Miss. Code Ann. § 37-21-51 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 21-51
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-21-51
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section:

(a) “ Preschool or prekindergarten children ” means any children who have not entered kindergarten but will have obtained four (4) years of age on or before September 1 of a school year.

(b) An “ early learning collaborative ” is a district or countywide council that writes and submits an application to participate in the voluntary prekindergarten program. An early learning collaborative is comprised, at a minimum, of a public school district and/or a local Head Start affiliate if in existence, private or parochial schools, or one or more licensed child care centers. Agencies or other organizations that work with young children and their families may also participate in the collaborative to provide resources and coordination even if those agencies or organizations are not prekindergarten providers.

(c) A “ prekindergarten provider ” is a public, private or parochial school, licensed child care center or Head Start center that serves prekindergarten children and participates in the voluntary prekindergarten program.

(d) A “ lead partner ” is a public school district or other nonprofit entity with the instructional expertise and operational capacity to manage the early learning collaborative's prekindergarten program as described in the collaborative's approved application for funds. The lead partner serves as the fiscal agent for the collaborative and shall disburse awarded funds in accordance with the collaborative's approved application. The lead partner must facilitate a professional learning community for the teachers in the prekindergarten program and lead the collaborative. The lead partner ensures that the collaborative adopts and implements curriculum and assessments that align with the comprehensive early learning standards. The public school district shall be the lead partner if no other qualifying lead partner is selected.

(e) “ Comprehensive early learning standards ” are standards adopted by the State Board of Education that address the highest level of fundamental domains of early learning to include, but not be limited to, physical well-being and motor development, social/emotional development, approaches toward learning, language development and cognition and general knowledge. The comprehensive early learning standards shall also include standards for emergent literacy skills, including oral communication, knowledge of print and letters, phonological and phonemic awareness, and vocabulary and comprehension development.

(f) An “ evidence-based curriculum ” is an age-appropriate curriculum that demonstrates a statistically significant effect on improving student outcomes or other relevant outcomes based on:

(i) Strong evidence from at least one (1) well-designed and well-implemented experimental study;

(ii) Moderate evidence from at least one (1) well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; or

(iii) Promising evidence from at least one (1) well-designed and well-implemented correlational study with statistical controls for selection bias.

(2) To ensure that all children have access to quality early childhood education and development services, the Legislature finds and declares the following:

(a) Parents have the primary duty to educate their young preschool children;

(b) The State of Mississippi can assist and educate parents in their role as the primary caregivers and educators of young preschool children;

(c) There is a need to explore innovative approaches and strategies for aiding parents and families in the education and development of young preschool children; and

(d) There exists a patchwork of prekindergarten entities but no coordination of services and there needs to be a coordination of these services.

(3)(a) This subsection shall be known and may be cited as the “Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013.”

(b) Effective with the 2013-2014 school year, the Mississippi State Department of Education shall establish a voluntary prekindergarten program, which shall be a collaboration among the entities providing prekindergarten programs including Head Start, licensed child care facilities and licensed public, parochial and private school prekindergarten programs. This program shall be implemented no later than the 2014-2015 school year. Enrollment in the prekindergarten program shall be coordinated with the Head Start agencies in the local areas and shall not be permitted to cause a reduction in children served by the Head Start program. Under this program, eligible entities may submit an application for funds to (i) defray the cost of additional and/or more qualified teaching staff, appropriate educational materials and equipment and to improve the quality of educational experiences offered to four-year-old children in early care and education programs, and/or to (ii) extend developmentally appropriate education services at such programs currently serving four-year-old children to include practices of high quality instruction, and to (iii) administer, implement, monitor and evaluate the programs, and to (iv) defray the cost of professional development and age-appropriate child assessment.

(c) Subject to the availability of funds appropriated therefor, the State Department of Education shall administer the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the voluntary prekindergarten program, including awards and the application process.

(i) The department shall establish a rigorous and transparent application process for the awarding of funds. Lead partners shall submit the applications on behalf of their early learning collaborative.

(ii) The department will establish monitoring policies and procedures that, at a minimum, will include at least one (1) site visit a year.

(iii) The department will provide technical assistance to collaboratives and their providers to improve the quality of prekindergarten programs. Technical assistance may include classroom-embedded support for teachers and assistant teachers.

(iv) The department will evaluate the effectiveness of each early childhood collaborative and each prekindergarten provider. If the State Department of Education adopts a statewide kindergarten screening that assesses the readiness of each student for kindergarten, the State Department of Education shall adopt a minimum rate of readiness that each prekindergarten provider must meet in order to remain eligible for prekindergarten program funds. Each parent who enrolls his or her child in the prekindergarten program must submit the child for the statewide kindergarten screening, regardless of whether the child is admitted to kindergarten in a public school.

(d) Prekindergarten program funds shall be awarded to early childhood collaboratives whose proposed programs meet the program criteria. The criteria shall include:

(i) Voluntary enrollment of children;

(ii) Collaboration among prekindergarten providers and other early childhood programs through the establishment of an early learning collaborative;

(iii) Qualifications of master teachers, teachers and assistants, which must conform to guidelines in Section 37-21-3 ;

(iv) At least fifteen (15) hours of annual professional development for program instructional staff, including professional development in early literacy, and individualized professional development plans for all teachers and teaching assistants supplemented by classroom-embedded support on an as-needed basis;

(v) The use of state-adopted comprehensive early learning standards;

(vi) The use of a curriculum based on strong evidence as defined in subsection (1)(f)(i) of this section and aligned with the comprehensive early learning standards;

(vii) The use of a curriculum based on moderate evidence as defined in subsection (1)(f)(ii) of this section and aligned with the comprehensive early learning standards if no strong-evidence curriculum is available;

(viii) The use of a curriculum based on promising evidence as defined in subsection (1)(f)(iii) of this section and aligned with the comprehensive early learning standards if no strong-evidence curriculum or moderate-evidence curriculum is available;

(ix) The use of age-appropriate assessments aligned to the comprehensive early learning standards;

(x) Teacher/child ratios of one (1) adult for every ten (10) children with a maximum of twenty (20) children per classroom and a minimum of five (5) children per classroom;

(xi) The provision of at least one (1) meal meeting state and federal nutrition guidelines for young children;

(xii) Plans to screen and/or refer children for vision, hearing and other health issues;

(xiii) Family engagement opportunities;

(xiv) Plans to serve children with disabilities as indicated under IDEA;

(xv) The number of instructional hours to be provided, which shall equal no less than five hundred forty (540) instructional hours per school year for half-day programs and one thousand eighty (1,080) instructional hours per school year for full-day programs; and

(xvi) A budget detailing the use of funds for allowed expenses.

Participating child care centers shall: (a) meet state child care facility licensure requirements unless exempted under Section 43-20-5, Mississippi Code of 1972 , and (b) select and utilize a nationally recognized assessment tool, approved by the State Department of Education, designed to document classroom quality, which must be in place not later than July 1, 2016, as certified by the State Department of Education.

Within the prekindergarten program, a prekindergarten provider must comply with the antidiscrimination requirements applicable to public schools. A prekindergarten provider may not discriminate against a parent or child, including the refusal to admit a child for enrollment in the prekindergarten program, in violation of these antidiscrimination requirements. However, a prekindergarten provider may refuse to admit a child based on the provider's standard eligibility guidelines, provided that these guidelines do not violate the antidiscrimination requirements. Consistent with the Legislature's recognition of the primacy of a parent's role in the education of a preschool-age child and the related recognition of the state in assisting and educating parents in that role, if the State Department of Education adopts a statewide kindergarten screening that assesses the readiness of each student for kindergarten, the State Department of Education shall recognize each child's unique pattern of development when adopting a minimum rate of readiness that prekindergarten providers must meet in order to remain eligible for prekindergarten program funds. Each parent who enrolls his or her child in the prekindergarten program may submit the child for the statewide kindergarten screening, regardless of whether the child is admitted to kindergarten in a public school.

