Bill Text: MS SB2518 | 2026 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Mississippi Safe Schools Information-Sharing Act of 2026; enact.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Failed) 2026-02-03 - Died In Committee [SB2518 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2026-SB2518-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2026 Regular Session
To: Education; Appropriations
By: Senator(s) Rhodes
Senate Bill 2518
AN ACT TO ENACT THE "MISSISSIPPI SAFE SCHOOLS INFORMATION-SHARING ACT OF 2026"; TO ESTABLISH A SECURE STATEWIDE ONLINE STUDENT SAFETY RISK-ASSESSMENT TRACKING AND INFORMATION-SHARING SYSTEM IN COORDINATION WITH THE JUVENILE COURT SYSTEM AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO REQUIRE TIMELY DATA ENTRY OF RISK ASSESSMENTS; TO PROVIDE LIMITED ACCESS FOR PRIVACY PURPOSES; TO REQUIRE BEHAVIORAL THREAT ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT (BTAM) TRAINING FOR CERTAIN DISTRICT LEADERSHIP; TO REQUIRE LOCAL LAW ENFORCEMENT NOTIFICATION TO A JUVENILE'S SCHOOL DISTRICT OF A JUVENILE FELONY ARREST WITHIN 24 HOURS AND AUTHORIZE TRANSMISSION THROUGH THE SYSTEM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. (1) Short title. This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Mississippi Safe Schools Information-Sharing Act of 2026."
(2) Legislative findings. The Legislature finds that early identification of student risk and coordinated intervention, consistent with applicable state and federal privacy law, improves student safety, reduces violence, and supports school attendance and student success.
(3) Definitions. As used in this section:
(a) "Authorized district user" means only the district superintendent, assistant superintendents, and principals of a school attended by the student, as designated in writing by the superintendent.
(b) "Department" means the State Department of Education.
(c) "Juvenile" means any student enrolled in a Mississippi school who is not older than the age permitted under applicable law.
(d) "Local law enforcement" means the arresting authority within the same county of the juvenile's school district.
(e) "Portal" means the secure statewide online system established under this section.
(f) "Portal entry designee" means a district-appointed individual responsible for timely entry of required information into the portal under subsection (5)(e) of this section.
(g) "Student safety risk assessment" means a documented assessment by a school district regarding a student's behavior or circumstances indicating a potential risk of harm to self or others, including a threat assessment, violence risk review, or comparable locally adopted process.
(4) Establishment; administration; coordination with courts. (a) The department shall develop, house, host, maintain, and administer the portal and shall be responsible for system security, uptime, user provisioning, audit logging, and technical support standards.
(b) The department shall coordinate, by memorandum of understanding (MOU) and in consultation with the Administrative Office of Courts and youth court stakeholders, to enable secure information exchange between school districts and the juvenile court system to the extent permitted by law, court order, and court rules.
(c) The portal must support entry of the fact that a student safety risk assessment has occurred. The portal shall not require entry of clinical diagnoses or detailed medical records.
(d) Each school district shall ensure that an entry reflecting the occurrence of a student safety risk assessment is entered into the portal not later than forty-eight (48) hours after the district sends or refers a student for a student safety risk assessment, regardless of whether the assessment is conducted by district personnel or an external provider. If the forty-eight-hour deadline falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday observed by the district, the entry shall be made not later than the next business day. For purposes of this paragraph, "business day" means a day on which the administrative offices of the district are open for business.
(5) Limited access; privacy protections. (a) Only authorized district users may access student-specific information in the portal for students enrolled in the user's district.
(b) The department may designate a limited number of state employees as system administrators for user provisioning, cybersecurity, audit, compliance, and technical support. However, such administrators shall not access student-specific content except as necessary to investigate a documented security or integrity incident.
(c) Each authorized district user shall complete annual training approved by the department addressing confidentiality, appropriate use, and cybersecurity.
(d) Access shall be promptly revoked upon separation from employment, reassignment, or superintendent revocation.
(e) Portal entry designee; backups; restricted permissions. (i) Each district superintendent shall appoint one (1) primary portal entry designee responsible for timely entry of information required by subsection (4) of this section and shall appoint not fewer than two (2) alternate designees to serve as backups when the primary designee is unavailable. The designee and alternates may include a counselor, principal, administrator, or other district employee designated by the superintendent.
(ii) The portal shall support a restricted "data-entry" permission level for the portal entry designee and alternate designees, limited to creating and updating entries required by subsection (4) of this section for students enrolled in the district, and prohibiting browsing or viewing student-specific entries beyond what is necessary for completing or correcting the required entry.
(iii) The department shall require execution of user agreements for all portal users and shall maintain audit logs sufficient to identify user access and edits.
(6) Confidentiality; nonpublic record; authorized uses. (a) Information entered into or generated by the portal is confidential and exempt from the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983.
(b) Portal information shall be used only for:
(i) Student safety planning and coordinated intervention;
(ii) Ensuring continuity of services when a student transfers within Mississippi;
(iii) Coordination with youth court and service providers as authorized by law; and
(iv) Compulsory attendance enforcement and related student-support interventions.
(c) Unauthorized access, use, or disclosure is grounds for discipline and is punishable under applicable criminal and civil laws.
(d) Entries shall be limited to the minimum necessary fields required by subsection (4) of this section and shall not include detailed narrative medical or mental-health information.
(7) Interagency information sharing for safety and services. To the extent not prohibited by state or federal law, and subject to any required court order or court rule, state and local agencies and programs providing services to students, including school districts, local law enforcement, youth court intake, and other child-serving entities, may share records or information through the portal when reasonably necessary to ensure access to appropriate services for the student or to ensure the safety of the student or others. The department shall promulgate minimum necessary standards and role-based access controls consistent with this section.
(8) Data quality; review and correction. (a) A parent or legal guardian, or an eligible student as defined by applicable federal law, may submit a written request to the district superintendent for review of factual inaccuracies in portal entries originating from the district.
(b) The superintendent shall provide a written determination within thirty (30) days and shall correct or annotate the record as appropriate.
(9) Retention and destruction. The department shall adopt a retention schedule limiting retention of portal entries to the minimum period needed for safety and continuity of interventions, consistent with applicable law and records-management requirements.
(10) Reporting; audit. The department shall publish an annual aggregate report to the Legislature that excludes personally identifiable student information and includes cybersecurity compliance and aggregate counts of risk assessments documented.
(11) BTAM training for district leadership (training-only approach). (a) The department shall develop or procure Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) training, including online modules and periodic in-person options.
(b) Each district superintendent, assistant superintendent, and school principal shall complete BTAM training within twelve (12) months of assuming the role and at least once every two (2) years thereafter.
(c) Nothing in this section mandates a particular local team composition, meeting frequency, or other operational requirements beyond training. Districts may use locally adopted processes consistent with department guidance.
(12) Juvenile felony arrest notification to school district. (a) A local law enforcement agency shall notify a juvenile's school district of a juvenile felony arrest within twenty-four (24) hours of the arrest.
(b) Notification may be transmitted through the portal established in this section, if available, and shall be treated as confidential student safety information.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.
