Gov. Tate Reeves line-item vetoed $500,000 for Hope Squad in House Bill 1924 after the item did not appear in the final vetted report from the Opioid Settlement Fund Advisory Council, Ricky Mathews wrote in an opinion column for SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
Mathews said Hope Squad leaders and supporters, including Sen. Jeremy England, told him their application was submitted on time and that they received confirmation of receipt. He said a glitch in the new system apparently kept the application from showing up during the council’s review.
Mathews described Hope Squad as a student-led suicide-prevention program that trains peers to notice warning signs, listen without judgment and connect classmates to help. He recounted that community leaders in Jackson County brought the program to local schools in 2023 after a series of teen suicides, and quoted a student as saying, “I’ve got a chance to save the next Sawyer Magee,” a line Mathews included in his column.
Mathews urged Reeves, Attorney General Lynn Fitch, legislative leaders and the advisory council to review documentation, clarify the glitch and find a path forward through reconsideration, an override or an expedited process. He also noted that Mississippi will receive hundreds of millions in opioid settlement funds over time and called the $500,000 request a small prevention investment.
Mathews asked parents, teachers, coaches and students to check on isolated young people and urged anyone in crisis to call or text 988. He wrote that his views are his own and not those of SuperTalk Mississippi Media.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
