Bill Text: MS SB2681 | 2022 | Regular Session | Introduced

Mississippi Senate Bill 2681 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Local school district-issued computers; require content filtering.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2022-02-01 - Died In Committee [SB2681 Detail]

Download: Mississippi-2022-SB2681-Introduced.html

MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2022 Regular Session

To: Education; Technology

By: Senator(s) Hill

Senate Bill 2681

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-3-83, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE AND DIRECT LOCAL SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO INCLUDE IN THEIR REQUIRED SCHOOL SAFETY PLAN THE SELECTION OF TECHNOLOGY PROTECTION MEASURES TO FILTER OR BLOCK INTERNET ACCESS TO CERTAIN OBSCENE OR HARMFUL MATERIALS ON SCHOOL ISSUED COMPUTERS; TO PRESCRIBE THE COMPONENTS OF THE CONTENT FILTERING SOLUTION; TO REQUIRE REPORTS THEREON; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-3-83, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-3-83. (1) There is established within the State Department of Education, using only existing staff and resources, a School Safety Grant Program, available to all eligible public school districts, to assist in financing programs to provide school safety. However, no monies from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families grant may be used for the School Safety Grant Program.

(2) The school board of each school district, with the assistance of the State Department of Education School Safety Center, shall adopt a comprehensive local school district school safety plan and shall update the plan on an annual basis.

(3) Subject to the extent of appropriations available, the School Safety Grant Program shall offer any of the following specific preventive services, and other additional services appropriate to the most current school district school safety plan:

(a) Metal detectors;

(b) Video surveillance cameras, communications equipment and monitoring equipment for classrooms, school buildings, school grounds and school buses;

(d) Violence prevention training, conflict resolution training, behavioral stress training and other appropriate training designated by the State Department of Education for faculty and staff; and

(e) School safety personnel.

(4) Each local school district of this state may annually apply for school safety grant funds subject to appropriations by the Legislature. School safety grants shall include a base grant amount plus an additional amount per student in average daily attendance in the school or school district. The base grant amount and amount per student shall be determined by the State Board of Education, subject to specific appropriation therefor by the Legislature. In order to be eligible for such program, each local school board desiring to participate shall apply to the State Department of Education by May 31 before the beginning of the applicable fiscal year on forms provided by the department, and shall be required to establish a local School Safety Task Force to involve members of the community in the school safety effort. The State Department of Education shall determine by July 1 of each succeeding year which local school districts have submitted approved applications for school safety grants.

(5) As part of the School Safety Grant Program, the State Department of Education may conduct a pilot program to research the feasibility of using video camera equipment in the classroom to address the following:

(a) Determine if video cameras in the classroom reduce student disciplinary problems;

(b) Enable teachers to present clear and convincing evidence of a student's disruptive behavior to the student, the principal, the superintendent and the student's parents; and

(6) Any local school district may use audio/visual-monitoring equipment in classrooms, hallways, buildings, grounds and buses for the purpose of monitoring school disciplinary problems.

(7) As a component of the comprehensive local school district school safety plan required under subsection (2) of this section, the school board of a school district may adopt and implement a policy addressing sexual abuse of children, to be known as "Erin's Law Awareness." Any policy adopted under this subsection may include or address, but need not be limited to, the following:

(a) Methods for increasing teacher, student and parental awareness of issues regarding sexual abuse of children, including knowledge of likely warning signs indicating that a child may be a victim of sexual abuse;

(b) Educational information for parents or guardians, which may be included in the school handbook, on the warning signs of a child being abused, along with any needed assistance, referral or resource information;

(d) Age-appropriate curriculum for students in prekindergarten through fifth grade;

(e) Actions that a child who is a victim of sexual abuse should take to obtain assistance and intervention;

(f) Counseling and resources available for students affected by sexual abuse; and

(g) Emotional and educational support for a child who has been abused to enable the child to be successful in school.

(8) As part of the school safety grant program, the State Department of Education shall establish three (3) pilot programs in six (6) school districts utilizing an evidence-based curriculum to provide students in Grades K-5 with skills to manage stress and anxiety in order for them to be better equipped to handle challenges in a healthy way and build resiliency. The Mississippi Department of Mental Health shall be responsible for the selection of the content of the evidence-based curriculum. The results of this pilot program shall be measured and reported, and such results shall be used in consideration of the implementation of this curriculum statewide.

(9) As a component of the comprehensive local school district safety plan required under subsection (2) of this section, beginning in the 2019-2020 school year, the State Department of Education shall require local school districts to conduct, every two (2) years, refresher training on mental health and suicide prevention for all school employees and personnel, including all cafeteria workers, custodians, teachers and administrators. The Mississippi Department of Mental Health shall be responsible for the development and/or selection of the content of the training, which training shall be provided at no cost to school employees. School districts shall report completion of the training to the State Department of Education.

(10) (a) As a component of the comprehensive local school district school safety plan required under subsection (2) of this section, each local school district shall file an acceptable internet use policy with the State Department of Education no later than September 1, 2022, and every three (3) years thereafter. The policy shall be approved by the district's board of trustees and shall contain, but not be limited to, provisions that:

(i) Prohibit and prevent the use of school computers and other school owned technology-related services from sending, receiving, viewing or downloading materials that are deemed to be harmful to minors and obscene, as defined by Section 97-29-103;

(ii) Provide for the selection of technology protection measures for the local district's computers to filter or block internet access to obscene materials, materials harmful to minors and materials that depict the sexual exploitation of a minor, as defined in Title 97, Chapter 29, Mississippi Code of 1972;

(iii) Provide for the selection of technology protection measures for the local district's computers usage to be supervised for all behavior and safety issues identified in the district's board approved code of conduct;

(iv) Establish appropriate disciplinary measures to be taken against persons violating the policy provided for in this subsection;

(v) Include a component of computer safety for students that is integrated into the district's instructional program; and

(vi) Inform the public that administrative procedures have been adopted to enforce the policy provided for in this section and to handle complaints about such enforcement, and that such procedures are available for review at the district office.

(b) The policy provided for in subsection (1) of this section may include terms, conditions and requirements deemed appropriate by the district's school board including, but not limited to, requiring written parental authorization for computer use by minors or differentiating acceptable uses among elementary, middle and high school students.

(c) The Technology protection measures selected for supervision shall not be manufactured by the same manufacturer as the content filter and provide non bias indicators proving internet access to obscene materials identified in section (ii)is blocked and additionally inform the district of specific websites containing obscene materials which has been accessed. The district must use such information and other reliable sources to continually update and maintain the content filter's ability to block obscene materials.

(d) Internet content filtering shall be included as part of any internet access made available to children, as required by this subsection. The filtering solution shall be configurable to school district policies on acceptable, age appropriate internet content. The content filtering shall include the ability:

(i) For each school to manage its own filtering policies, including the decision to block specific categories of content and to maintain its own whitelist and blacklist overrides;

(ii) To provide individual district utilization and filtering reports, including the most frequently visited websites, the most frequently visited categories, the most frequently blocked websites, search terms most frequently used and the top authenticated users;

(iii) To audit all changes to content filtering;

(iv) For all reporting and management of content filtering to be available through any internet-connected browser and efficiently perform all content filtering functions; and

(v) To protect against eavesdropping and unauthorized access, which shall include encryption or other techniques to provide assurances that the school district may turn on or off as school district policy indicates.

(e) The local district school superintendent is authorized to take reasonable measures to implement and enforce the provisions of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2022.