforcement agency, and the names of the 98
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president of such governing body and the superintendent or head of 99
schools under the governing body's authority and control; 100
(iii) The total number of schools, the total 101
number of school campuses and the names of all schools under the 102
school's governing body's authority and control; 103
(iv) The names of the principals of each school 104
under the school's governing body's authority and control; 105
(v) The name, address and phone number of each 106
school campus to be served a school resource officer (SRO); 107
(vi) The proposed salary of each school resource 108
officer (SRO); and 109
(vii) The approximate number of school resource 110
officers (SROs) necessary for employment to accomplish the goal of 111
assigning one (1) SRO to each school campus as required by this 112
act; 113
(d) The local law enforcement agency and the 114
appropriate school governing body shall enter into a Memorandum of 115
Understanding (MOU) or an interlocal agreement, signed by the 116
chief law enforcement officer and the appropriate school 117
officials, which provides: 118
(i) Documentation of the roles and 119
responsibilities to be undertaken by the law enforcement agency 120
and the educational school partners through this collaborative 121
effort; 122
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(ii) That school resource officers (SROs) will be 123
official employees of the local law enforcement agency that has 124
primary law enforcement authority over the schools within its 125
jurisdiction; 126
(iii) A Narrative Addendum to document that school 127
resource officers (SROs) will be assigned to work in and around 128
public and private elementary or secondary school campuses and 129
provide supporting documentation in the following areas: 130
1. Problem identification and justification; 131
2. Community policing strategies to be used 132
by the SROs; 133
3. Quality and level of commitment to the 134
effort; and 135
4. The link to community policing; and 136
(e) Upon the employment of an individual to serve as a 137
school resource officer under the provisions of this act, the 138
employing school district, in conjunction with said school 139
resource officer, shall complete the development and/or 140
enhancement of a comprehensive school safety plan for each school 141
campus in the school district under the school resource officer's 142
enforcement authority within sixty (60) days of the approval of 143
the individual's employment by the local school governing 144
authority. Before the expiration of the sixty-day period, the 145
local school governing authority shall provide copies of the 146
comprehensive school safety plan to the local law enforcement 147
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agency having primary law enforcement authority over each school 148
impacted by the school safety plan(s) within their jurisdiction, 149
and to the Department of Public Safety. 150
(3) School districts and school-affiliated organizations, 151
including booster clubs and PTOs, may compensate sworn law 152
enforcement officers for providing security at school-sponsored 153
events. 154
(4) Officers may wear official agency uniforms and use 155
assigned vehicles and equipment. 156
(5) School resource officers (SROs) may serve in a variety 157
of roles, including, but not limited to, that of a law enforcement 158
officer, safety specialist, law-related educator, problem-solver 159
and community liaison. These officers may teach programs such as 160
crime prevention, substance abuse prevention and gang resistance, 161
as well as monitor and assist troubled students through mentoring 162
programs. The SROs may also identify physical changes in the 163
environment that may reduce crime in and around school campuses, 164
as well as assist in developing school policies which address 165
criminal activity and school safety. 166
(6) All agencies receiving funds through the Mississippi 167
School Resource Officers School Safety program are required to 168
send the individuals employed as school resource officers (SROs) 169
to the Mississippi Law Enforcement Officers' Training Academy or a 170
law enforcement training academy approved by the Mississippi 171
Department of Public Safety, where they shall be required to 172
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participate in training through the Advanced Law Enforcement Rapid 173
Response Training Program at such academy. 174
(7) The Mississippi Department of Public Safety shall 175
promulgate rules and regulations prescribing procedures for the 176
application, expenditure requirements and the administration of 177
the Mississippi Community Oriented Policing Services in Schools 178
program established in this section, and shall make a report on 179
the implementation of the MS ROSS program with any recommendations 180
to the 2027 Regular Session of the Legislature. 181
SECTION 4. There is created in the State Treasury a special 182
fund, to be designated as the "Mississippi School Resource 183
Officers School Safety Fund," which shall consist of funds made 184
available by the Legislature in any manner. The fund shall be 185
maintained by the State Treasurer as a separate and special fund, 186
separate and apart from the General Fund of the state. Unexpended 187
amounts remaining in the fund at the end of a fiscal year shall 188
not lapse into the State General Fund, and any interest earned or 189
investment earnings on amounts in the fund shall be deposited into 190
such fund. Monies in the fund shall be disbursed, in the 191
discretion of the Department of Public Safety, to provide funds to 192
local law enforcement agencies and school governing bodies for the 193
purposes described in this section. The department may use an 194
amount equal to one percent (1%) of the monies in the fund, not to 195
exceed One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000.00), for the 196
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purpose of defraying the costs of the department in administering 197
