Mississippi HB 968: School resource officers; authorize to search a student's person and possession upon reasonable suspicion of unlawful activity.

Bill Text

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To: Education; Judiciary A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Fondren

HOUSE BILL NO. 968

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-3-82 AND 37-11-29, MISSISSIPPI 1
CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICERS ACTING WITHIN 2
THE SCOPE OF THEIR EMPLOYMENT WITH A SCHOOL DISTRICT TO DETAIN AND 3
CONDUCT A REASONABLE SEARCH OF THE PERSON AND POSSESSIONS OF ANY 4
STUDENT THAT THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER HAS REASONABLE SUSPICION 5
TO BELIEVE IS ENGAGED IN UNLAWFUL ACTIVITY, SO AS TO ESTABLISH 6
PROBABLE CAUSE TO CONDUCT THE SEARCH; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 8
SECTION 1. Section 37-3-82, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 9
amended as follows: 10
37-3-82. (1) There is hereby established the Mississippi 11
Community Oriented Policing Services in Schools (MCOPS) grant 12
program in the State Department of Education to provide funding, 13
pursuant to specific appropriation by the Legislature therefor, to 14
assist law enforcement agencies in providing additional School 15
Resource Officers to engage in community policing in and around 16
primary and secondary schools. The MCOPS program shall authorize 17
the State Department of Education to make grants to increase 18
deployment of law enforcement officers in order (a) to increase or 19
enhance community policing in this state, (b) that trained, sworn 20

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enforcement officers assigned to schools play an integral part in 21
the development and/or enhancement of a comprehensive school 22
safety plan, and (c) that the presence of these officers shall 23
provide schools with a direct link to local law enforcement 24
agencies. 25
(2) The MCOPS program shall meet the following requirements 26
and standards: 27
(a) This program shall provide an incentive for law 28
enforcement agencies to build collaborative partnerships with the 29
school community and to use community policing efforts to combat 30
school violence and implement educational programs to improve 31
student and school safety. 32
(b) The additional School Resource Officers must devote 33
at least seventy-five percent (75%) of their time to work in and 34
around primary and secondary schools, in addition to the time that 35
School Resource Officers are devoting in the absence of the MCOPS 36
in Schools grant. 37
(c) Beginning with the 2019-2020 school year, the MCOPS 38
in Schools program shall provide a minimum state contribution of 39
up to Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000.00) per officer position over 40
the one-year grant period, to be matched from local funds on a 41
50/50 matching basis. Officers paid with MCOPS funds may be 42
employed by the local law enforcement agency or by the local 43
school district. MCOPS funds may be used to pay for entry-level 44
salaries and benefits of newly trained additional School Resource 45

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Officers and may be used to pay the salaries and benefits of 46
School Resource Officers employed prior to July 1, 2013. All 47
jurisdictions that apply must demonstrate that they have primary 48
law enforcement authority over the school(s) identified in their 49
application and demonstrate their inability to implement this 50
project without state assistance. Schools or law enforcement 51
agencies may not reduce its overall federal, state, locally funded 52
level of sworn officers (including other School Resource Officers 53
or other sworn officers assigned to the schools) as a result of 54
applying for or receiving MCOPS in Schools grant funding. MCOPS 55
in Schools funding may be used to rehire sworn officers previously 56
employed who have been laid off for financial reasons unrelated to 57
the availability of the MCOPS in Schools grant, but must obtain 58
prior written approval from the State Department of Education. 59
MCOPS in Schools funding may be used to train school resource 60
officers. In order to be eligible for such program, each local 61
school board desiring to participate shall apply to the State 62
Department of Education by May 31 before the beginning of the 63
applicable fiscal year on forms provided by the department. The 64
State Department of Education shall determine by July 1 of each 65
succeeding year which local school districts have submitted 66
approved applications for School Resource Officer funding. 67
(d) School Resource Officers (SROs) may serve in a 68
variety of roles, including, but not limited to, that of a law 69
enforcement officer/safety specialist, law-related educator, and 70

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problem-solver/community liaison. These officers may teach 71
programs such as crime prevention, substance abuse prevention, and 72
gang resistance as well as monitor and assist troubled students 73
through mentoring pro