The State Department of Education may add program criteria not inconsistent with these requirements and shall develop policies and procedures to implement and enforce these criteria.

(e) The State Department of Education shall ensure that early learning collaboratives provide each parent enrolling a child in the voluntary prekindergarten program with a profile of every prekindergarten provider participating in the collaborative's geographic catchment area. The State Department of Education shall prescribe the information to be included in each profile as well as the format of the profiles. At a minimum, the profiles must include the prekindergarten provider's services, curriculum, instructor credentials and instructor-to-student ratio.

(f) A teacher, assistant teacher or other employee whose salary and fringe benefits are paid from state funds under this act shall only be classified as a state or local school district employee eligible for state health insurance benefits or membership in the Public Employees' Retirement System, if the person's employer is already an agency or instrumentality of the state, such as a school district, and the employee would be eligible for such benefits in the normal course of business.

(g) Funding shall be provided for this program beginning with the 2014 fiscal year subject to appropriation by the Legislature as provided in paragraph (h) of this subsection. The department shall make an annual report to the Legislature and the Governor regarding program operations and outcomes. Every three (3) years, with the first report due July 1, 2023, the department shall provide to the Legislature and the Governor a rigorous evaluation of program effectiveness using longitudinal data to measure short-term and long-term effects, including both achievement and nonachievement effects. After each three-year report, the PEER Committee shall review the three-year report and the intervening annual reports and submit an independent summary of its findings prior to the next legislative session. The short-term and long-term effects shall include, at a minimum, the following:

(i) Kindergarten readiness;

(ii) English Language arts proficiency in grades 3 through 8;

(iii) Math proficiency in grades 3 through 8;

(iv) Science proficiency in grades 5 and 8;

(v) Disciplinary incidents;

(vi) Chronic absenteeism;

(vii) On-time graduation rate;

(viii) College enrollment;

(ix) Grade retention; and

(x) Special education services/exits.

(h)(i) The Legislature shall appropriate funds to implement the Early Education Collaborative Act of 2013 on a phased-in basis as follows:

1. The first phase shall be based on an annual state appropriation of not more than Eight Million Dollars ($8,000,000.00) and shall serve approximately three thousand five hundred (3,500) children through five (5) to eight (8) early learning collaboratives and their prekindergarten providers;

2. The second phase shall be based on an annual state appropriation of not more than Sixteen Million Dollars ($16,000,000.00) and shall serve approximately seven thousand (7,000) children through ten (10) to fifteen (15) early learning collaboratives and their prekindergarten providers;

3. The third phase shall be based on an annual state appropriation of not more than Thirty-three Million Nine Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($33,950,000.00) and shall serve approximately fifteen thousand (15,000) children through twenty (20) to twenty-five (25) early learning collaboratives and their prekindergarten providers.

(ii) Future phases shall be based on interest in the program and the effectiveness of the program as determined by the school readiness of participants. Each phase shall last for at least three (3) years, but no more than five (5) years. The State Department of Education shall determine when to move to a new phase of the program, within the timeline provided herein.

(iii) Funding shall be provided to early learning collaboratives on the basis of a minimum of Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) per student in a full-day program and a minimum of One Thousand Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($1,250.00) per student in a half-day program proposed in the collaborative's approved application. Once an early learning collaborative's plan is approved and funded, the collaborative and/or its prekindergarten providers shall receive funds on an ongoing basis unless the collaborative and/or its prekindergarten providers no longer meet the criteria to participate in the program.

(iv) Early learning collaboratives shall match state funds on a 1:1 basis. Local matching funds may include local tax dollars, federal dollars as allowed, parent tuition, philanthropic contributions, or in-kind donations of facilities, equipment and services required as part of the program such as food service or health screenings.

(v) The State Department of Education shall reserve no more than five percent (5%) of the appropriation in any year for administrative costs.

(vi) In the initial phase of implementation, the State Department of Education shall award state funds under the Early Learning Collaborative Act of 2013 based on a community's capacity, commitment and need. To determine capacity, commitment and need, the State Department of Education shall require evidence of existing strong local collaborations of early education stakeholders. Such evidence shall include, but not be limited to, collaborations resulting from any of the following:

1. Participation in Excel By 5;

2. Participation in Supporting Partnerships to Assure Ready Kids (SPARK);

3. Participation in the Gilmore Early Learning Initiative (GELI); or

4. Participation in the Mississippi Building Blocks.

In determining community need, the department shall consider low academic achievement within the public school districts participating in an applicant early learning collaborative and the number and percentage of children without quality prekindergarten options.

(vii) All authority granted to the State Department of Education to establish program rules is subject to the public processes established in the provisions of the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Law, including, but not limited to, filing notice of the proposed rules, public hearings and any economic impact statement with the Office of the Secretary of State before presenting such information to the State Board of Education for final approval.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-5 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 23-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-5
Status: in_force

Except as otherwise provided in Laws, 1999, Chapter 582, 1 the State Department of Education is empowered to foster, inspect, approve and administer a program of education for exceptional children. The State Department of Education shall make the necessary rules and regulations in keeping with the provisions of Sections 37-23-1 through 37-23-9 and applicable federal laws and regulations which are not in conflict with Mississippi law for its proper administration and shall employ such personnel as may be necessary to administer such program.

The department shall require that the program of education for exceptional children be designed to provide individualized appropriate special education and related services that enable a child to reach his or her appropriate and uniquely designed goals for success.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-115-103 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 115-103
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-115-103
Status: in_force

The object and purpose of the establishment of a school of dentistry at the University of Mississippi Medical Center shall be the encouragement of the study of dentistry toward the doctor of dental medicine degree, as well as the continued education of the state's dental health professions; and the encouragement of dental research and the improvement of dental health.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-31 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 27-31
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-31
Status: in_force

The board of trustees of any agricultural high school is hereby authorized to lease the buildings and equipment thereof to any responsible individual for the purpose of carrying on a private school when there are no funds available for running said institution, and to lease the lands of said institution to some responsible person for agricultural purposes. Said leases shall not extend for any greater length of time than a period of three years from date of granting said lease.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 28-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-9
Status: in_force

(1) The authorizer is responsible for exercising, in accordance with this chapter, the following powers and duties:

(a) Developing chartering policies and maintaining practices consistent with nationally recognized principles and standards for quality charter authorizing in all major areas of authorizing responsibility, including:

(i) Organizational capacity and infrastructure;

(ii) Solicitation and evaluation of charter applications;

(iii) Performance contracting;

(iv) Ongoing charter school oversight and evaluation; and

(v) Charter renewal decision-making;

(b) Approving quality charter applications that meet identified educational needs and promote a diversity of educational choices;

(c) Declining to approve weak or inadequate charter applications;

(d) Negotiating and executing charter contracts with approved charter schools;

(e) Monitoring, in accordance with charter contract terms, the performance and legal compliance of charter schools;

(f) Determining whether each charter contract merits renewal, nonrenewal or revocation; and

(g) Applying for any federal funds that may be available for the implementation of charter school programs.

(2) The authorizer shall carry out all its duties under this chapter in a manner consistent with nationally recognized principles and standards and with the spirit and intent of this chapter.

(3) The authorizer may delegate its duties to the executive director and general counsel.

(4) Regulation by the authorizer shall be limited to those powers and duties prescribed in this section and all others prescribed by law, consistent with the spirit and intent of this chapter.