the program. 198
SECTION 5. Section 37-7-321, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 199
amended as follows: 200
37-7-321. (1) (a) The school board of any school district 201
within the State of Mississippi, in its discretion, may employ one 202
or more persons as security personnel and may designate such 203
persons as peace officers in or on any property operated for 204
school purposes by such board upon their taking such oath and 205
making such bond as required of a constable of the county in which 206
the school district is situated. 207
(b) Local law enforcement agencies having primary law 208
enforcement authority over schools within their jurisdiction, in 209
conjunction with the school boards of every school district within 210
the State of Mississippi, through a Memorandum of Understanding 211
(MOU) or interlocal agreement, signed by the law enforcement 212
executive and the appropriate school official(s), shall employ 213
individuals to serve as school resource officers (SROs), provided 214
that the MOU or interlocal agreement shall require a minimum of 215
one (1) school resource officer to be assigned to each school 216
campus operating under the authority and control of the local 217
school board. 218
(2) Any person employed by a school board as a security 219
guard or school resource officer (SRO) or in any other position 220
that has the powers of a peace officer, who is not a sworn law 221
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enforcement officer, must receive a minimum level of basic law 222
enforcement training, as jointly determined and prescribed by the 223
Board on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Training and the 224
State Board of Education, within two (2) years of the person's 225
initial employment in such position. * * * The failure of any 226
person employed in such position to receive the required training 227
within the designated time * * * will result in the withdrawal of 228
that person's authority to exercise the powers of a peace officer 229
in or on the property of the school district. 230
(3) The school board is authorized and empowered, in its 231
discretion, and subject to the approval of the Federal 232
Communications Commission, to install and operate a noncommercial 233
radio broadcasting and transmission station for educational and 234
vocational educational purposes. 235
(4) If a law enforcement officer is duly appointed to be a 236
peace officer by a school district under this section, the local 237
school board may enter into an interlocal agreement with other law 238
enforcement entities for the provision of equipment or traffic 239
control duties * * *; however, the duty to enforce traffic 240
regulations and to enforce the laws of the state or municipality 241
off of school property lies with the local police or sheriff's 242
department which cannot withhold its services solely because of 243
the lack of such an agreement. 244
(5) (a) During any period of the regular scholastic year or 245
extended school year programs in which academic instruction is 246
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being provided to students upon the campuses of a public and 247
private elementary or secondary schools, school resource officers, 248
employed by a local law enforcement agency to provide community 249
policing efforts to combat school violence and improve student and 250
school safety, shall maintain an active and visible presence upon 251
the school campus to which he or she is assigned under the program 252
defined in Section 1 of this act. For purposes of this section, 253
"regular scholastic year" means the minimum one hundred eighty 254
(180) days which public schools are required to be kept in session 255
under Section 37-13-63 to constitute a scholastic year. "Extended 256
school year programs" means those programs authorized by law, 257
which extend beyond the one-hundred-eighty-day term of a regular 258
scholastic year, including summer school instruction. In the 259
performance of his or her duties, a school resource officer shall 260
report for duty on the campus of the school of assignment not 261
later than one (1) hour before the start of each school day on 262
Monday through Friday, and remain thereon for one (1) hour after 263
the conclusion of normal daily instruction. No school resource 264
officer shall be required to work on Saturday or Sunday, unless a 265
school-sponsored event is hosted upon the school campus which the 266
school resource officer has been assigned, which such events shall 267
include extracurricular and cocurricular activities. 268
(b) When school is not in session (i.e. holidays, 269
summer vacation, fall breaks, declarations of emergency which 270
suspend the requirements for school attendance, etc.), the school 271
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ST: "Mississippi School Resource Officers
Safety Act"; fund school security officers.
resource officer shall report to his or her immediate supervisor 272
within the local law enforcement agency of employment for further 273
assignment of duties that are directly related to activities and 274
functions of the local law enforcement agency. 275
(c) Notwithstanding a school resource officer's 276
permanent employment with the local law enforcement agency with 277
whom a local school governing authority has entered into a 278
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or an interlocal agreement for 279
the assignment of a school resource officer, the employing local 280
law enforcement agency shall not require a school resource officer 281
to leave his or her assigned post at a school during the time 282
specified for the performance of his or her duties as prescribed 283
in paragraph (a) of this subsection to perform work duties 284
directly related to activities and functions of the local law 285
enforcement agency, unless it has been determined by the chief law 286
enforcement officer of the employing agency that an emergency 287
exists. 288
SECTION 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from 289
and after July 1, 2026. 290