Mississippi school tip line law

Does Mississippi require a school tip line?

Yes, on the state, with limits. The State Department of Education (MDE), or its designee, must run a toll-free phone line to receive reports of suspected school violence and other traumatic situations in public schools. The duty is on the state, not on schools, and the statute does not make the line anonymous. The line is part of the School Crisis Management Program, which exists only subject to funding specifically appropriated for it. MDE must start and run the program using only its existing staff and resources.

What must schools do?

The law puts no reporting-system duty on schools. Schools may use the program's quick response teams, but school officials are not required to request them.

What does MDE run today?

MDE runs a toll-free "Stay Safe Hotline" (1-866-960-6472) for reporting school safety concerns. Its page does not cite the statute. MDE asks the public to use the line to report situations that may endanger anyone at a local school or a school-sponsored activity. MDE says reports to the line can be made without giving a name and that it is available 24/7. This is MDE's practice; no statute requires it. MDE also takes non-emergency school safety reports by email at schoolsafety@mdek12.org.

Are reports kept anonymous or confidential?

The statute creating the toll-free line says nothing about anonymity or confidentiality of reports or reporters. Anonymity on the Stay Safe Hotline is MDE's own practice, not a legal requirement.

What about false reports?

Under Mississippi's "See Something, Say Something Act", anyone who makes a good-faith report of suspicious activity, based on objectively reasonable suspicion, is immune from civil and criminal liability. In that law, a report of suspicious activity is one made to law enforcement or another appropriate authority in the reasonable belief that it concerns an act of terrorism. The protection does not cover reports known to be false, including violations of § 97-35-47, or reports made with reckless disregard for the truth.

Does the state promote reporting?

Mississippi law tells the MDE School Safety Center to run a statewide media campaign promoting the "See Something, Say Something Act". This is an awareness duty, not a reporting system. The campaign's stated purpose is to encourage good-faith reporting of suspicious activity to law enforcement agencies. It must tell the public about the law's protections and give local law enforcement and emergency services contact information. The School Safety Center must also post the campaign information on the MDE website. Subject to appropriation, the Department of Public Safety's Fusion Center must employ three regional analysts for threats found by its statewide social media intelligence platform and for sharing school safety information. This is a monitoring duty, not an anonymous tip line.

How is it funded?

State money for the program's quick response teams depends on funds the Legislature specifically appropriates; MDE may also seek private and other funding for the program. The FY2027 Department of Public Safety appropriation provides $242,603 for its duties under the Mississippi School Safety Act of 2019. No line item is for a tip line.

Where does the law come from, and has it changed?

The toll-free line provision, Miss. Code Ann. § 37-3-93(1)(d), appears in the text of the Mississippi School Safety Act of 2019 (HB 1283). HB 1283 was approved by the Governor and took effect July 1, 2019. MDE's own compilation of school statutes prints § 37-3-93 with the toll-free reporting line, matching the 2019 text. 2026 HB 1132 restated § 37-3-93 with the toll-free line provision unchanged. It died in committee, so the 2019 text is still current law. A 2025 bill, SB 2538, would have let school boards fund threat reporting systems as a school safety measure; it died in committee. The 2026 Mississippi Safe Schools Information-Sharing Act (SB 2518), a student risk-assessment tracking portal and not a tip line, died in committee. 2026 HB 1612, which kept the Fusion Center analyst duty, takes effect July 1, 2026. The 2026 First Extraordinary Session took up only 8 measures, and none concerns school safety or tip lines.