(5) Except in the case of gross negligence or reckless disregard of the safety and well-being of another person, the authorizer, members of the authorizer board in their official capacity, and employees of the authorizer in their official capacity are immune from civil liability with respect to all activities related to a charter school approved by the authorizer.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-65 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 101-65
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-65
Status: in_force

All bonds issued by an educational building corporation may be executed and delivered at any time and from time to time, may be in such form and denominations, may be of such tenor, may be payable in such installments and at such time or times not exceeding thirty (30) years from their date, may be payable at such place or places, may bear interest at such rate or rates payable at such place or places and evidenced in such manner, and may contain such provisions not inconsistent herewith, all as may be provided by resolution of its board of directors. The bonds issued by any such corporation shall be signed by the chairman of its board of directors or other chief executive officer and attested by its secretary, and the seal of such corporation shall be affixed thereto. Any such bonds may be sold at public or private sale in such manner and from time to time as may be determined by the board of directors to be most advantageous, and the corporation may pay all expenses, premiums and commissions which its board of directors may deem necessary or advantageous in connection with the authorization, sale and issuance thereof. All such bonds shall be construed to be negotiable instruments, despite the fact that they are payable solely from a specified source.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-63 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 153-63
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-63
Status: in_force

Grant funds shall be available under this article through December 31, 2026, or on the date of the fund expenditure deadline provided by the federal government, whichever occurs later. Each grant recipient shall certify, for any project for which a grant is awarded, that if the project is not completed by December 31, 2026, and the United States Congress does not enact an extension of the deadline on the availability of ARPA funds, then the grant recipient will complete the project through other funds.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-77 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 23-77
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-77
Status: in_force

If a child, as defined in Sections 37-23-61 and 37-23-63 , is under the legal guardianship of the State Department of Human Services, or any other state agency, and for whom no foster parents are available and no state-funded institution placement is available, funds available under Section 37-23-1 et seq. may be used to provide for the education of the child in an institution approved by the Department of Human Services and the State Department of Education. However, if the educational services needed by the child are available in a state funded institution, these funds shall not be used to pay for educational services at that institution. At any such time a child is taken out of a school setting and placed under the custody of the Department of Human Services, the department shall immediately notify the State Department of Education and apply for funds for the child's educational services under Section 37-23-1 et seq. and the State Department of Education shall respond to the application within ten (10) working days. The special education and related services provided for this child shall be provided in compliance with State Department of Education regulations. The State Department of Education shall promulgate such regulations as are necessary to implement this section.

The State Department of Education shall require that the special education and related services provided for the children under this section be designed to provide individualized appropriate special education and related services that enable a child to reach his or her appropriate and uniquely designed goals for success.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-31 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 106-31
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-31
Status: in_force

(1) There is created a Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant Program, to be administered by the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board established under Section 37-106-9 . The board shall set the dates that will serve as the deadlines for applying for an award under this section and award scholarships to each Mississippi student who:

(a)(i) Is recognized by the merit or achievement programs of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation or the National Achievement Scholarship as a semifinalist or finalist, and has obtained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale in high school subjects acceptable for credit toward a diploma, after seven (7) semesters certified by the high school counselor or other authorized school official on the application and graduation from high school verified by the institution before disbursement of award; or

(ii) Has scored twenty-nine (29) on the American College Testing Program or its equivalent and has obtained a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.5 calculated on a 4.0 scale after seven (7) semesters certified by the high school counselor or other authorized school official on the application and graduation from high school verified by the institution before disbursement of award, or the equivalent in high school subjects acceptable for credit toward a diploma; or

(iii) Has attended a home education program during grade levels 9 through 12 and has scored twenty-nine (29) on the American College Testing Program or its equivalent.

(b) Meets the general requirements for student eligibility, except as otherwise provided in this section.

(c) Files, before the deadline, an application for an award during his last year in high school, or before the expiration of the third school year succeeding the year of his high school graduation.

(d) Attends, on a full-time basis, any state institution of higher learning or public community or junior college, or any regionally accredited, state-approved, nonprofit two-year or four-year college or university located in the State of Mississippi approved by the board.

(e) Enrolls as a “first-time in college” student in Mississippi. Postsecondary academic credit earned prior to or during the summer immediately subsequent to receiving a high school diploma, or while dually enrolled in secondary and postsecondary educational institutions, or while enrolled in the early admission program of a postsecondary institution shall not be considered when determining if a student is enrolling for the first time. However, any student who earns postsecondary academic credit at an institution of higher learning located outside the state shall meet the requirements on grade point average and maximum credit hours set forth in subsection (2)(b) of this section.

(f) Is a resident of the State of Mississippi.

(2)(a) Except for students who earn credits at institutions of higher learning located outside the state, students who apply for awards but do not accept their initial awards may apply to receive awards during subsequent application periods occurring before the expiration of the third school year succeeding the year of their high school graduation. The eligibility of these applicants shall be determined in the same manner as first-time applicants.

(b) Students who receive initial awards and who later do not accept renewal awards may apply to receive awards during subsequent application periods occurring before the expiration of the third school year succeeding the year of their high school graduation. Reinstatement applications will be accepted from these students according to dates set by the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board. The eligibility of these applicants shall be determined in the same manner as first-time applicants, except that these students shall be required to have maintained the equivalent of a 3.5 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale for all college work attempted and if the student attended an out-of-state institution, to have completed no more than thirty-six (36) credit hours. The board shall not make awards to reinstatement applicants who submit applications that are received after the deadline set by the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board.

(c) The board shall create a renewal application for each student who received the award for one or more terms during the immediately preceding academic year.

(3)(a) The annual award to a student shall be up to Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for tuition and fees. Payment of the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant shall be made payable to the recipient and the educational institution and mailed directly to the institution, to be applied first to tuition.

(b) Within six (6) weeks of the end of regular registration, inclusive of a drop-add period, institutions shall certify to the board the eligibility status of each awarded student. The eligibility status of each student to receive a disbursement shall be determined by each institution as of this date. Institutions shall not be required to reevaluate a student's eligibility status after this date for purposes of amending eligibility determinations previously made. However, an institution shall be requested to make refunds for students who receive award disbursements and terminate enrollment for any reason during the academic term when an institution's refund policies permit a student to receive a refund under the circumstances.

(c) Institutions shall certify to the board the amount of funds disbursed to each student and shall remit to the board any undisbursed advances within sixty (60) days of the end of regular registration.

(4) A recipient shall maintain the equivalent of a 3.5 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale, or shall maintain an approved equivalent student progress evaluation plan, on at least twelve (12) hours per quarter, trimester or semester in order to be eligible for a continuation of the award. No student may receive a Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant for more than the equivalent semesters or quarters required to complete one (1) degree or certificate program per institution. The award may be renewed annually upon certification of eligibility by the eligible institutions that the recipient meets the necessary qualifications. If any recipient transfers from one university, community college or junior college to another, his award will be transferable, provided he is otherwise eligible for the award. If a student fails to maintain continuous enrollment, and is not granted an exception for cause by the administering board, the student is ineligible to receive the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant during the following semester or trimester or term of the regular academic year.

(5) The board may conduct its own annual audits of any institution participating in the Mississippi Eminent Scholars Grant Program. The board may suspend or revoke an institution's eligibility to receive future monies under the program if it finds that the institution has not complied with the provisions of this section.

