diff --git a/api/models/groupMethods.js b/api/models/groupMethods.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4573f0f56b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/models/groupMethods.js
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+const Group = require('./group');
+const User = require('./User'); // Adjust the path as needed
+
+/**
+ * Retrieve a group by ID and convert the found group document to a plain object.
+ *
+ * @param {string} groupId - The ID of the group to find and return as a plain object.
+ * @param {string|string[]} [fieldsToSelect] - The fields to include or exclude in the returned document.
+ * @returns {Promise<Object|null>} A plain object representing the group document, or `null` if no group is found.
+ */
+const getGroupById = (groupId, fieldsToSelect = null) => {
+  const query = Group.findById(groupId);
+  if (fieldsToSelect) {
+    query.select(fieldsToSelect);
+  }
+  return query.lean();
+};
+
+/**
+ * Search for a single group based on partial data and return a matching group document as a plain object.
+ *
+ * @param {Partial<Object>} searchCriteria - The partial data to use for searching the group.
+ * @param {string|string[]} [fieldsToSelect] - The fields to include or exclude in the returned document.
+ * @returns {Promise<Object|null>} A plain object representing the group document, or `null` if no group is found.
+ */
+const findGroup = (searchCriteria, fieldsToSelect = null) => {
+  const query = Group.findOne(searchCriteria);
+  if (fieldsToSelect) {
+    query.select(fieldsToSelect);
+  }
+  return query.lean();
+};
+
+/**
+ * Update a group with new data without overwriting existing properties.
+ *
+ * @param {string} groupId - The ID of the group to update.
+ * @param {Object} updateData - An object containing the properties to update.
+ * @returns {Promise<Object|null>} The updated group document as a plain object, or `null` if no group is found.
+ */
+const updateGroup = (groupId, updateData) => {
+  return Group.findByIdAndUpdate(
+    groupId,
+    { $set: updateData },
+    { new: true, runValidators: true },
+  ).lean();
+};
+
+/**
+ * Create a new group.
+ *
+ * @param {Object} data - The group data to be created.
+ * @returns {Promise<Object>} The created group document.
+ */
+const createGroup = async (data) => {
+  return await Group.create(data);
+};
+
+/**
+ * Count the number of group documents in the collection based on the provided filter.
+ *
+ * @param {Object} [filter={}] - The filter to apply when counting the documents.
+ * @returns {Promise<number>} The count of documents that match the filter.
+ */
+const countGroups = (filter = {}) => {
+  return Group.countDocuments(filter);
+};
+
+/**
+ * Delete a group by its unique ID only if no user is assigned to it.
+ *
+ * @param {string} groupId - The ID of the group to delete.
+ * @returns {Promise<{ deletedCount: number, message: string }>} An object indicating the number of deleted documents.
+ */
+const deleteGroupById = async (groupId) => {
+  // Check if any users reference the group
+  const userCount = await User.countDocuments({ groups: groupId });
+  if (userCount > 0) {
+    return { deletedCount: 0, message: `Cannot delete group; it is assigned to ${userCount} user(s).` };
+  }
+
+  try {
+    const result = await Group.deleteOne({ _id: groupId });
+    if (result.deletedCount === 0) {
+      return { deletedCount: 0, message: 'No group found with that ID.' };
+    }
+    return { deletedCount: result.deletedCount, message: 'Group was deleted successfully.' };
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw new Error('Error deleting group: ' + error.message);
+  }
+};
+
+/**
+ * Override deletion of a group by its unique ID.
+ * This function first removes the group ObjectId from all users' groups arrays,
+ * then proceeds to delete the group document.
+ *
+ * @param {string} groupId - The ID of the group to delete.
+ * @returns {Promise<{ deletedCount: number, message: string }>} An object indicating the deletion result.
+ */
+const overrideDeleteGroupById = async (groupId) => {
+  // Remove group references from all users
+  await User.updateMany(
+    { groups: groupId },
+    { $pull: { groups: groupId } },
+  );
+
+  try {
+    const result = await Group.deleteOne({ _id: groupId });
+    if (result.deletedCount === 0) {
+      return { deletedCount: 0, message: 'No group found with that ID.' };
+    }
+    return { deletedCount: result.deletedCount, message: 'Group was deleted successfully (override).' };
+  } catch (error) {
+    throw new Error('Error deleting group: ' + error.message);
+  }
+};
+
+module.exports = {
+  getGroupById,
+  findGroup,
+  updateGroup,
+  createGroup,
+  countGroups,
+  deleteGroupById,
+  overrideDeleteGroupById,
+};
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