(6) For purposes of this section, certificated shall mean, but not be limited to, all postsecondary vocational programs in eligible institutions approved by the board.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-711 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 7-711
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-711
Status: in_force

In all such special municipal separate school districts which may be so organized, reorganized or reconstituted to embrace the entire county in which the majority of the inhabitants of the county reside outside the corporate limits of the municipality, the name of any qualified elector who is a candidate for the board of trustees of such special municipal separate school district, whether such person be a candidate for an unexpired term or for a full term, shall be placed on the ballot used in the elections, provided that the candidate files with the county election commissioners, not more than ninety (90) days and not less than sixty (60) days prior to the date of such general election, a petition of nomination signed by not less than fifty (50) qualified electors of the county. Where there are less than one hundred (100) qualified electors in said area represented by the trustee, it shall only be required that said petition of nomination be signed by at least twenty percent (20%) of the qualified electors in said area. However, in any such special municipal separate school district which embraces the entire county and which borders the Mississippi River and in which Interstate Highway 20 and United States Highway 61 intersect and having a population in excess of forty-seven thousand (47,000) according to the 1990 federal decennial census, the candidate shall be required to file a petition of nomination with the county election commissioners not less than sixty (60) days prior to the date of such general election, in addition to the other requirements prescribed herein.

The candidate in each election who receives the majority of votes cast in the election shall be declared to have been elected. If no candidate receives a majority of the votes cast at the election, a runoff shall be held between the two (2) candidates receiving the highest number of votes in the first election. The runoff election, in the event that such is necessary, shall be held four (4) weeks after the first election.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 28-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-9
Status: in_force

(1) The authorizer is responsible for exercising, in accordance with this chapter, the following powers and duties:

(a) Developing chartering policies and maintaining practices consistent with nationally recognized principles and standards for quality charter authorizing in all major areas of authorizing responsibility, including:

(i) Organizational capacity and infrastructure;

(ii) Solicitation and evaluation of charter applications;

(iii) Performance contracting;

(iv) Ongoing charter school oversight and evaluation; and

(v) Charter renewal decision-making;

(b) Approving quality charter applications that meet identified educational needs and promote a diversity of educational choices;

(c) Declining to approve weak or inadequate charter applications;

(d) Negotiating and executing charter contracts with approved charter schools;

(e) Monitoring, in accordance with charter contract terms, the performance and legal compliance of charter schools;

(f) Determining whether each charter contract merits renewal, nonrenewal or revocation; and

(g) Applying for any federal funds that may be available for the implementation of charter school programs.

(2) The authorizer shall carry out all its duties under this chapter in a manner consistent with nationally recognized principles and standards and with the spirit and intent of this chapter.

(3) The authorizer may delegate its duties to the executive director and general counsel.

(4) Regulation by the authorizer shall be limited to those powers and duties prescribed in this section and all others prescribed by law, consistent with the spirit and intent of this chapter.

(5) Except in the case of gross negligence or reckless disregard of the safety and well-being of another person, the authorizer, members of the authorizer board in their official capacity, and employees of the authorizer in their official capacity are immune from civil liability with respect to all activities related to a charter school approved by the authorizer.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-6-13 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 6-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-6-13
Status: in_force

(1) Each person serving as a member of the school board of any school district shall receive per diem in the amount of One Hundred Twelve Dollars ($112.00) for no more than thirty-six (36) meetings of the school board during any one (1) fiscal year or, in his or her discretion, irrevocably may choose to receive as compensation for his or her services an annual salary, subject to the following provisions:

(a) For a person serving as a member of the school board of a school district with less than five thousand (5,000) students enrolled in the school district, the person shall receive an annual salary of Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00);

(b) For a person serving as a member of the school board of a school district with at least five thousand (5,000) students but less than ten thousand (10,000) students enrolled in the school district, the person shall receive an annual salary of not less than Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00) but not more than Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00); and

(c) For a person serving as a member of the school board of a school district with greater than ten thousand (10,000) students enrolled in the school district, the person shall receive an annual salary of not less than Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00) but not more than Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00).

This choice shall remain in force for all successive terms or periods of service of that member. The receipt of the compensation shall not entitle any member of a school board to receive or be eligible for any state employee group insurance, retirement or other fringe benefits. Each member shall be reimbursed for the necessary expenses and mileage in attending meetings of the school board. In addition to the foregoing, all members may be reimbursed for mileage and actual expenses incurred in the further performance of their duties, including attendance at any mandatory school board training session or at regional and national education meetings, when such mileage and other expenses are authorized by the board prior to the date on which they occur. Detailed vouchers shall be submitted for reimbursement for all expenses authorized by this section. Such reimbursement shall be in accordance with Section 25-3-41 .

Such expenses shall be paid on order of the school board by pay certificates issued by the superintendent of the school district involved against the funds available for payment of the administrative expense of the district.

(2)(a) If a member of a school board misses twenty percent (20%) or more of the meetings of the school board during a calendar year, except for absences caused by required military duty, the member must reimburse the school district that portion of the total salary paid to the member that year which is proportionate to the number of meetings missed by the member in relation to the total number of school board meetings held during that year. For purposes of this subsection, consideration may be given only to meetings of which public notice is required.

(b) Before February 1 of each year, the president of each local school board shall submit a report to the State Board of Education containing the names of any members of the school board who missed twenty percent (20%) or more of the school board meetings during the preceding calendar year.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-161-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 161-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-161-1
Status: in_force

(1) This act [Laws of 2006, Chapter 504] shall be known and may be referred to as the “Mississippi Education Reform Act of 2006.”

(2) The Legislature finds and determines that the quality and accountability of public education and its effect upon the social, cultural and economic enhancement of the people of Mississippi is a matter of public policy, the object of which is the education and performance of its children and youth.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-50 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 113-50
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-50
Status: in_force

(1) The building known as the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Bureau of Plant Industry Building on the campus of Mississippi State University in Starkville, Mississippi, shall be designated and henceforth be known as the “Robert Horne McCarty Building.”

(2) The Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce is hereby authorized to erect a suitable memorial marker at a site on the premises of the current Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce Bureau of Plant Industry Building to be chosen with the approval of the family of Robert Horne McCarty.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-141 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 29-141
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-141
Status: in_force

(1) The board of trustees of any junior college district is expressly authorized and empowered to make a thorough study and evaluation of the costs of operation of the junior college district, and said board shall recommend a fair and acceptable tax rate for district general support and maintenance from each of the member counties.

The board of trustees of any junior college district as constituted as of July 1, 1964, shall have the authority to recommend the tax levy necessary for a newly contributing county to have representation on the board of trustees of said junior college.

From and after October 1, 1989, no county shall levy less than (a) one (1) mill for the support, and (b) one (1) mill for the enlargement, improvement and repair of the junior college within the district of which the county is a member. From and after October 1, 1990, the board of trustees of any junior college district may, by a sixty percent (60%) affirmative vote of the members of such board, recommend an additional one (1) mill which may be used for the support or for the enlargement, improvement and repair of the junior college within the district of which the county is a member. If a county is levying more than the minimum levy required herein for one category but less than the minimum levy required for the other, then the excess millage under the one may be applied towards making up the deficiency which exists in the other. If a county contributes to two (2) junior college districts, the combined levy for both districts shall not be less than the minimums required herein.

Any county having any school district located therein with a current operating deficit of Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) or more on July 1, 1989, shall not be required to levy the minimum millage required under this subsection (1) until such time as the said operating deficit is eliminated, or for a period of three (3) fiscal years, whichever is less. Provided, however, that no such county shall levy a smaller tax millage for capital improvements and general support of a junior college district than was levied for the previous year.

No county shall levy a smaller tax millage for capital improvements and general support of a junior college district than was levied for the previous year, unless requested to make such reduction by the board of trustees of the district. When a county has a general reassessment of property to increase the county ad valorem tax assessments, such county may reduce the millage for general support and capital improvements, provided that its aggregate budget for junior college purposes is not lower than was paid the previous year.

In lieu of taxation, the board of trustees may fix the amount of enrollee tuition in an amount commensurate with the per capita cost of operating the district, which may also include any fees assessed by the board upon each student enrolled under the authority of Section 37-29-231 for the purpose of offsetting the cost of first responder services provided to the main campus of the community college by the local governing authority in accordance with the provisions of the contract entered into under the authority of Section 21-25-23 or the interlocal agreement entered into under the authority of Section 37-29-231 .

(2) Taxes for the support, enlargement, improvement and repairs of junior colleges shall be levied annually against all of the property of each county and of each municipal separate school district, including added territory, which has established or may hereafter establish, or which has joined or may hereafter join, in the establishment or support of a junior college. In no case shall such levy exceed three (3) mills for support and three (3) mills for enlargement, improvement and repairs for each junior college within the district of which the county or municipal separate school district may be a component.

(3) The levy for support for any year in any given county or separate school district is that presently prevailing therein unless a change is recommended to the tax levying authorities by the board of trustees or by a vote of the people ascertained in an election called for that purpose by the tax levying authorities subsequent to the petition therefor signed by twenty percent (20%) of the qualified electors.

(4) Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, the minimum millage required under subsection (1) shall not be levied by the board of supervisors of any county within a junior college district until the board of trustees of the district adopts annually, an order, by a sixty percent (60%) affirmative vote of the members of the board, that such minimum millage shall be levied by each county within the district.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-213 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 153-213
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-213
Status: in_force

The office shall certify to the Department of Finance and Administration that each expenditure of the funds appropriated to the office under this article is in compliance with the guidelines, guidance, rules, regulations and/or other criteria, as may be amended from time to time, of the United States Department of the Treasury regarding the use of monies from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund in Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ( Public Law No. 117-1 ).
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-45-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 45-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-45-1
Status: in_force

The legislature hereby recognizes that in order to exercise the constitutional power, set forth in Section 201 of Article 8, that the legislature may, in its discretion, “provide for the maintenance and establishment of free public schools for all children between the ages of six and twenty-one years, by taxation or otherwise,” equality of educational opportunity with respect to instructional personnel, school buildings and facilities, transportation facilities, curriculum and all other school facilities should be provided for all such children, that the burden of providing such equality of educational opportunity can no longer be borne entirely by the local taxing units, and, therefore, that a program of state aid therefor should be instituted. The legislature, therefore, declares and determines that the maintenance of the uniform system of free public schools to insure and provide substantial equality of educational opportunity is the joint responsibility of the State of Mississippi and the local taxing units thereof.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-33 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 23-33
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-33
Status: in_force

(1) Such program of education, instruction and training as is provided for in Section 37-23-31 shall be furnished in such manner as shall be provided by rules and regulations adopted by the State Board of Education, which for such purposes shall have the full power to adopt such rules, regulations, policies and standards as it may deem necessary to carry out the purpose of Sections 37-23-31 through 37-23-35 , including the establishment of qualifications consistent with the requirements of subsection (2) of this section for any teachers employed under the provisions thereof. It is expressly provided, however, that no program of education, instruction and training shall be furnished except in a university or college supported by the State of Mississippi and only in cases where such university or college shall consent thereto and shall provide any classroom space, furniture and facilities which may be deemed necessary in carrying out the provisions of those sections.

(2) Speech-language pathologists, educational audiologists, and special and early childhood educators are qualified and authorized to serve as the lead teacher for children enrolled in a university or college-based program through the IDEA-Part C and IDEA-Part B eligibility and placement process. Whenever communication is a primary area of concern on a child's Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) or Individualized Education Program (IEP), a speech-language pathologist or educational audiologist may serve as the lead instructor with an educator serving as a related service provider as necessary to meet the educational needs of the child. Speech-language pathologists and educational audiologists must undergo extensive college coursework in communication-based disorders impacting multiple areas of development, including cognition. The content of the college coursework must include typical and atypical development for ages birth through death. In addition to completing the college coursework, these instructional providers must meet all instructional licensure requirements as set forth by the State Department of Education for the purpose of funding MAEP special education teacher units.

(3) The State Department of Education through its general supervision responsibilities set forth by the Office of Special Education Programs at the United States Department of Education, shall require that the program of education, instruction and training be designed to provide individualized appropriate special education and related services that enable a child to reach his or her appropriate and uniquely designed goals for success.

(4) A university- or college-based program must submit all reports and data required by the State Department of Education on the same or similar time schedule and in the same or similar manner that same or similar reports and data must be submitted to the department by local educational agencies.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-191 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 23-191
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-191
Status: in_force

Sections 37-23-191 through 37-23-203 may be cited as the “Blind Persons' Literacy Rights and Education Act.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-30 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 15-30
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-30
Status: in_force

(1) Notwithstanding any provision of law, a pupil complies with the residency requirements for school attendance in a school district if the parent of the pupil is transferred to, or is pending transfer to, a military installation within this state while on active military duty pursuant to an official military order.

(2) A school district shall accept an application for enrollment and course registration by electronic means for a pupil who meets the requirements prescribed in subsection (1) of this section, including enrollment in a specific school or program within the school district.

(3) The parent of a pupil who meets the requirement prescribed in subsection (1) of this section shall provide proof of residence to the school district within ten (10) days after the published arrival date provided on official documentation. The parent may use the address of any of the following as proof of residence for the purposes of this subsection:

(a) A temporary on-base billeting facility.

(b) A purchased or leased home or apartment.

(c) Any federal government housing or off-base military housing, including off-base military housing that may be provided through a public-private venture.

(4) For the purposes of this section:

(a) “ Active military duty ” means full-time military duty status in the active uniformed service of the United States, including members of the National Guard and the State Military Reserve on active duty orders.

(b) “ Military installation ” means a base, camp, post, station, yard, center, homeport facility for any ship or other installation under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Defense or the United States Coast Guard.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-63-8 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 63-8
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-63-8
Status: in_force

The Authority shall have the authority, with the assistance and approval of the State Personnel Board, to implement extern training programs for its employees and contract with private sector businesses for such training. The training programs shall be available, at the discretion of the Authority and the Executive Director, to employees who have served with the agency for one (1) year or more. The salary of the employees may be paid by the Authority while the employee is receiving such training. No training shall be in excess of three (3) months and forty (40) hours per week. Any employee participating in such extern training program shall be required to remain employed with the Authority for a period of one (1) year following completion of the training period. Any person leaving the employment of the Authority prior to the completion of the required one (1) year period shall be liable for the salary and fringe benefits expended for the employee during the training period.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-53 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 11-53
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-53
Status: in_force

(1) A copy of the school district's discipline plan shall be distributed to each student enrolled in the district, and the parents, guardian or custodian of such student shall sign a statement verifying that they have been given notice of the discipline policies of their respective school district. The school board shall have its official discipline plan and code of student conduct legally audited on an annual basis to insure that its policies and procedures are currently in compliance with applicable statutes, case law and state and federal constitutional provisions. As part of the first legal audit occurring after July 1, 2001, the provisions of this section, Section 37-11-55 and Section 37-11-18.1 , shall be fully incorporated into the school district's discipline plan and code of student conduct.

(2) All discipline plans of school districts shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a) A parent, guardian or custodian of a compulsory-school-age child enrolled in a public school district shall be responsible financially for his or her minor child's destructive acts against school property or persons;

(b) A parent, guardian or custodian of a compulsory-school-age child enrolled in a public school district may be requested to appear at school by the school attendance officer or an appropriate school official for a conference regarding acts of the child specified in paragraph (a) of this subsection, or for any other discipline conference regarding the acts of the child;

(c) Any parent, guardian or custodian of a compulsory-school-age child enrolled in a school district who refuses or willfully fails to attend such discipline conference specified in paragraph (b) of this section may be summoned by proper notification by the superintendent of schools or the school attendance officer and be required to attend such discipline conference; and

(d) A parent, guardian or custodian of a compulsory-school-age child enrolled in a public school district shall be responsible for any criminal fines brought against such student for unlawful activity occurring on school grounds or buses.

(3) Any parent, guardian or custodian of a compulsory-school-age child who (a) fails to attend a discipline conference to which such parent, guardian or custodian has been summoned under the provisions of this section, or (b) refuses or willfully fails to perform any other duties imposed upon him or her under the provisions of this section, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not to exceed Two Hundred Fifty Dollars ($250.00).

(4) Any public school district shall be entitled to recover damages in an amount not to exceed Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000.00), plus necessary court costs, from the parents of any minor under the age of eighteen (18) years and over the age of six (6) years, who maliciously and willfully damages or destroys property belonging to such school district. However, this section shall not apply to parents whose parental control of such child has been removed by court order or decree. The action authorized in this section shall be in addition to all other actions which the school district is entitled to maintain and nothing in this section shall preclude recovery in a greater amount from the minor or from a person, including the parents, for damages to which such minor or other person would otherwise be liable.

(5) A school district's discipline plan may provide that as an alternative to suspension, a student may remain in school by having the parent, guardian or custodian, with the consent of the student's teacher or teachers, attend class with the student for a period of time specifically agreed upon by the reporting teacher and school principal. If the parent, guardian or custodian does not agree to attend class with the student or fails to attend class with the student, the student shall be suspended in accordance with the code of student conduct and discipline policies of the school district.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-47 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 106-47
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-47
Status: in_force

(1)(a) The board is authorized and empowered to operate the following forgivable loan programs of like character, operation and purpose to the foregoing enumerated programs to encourage the participation of eligible worthy persons in courses of instruction in its institutions: Graduate Teacher Forgivable Loan, Counselor and School Administrator Forgivable Loan, Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral Scholars Forgivable Loan, and Veterinary Medicine Minority Forgivable Loan.

(b) In addition to the authority granted to the board in paragraph (a) of this subsection, the board is authorized and empowered to promulgate rules and regulations for the Southern Regional Education Board Contract Forgivable Loan Program, created through the regional education compact, as set forth in Section 37-135-1 .

(2) In furtherance of such power and authority, the board is authorized to adopt and implement rules and regulations declaring and describing the goals and objectives of such forgivable loan programs; to establish the eligibility requirements for entry into such program and required for continuing participation for succeeding years; to determine the maximum amount to be made available to recipients; to delineate the terms and conditions of contracts with recipients and establish the service requirements for such contracts, if any; to enter into contracts pertaining to such programs with recipients; to enter into loan agreements and other contracts with financial institutions or other providers of loan monies for forgivable loan and loan repayment participants; and to allocate and utilize such funds as may be necessary for the operation of such forgivable loan programs from the annual appropriation for student financial aid. In issuing rules and regulations governing the administration of the Graduate Teacher Summer Scholarship (GTSS) program, the board shall provide that certified teachers at the Oakley Youth Development Center under the jurisdiction of the Department of Human Services shall be fully eligible to participate in the program.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-47 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 106-47
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-47
Status: in_force

(1)(a) The board is authorized and empowered to operate the following forgivable loan programs of like character, operation and purpose to the foregoing enumerated programs to encourage the participation of eligible worthy persons in courses of instruction in its institutions: Graduate Teacher Forgivable Loan, Counselor and School Administrator Forgivable Loan, Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral Scholars Forgivable Loan, and Veterinary Medicine Minority Forgivable Loan.

(b) In addition to the authority granted to the board in paragraph (a) of this subsection, the board is authorized and empowered to promulgate rules and regulations for the Southern Regional Education Board Contract Forgivable Loan Program, created through the regional education compact, as set forth in Section 37-135-1 .

(2) In furtherance of such power and authority, the board is authorized to adopt and implement rules and regulations declaring and describing the goals and objectives of such forgivable loan programs; to establish the eligibility requirements for entry into such program and required for continuing participation for succeeding years; to determine the maximum amount to be made available to recipients; to delineate the terms and conditions of contracts with recipients and establish the service requirements for such contracts, if any; to enter into contracts pertaining to such programs with recipients; to enter into loan agreements and other contracts with financial institutions or other providers of loan monies for forgivable loan and loan repayment participants; and to allocate and utilize such funds as may be necessary for the operation of such forgivable loan programs from the annual appropriation for student financial aid. In issuing rules and regulations governing the administration of the Graduate Teacher Summer Scholarship (GTSS) program, the board shall provide that certified teachers at the Oakley Youth Development Center under the jurisdiction of the Department of Human Services shall be fully eligible to participate in the program.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-61 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 113-61
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-61
Status: in_force

(1) As used in this section:

(a) “ Extension service ” means the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

(b) “ Fiscal year ” means the period beginning on July 1 of any year and ending on June 30 of the following year.

(c) “ Therapeutic riding ” means the use of equine-facilitated activities for the purpose of contributing positively to the cognitive, physical, emotional and social well-being of people with disabilities.

(2) There is established a program of state certification for therapeutic riding instructors in Mississippi, which shall be administered by the Mississippi State University Extension Service. In order to receive certification under the state program, a therapeutic riding instructor must complete the training provided by the extension service, which shall address standards of safety for participants, volunteers, staff, equipment, facilities and horses, and standards of health care for horses. The extension service shall provide, or facilitate through contracts with third parties, the training necessary to obtain certification.

(3) Initial and renewal certification under the state program will be valid for one (1) fiscal year. The initial certification will be valid for the fiscal year in which it is obtained. In order to renew the certification for later fiscal years, the instructor must attend, in each fiscal year, a continuing education seminar that is provided by or approved by the extension service.

(4) The extension service may charge reasonable fees for providing training, initial certification, and continuing education seminars.

(5) The state certification program is a program to identify and recognize those therapeutic riding instructors who have completed training in safety standards in therapeutic riding. The state certification program is not a regulatory program, and the extension service shall not have any regulatory authority over therapeutic riding instructors, facilities or programs in Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-104-23 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 104-23
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-104-23
Status: in_force

The Authority may sell the revenue bonds in such a manner and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale shall be made at a price less than par, plus accrued interest to date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. Notice of the sale of any revenue bonds shall be published at least one (1) time not less than ten (10) days prior to the date of sale, and shall be so published in one or more newspapers published in Jackson, Mississippi, and having general circulation within the State of Mississippi, and in one or more other newspapers or financial journals as may be directed by the Authority.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-195 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 13-195
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-195
Status: in_force

(1) There is created the Mississippi Civil Rights Education Commission. The commission shall be assigned to the Office of the Secretary of State for administrative purposes only. The commission shall provide or assist education officials and other organizations with information, coordination and modification of courses or programs that include the Civil Rights Movement, and will carry out the specific responsibilities set forth in Section 37-13-193 . In completing this task, the commission may act as a liaison with various bodies, including the United States Congress, the State Legislature, Teaching for Change, the William Winter Institute for Racial Reconciliation, as well as other national and international agencies. The commission shall consist of no more than fifteen (15) members, eleven (11) positions of which will be voluntary, to serve with a term of three (3) years on a rotating basis. These positions will be filled by application submitted to a joint committee formed by the William Winter Institute at the University of Mississippi, Tougaloo College, the Oral History Project at the University of Southern Mississippi and Jackson State University. Each of these four (4) entities shall remain permanent members of this commission, with representatives to be appointed by the President or Chancellor of the appropriate institution.

(2) The members of the commission shall be residents of this state and shall be appointed with due regard for broad geographic representation.

(3) The commission shall have a chairperson who shall be designated by the State Superintendent of Education from the commission membership for a term of four (4) years and eight (8) members of the commission shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of the business of the commission.

(4) The Mississippi Commission on Civil Rights Education shall adopt rules and regulations and set standards and policies for the organization, operation, management, budgeting and programs of the commission.

(5) The commission may apply for and receive gifts, grants and donations from any public or private sources, including federal and private foundation grants. Members of the commission may not be compensated for the performance of their duties except from nonstate funds that are specifically available therefor.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-104.1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 7-104.1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-104.1
Status: in_force

(1) In Bolivar County, Mississippi, in which are located, as of January 1, 2012, six (6) school districts, there shall be an administrative consolidation of all of the school districts in the county into three (3) school districts as follows:

(a) One (1) existing school district which shall be the Cleveland School District;

(b) One (1) new consolidated school district to be designated as North Bolivar Consolidated School District which shall consist of the territory of the former North Bolivar School District and the Mound Bayou Public School District. The central administrative office of the North Bolivar Consolidated School District shall be located in Mound Bayou, Mississippi; and

(c) One (1) new consolidated school district to be designated as West Bolivar Consolidated School District which shall consist of the territory of the former West Bolivar School District, Shaw School District and Benoit School District. The central administrative office of the West Bolivar Consolidated School District shall be located in Rosedale, Mississippi.

(2) On or before September 1, 2012, the State Board of Education shall serve the local school boards in Bolivar County with notice and instructions regarding the timetable for action to be taken to comply with the administrative consolidation required in this section. The State Board of Education shall provide for the administrative consolidation of all school districts in the county outside of the territory of Cleveland School District into North Bolivar Consolidated School District and West Bolivar Consolidated School District on or before July 1, 2014. In each new consolidated school district there shall be a new consolidated school district board of trustees elected in a November 2013 special election which shall be called by the Governor for that purpose. The new consolidated school district boards of trustees shall be elected and the terms of office established as provided in Section 37-7-207, Mississippi Code of 1972 . The State Board of Education shall determine the boundary lines for the territory of the two (2) new school districts and shall spread a legal description of the new school districts on the minutes of its August 2012 meeting and shall serve the applicable school boards and the board of supervisors with an adequate legal description of these new boundaries. It shall be the responsibility of the State Board of Education with the assistance of the Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review (PEER) to apportion the territory of the two (2) new school districts into five (5) new board of trustee election districts for each new school district. The State Board of Education shall thereafter publish the same in some newspaper of general circulation in said county for at least three (3) consecutive weeks and after having given notice of publication and recording the same upon the minutes of the school boards of each school district in the county, said new district lines will thereafter be effective for the November 2013 special election. Any school board member of the former school district residing in the proper election district shall be eligible for election to the new board of trustees for North Bolivar Consolidated School District or West Bolivar Consolidated School District. The local school board of each new school district shall reapportion the school board districts in accordance with the procedure described in Section 37-7-207, Mississippi Code of 1972 , as is necessary as soon as practicable after the 2020 decennial census are published and as soon as practicable after every decennial census thereafter. Any school district affected by the required administrative consolidation in such county that does not voluntarily consolidate with the two (2) new school districts ordered by the State Board of Education shall be administratively consolidated by the State Board of Education with the appropriate school district in which such district is located, to be effective on July 1 following the election of the new local school boards. The State Board of Education shall promptly move on its own motion to administratively consolidate a school district which does not voluntarily consolidate in order to enable the affected school districts to reasonably accomplish the resulting administrative consolidation into two (2) school districts by July 1 following the election of the new school boards. All affected school districts shall comply with any consolidation order issued by the State Board of Education on or before July 1 following the election of the new school boards.

(3) On July 1 following the election of the new school district boards of trustees in Bolivar County, the former county board of education and the former board of trustees of North Bolivar School District, Mound Bayou Public School District, West Bolivar School District, Shaw School District and Benoit School District shall be abolished. All real and personal property which is owned or titled in the name of a school district located in such former school district shall be transferred to the new reorganized school district of Bolivar County in which such former school district is located. Each former school board shall be responsible for establishing the contracts for teachers and principals for the next school year following the required administrative consolidation with the consultation of the newly elected successor school boards. The new Board of Trustees for the North Bolivar Consolidated School District shall appoint the Superintendent of Schools for said school district, and the Board of Trustees for the West Bolivar Consolidated School District shall appoint the Superintendent of Schools for said school district. The subsequent superintendent of schools of said reorganized school districts shall not be elected but shall thereafter be appointed by the successor boards of trustees in the manner provided in Section 37-9-25 . Any superintendent serving in the former school districts shall be eligible for appointment as a superintendent in North Bolivar Consolidated School District or West Bolivar Consolidated School District. North Bolivar Consolidated School District and West Bolivar Consolidated School District shall not have more than one (1) assistant superintendent. It shall be the responsibility of the successor boards of trustees to prepare and approve the budget of the respective new reorganized districts, and the successor boards of trustees may use staff from the former school districts to prepare the budget. Any proposed order of the State Board of Education directing the transfer of the assets, real or personal property of an affected school district in the county, shall be final and conclusive for the purposes of the transfer of property required by such administrative consolidation. Any person or school district aggrieved by an order of the successor newly elected board of trustees of a consolidated school district pursuant to the required administrative consolidation may appeal therefrom to the State Board of Education within ten (10) days from the date of the adjournment of the meeting at which such order is entered. Such appeal shall be de novo, and the finding of the State Board of Education upon such question shall be final and conclusive for the purpose of the approval or disapproval of the action by said county board of education.

(4) When any school district in such county is abolished under the provisions of this section, the abolition thereof shall not impair or release the property of such former school district from liability for the payment of the bonds or other indebtedness of such district.

(5) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the closing of any school or school facility, unless such facility is an unneeded administrative office located within a school district which has been abolished under the provisions of this section. All administrative consolidations under this section shall be accomplished so as not to delay or in any manner negatively affect the desegregation of another school district in the county pursuant to court order.

(6) The State Board of Education shall promulgate rules and regulations to facilitate the administrative consolidation of the school districts in Bolivar County pursuant to this section. The consolidated districts shall make an election within one (1) year of consolidation concerning the group term life insurance described in subsection (7) of Section 25-15-9 . When the orders of the State Board of Education adopting the boundaries of the successor school districts and the successor board of trustees election districts have been entered and are final, as directed by the State Board of Education, the new district lines shall be submitted by the State Board of Education with the assistance of the Attorney General to the Attorney General of the United States for preclearance or to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for a declaratory judgment in accordance with the provisions of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended and extended. In the event the change in the school district lines and election districts are precleared or approved, the State Board of Education shall formally declare the new lines as the new boundaries of the successor school districts.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-145-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 145-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-145-1
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Opportunity Loan Program Act.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-251 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 33-251
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-251
Status: in_force

It is the intent of the Legislature to provide for the development of a coordinated rehabilitation program for those persons severely disabled by spinal cord injuries or traumatic brain injuries. Further, it is intended that permanent paralysis and brain damage be prevented whenever possible through early identification of spinal cord/brain injuries, skilled emergency evaluation procedures, and proper medical and rehabilitative treatment. The goal of this program shall be to enable individuals severely disabled by spinal cord injury or traumatic brain injury to resume the activities of daily living and reintegrate with the community with as much dignity and independence as possible. For those persons who cannot achieve complete independence, supportive services are needed in order for them to live as normally as possible.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-169-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 169-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-169-3
Status: in_force

Members of the advisory committee shall be composed of the following:

(a) Five (5) persons who are the parents of children with autism or ASD, with one (1) such person to be appointed by the Governor, two (2) to be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and two (2) to be appointed by the Speaker of the House;

(b) One (1) person who is a member of the governing body of a school district, to be appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Education;

(c) The State Superintendent of Public Education or the Associate Superintendent of the Office of Special Education;

(d) One (1) person who is the director of special education services in a school district, to be appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Education;

(e) Two (2) members of the Mississippi Special Education Advisory Committee, to be selected by the committee;

(f) Two (2) educators or behavioral specialists who work directly with students with ASD, to be appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Education;

(g) Two (2) Mississippi licensed psychologists who perform evaluation or consultation with Mississippi schools, to be appointed by the Mississippi Association of Psychology in the Schools;

(h) The project director of the Mississippi Parent Training and Information Center;

(i) Two (2) persons who are representatives of autism advocacy groups or professionals who work with the advocacy groups and provide services to individuals with autism or ASD, to be appointed by the Executive Director of the Department of Mental Health;

(j) One (1) person who is a representative of the State Department of Mental Health, to be appointed by the executive director of the department;

(k) One (1) person who is a representative of a private mental health facility who provides services to youth with ASD, to be appointed by the Executive Director of the State Department of Mental Health;

(l) One (1) person who is a representative of the University of Mississippi Medical Center and who provides medical or other services to individuals with autism or ASD, to be appointed by the Vice Chancellor of the University of Mississippi Medical Center;

(m) Two (2) persons who are working in private industry whose business has the potential to employ individuals with autism, to be appointed by the Governor;

(n) One (1) person who is a Transition Specialist, to be appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Education;

(o) One (1) representative of the T.K. Martin Center, to be appointed by the Director of the T.K. Martin Center;

(p) One (1) representative of the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitation Services;

(q) Two (2) persons who are licensed therapists, to be appointed by the President of the Mississippi Speech Language and Hearing Association;

(r) One (1) person who is a representative of the Mississippi Department of Insurance, to be appointed by the commissioner; and

(s) One (1) person who is a representative of the Mississippi Department of Human Services, to be appointed by the director of the department.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-203 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 151-203
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-203
Status: in_force

(1) In fiscal year 2025, the student base amount shall be Six Thousand Six Hundred Ninety-five Dollars and Thirty-four Cents ($6,695.34) per student. In fiscal years 2026, 2027 and 2028, the inflationary adjustment described in this section shall be applied to derive the total funding formula. In fiscal year 2029, and every fourth fiscal year thereafter, the State Board of Education, on or before August 1, with an adjusted estimate no later than January 2, shall submit to the Legislative Budget Office, the Chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Appropriations and Education Committees, respectively, the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House a new proposed student base amount calculation using the following formula:

(a) Instructional cost. To determine the instructional cost, the department shall first calculate the state's student to teacher ratio. Such ratio shall be determined by dividing the net enrollment for public schools and charter schools in the state by the total number of teachers in such schools, as determined by the department, in months two (2) and three (3) of the school year preceding the year funds are to be appropriated. The student to teacher ratio shall be rounded up to the nearest whole number. After determining the student to teacher ratio, the average teacher salary shall be divided by the student-teacher ratio, and the resulting amount shall be considered the instructional cost. The average teacher salary shall be calculated by the department and include district local supplements as provided in Section 37-151-87 , but shall not include the highest five percent (5%) and lowest five percent (5%) of district local supplements.

(b) Administrative cost; which shall be twenty percent (20%) of the instructional cost.

(c) Ancillary personnel and expenses; which shall be thirty percent (30%) of the instructional cost.

(d) Operation and maintenance of plant. For the plant and maintenance cost component, the State Department of Education shall select districts that have a ratio of plant and maintenance expenditures per one hundred thousand (100,000) square feet of building space and a ratio of maintenance workers per one hundred thousand (100,000) square feet of building space that are both between one (1) standard deviation above the mean and two (2) standard deviations below the mean of the statewide average. The plant and maintenance cost component shall be calculated by dividing the latest available months one (1) through nine (9) average daily attendance of the selected districts into the plant and maintenance expenditures of these selected districts. For the purpose of this calculation, the Department of Education shall use the following funds, functions and objects: Fund 1120 Functions 2600-2699, Objects 100-699 and Objects 800-999; Fund 2711 Functions 2600-2699, Objects 100-699 and Objects 800-999; Fund 2430 Functions 2600-2699, Objects 100-699 and Objects 800-999. Net enrollment means the percentage change from the prior year of each year of each school district's months two (2) and three (3) average of net enrollment for the three (3) immediately preceding school years of the year for which funds are being appropriated.

(2) For purposes of these calculations, the State Department of Education shall utilize financial data from the second preceding year of the year for which funds are being appropriated.

(3) For each of the fiscal years between the recalculation of the base student cost, the base student cost shall be increased by an amount equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the base student cost for the previous fiscal year, multiplied by the twenty year average annual change in the rate of inflation rounded up to the nearest tenth of a percent for the State of Mississippi as determined by the State Economist, plus any adjustments for additional state requirements including, but not limited to, teacher pay raises and health insurance premium increases. The calculation shall be performed annually by the Department of Education, and the resulting amount shall replace base student cost from the previous year.

(4) In years when the total revenue of the state does not increase, the Legislature may retain the base student cost from the previous year. If the total revenue increases the following year, the formula shall be recalculated or increased according to inflation as provided in Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 .

(5) Base student cost shall not be lower than the previous year; provided, however, the base student cost may be lowered when the State Fiscal Officer provides notice to the Legislative Budget Office of a revenue shortfall in accordance with Section 27-104-13 .

(6) By November 1, 2024, the department shall submit to the Legislative Budget Office, the Chairmen of the Senate and House of Representatives Appropriations and Education Committees, respectively, the Lieutenant Governor and the Speaker of the House, a report on the department's plan for implementation of the funding formula as specified under the provisions of Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 , and to recommend any technical amendments necessary for its effective administration before the commencement of the 2025 Regular Session of the Legislature.

(7) The annual amount of funding for the operation of each school district and charter school under the total funding formula as provided under Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 is determined by multiplying the student base amount, as determined under Section 37-151-203 , by the final weighted enrollment of the school district or charter school, as determined under Section 37-151-205 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-41-95 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 41-95
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-41-95
Status: in_force

All such notes issued by a school district shall be signed by the president of the school board and countersigned by the superintendent of schools, and the seal of the school district shall be impressed on each note as it is issued. The interest on said notes may be evidenced by proper coupons attached thereto and such coupons may bear only the facsimile signatures of the president of the school board and the superintendent of schools. Such notes shall be issued in such form and in such denominations as the school board shall determine. All of said notes shall be registered by the superintendent of schools in a book kept by him in his office for that purpose.

Where bonds are issued by the school board the manner of issuance and the form thereof shall be in compliance with the provisions of Sections 37-59-1 through 37-59-45 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-59-5 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 59-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-59-5
Status: in_force

No school district shall, except as provided in Section 37-59-7 , hereafter issue bonds for the purposes authorized by law in an amount which, added to all of its then outstanding bonded indebtedness, shall result in the imposition on any of the property in such district of an indebtedness for school purposes of more than fifteen per cent of the assessed value of the taxable property within such district, according to the then last completed assessment for taxation, regardless of whether any of such indebtedness shall have been incurred by such district or by another school district or districts.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 23-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-9
Status: in_force

Except as otherwise provided in Laws, 1999, Chapter 582, 1 course of study, teacher-pupil ratio, adequacy of methods of instruction, in-service training qualifications of teachers and technicians, and necessary equipment for special education must comply with the requirements established by the state department of education. Boards of trustees of the districts wherein a special class or classes are established are to employ teachers as provided by law for the purpose of teaching the established special classes.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-177-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 177-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-177-9
Status: in_force

A public school student may not be assigned a grade level based solely on the student's age or any other factors that constitute social promotion.

Beginning in the 2014-2015 school year, if a student's reading deficiency is not remedied by the end of the student's Third-Grade year, as demonstrated by the student scoring at the lowest achievement level in reading on the state annual accountability assessment or on an approved alternative standardized assessment for Third Grade, the student shall not be promoted to Fourth Grade.

Beginning in the 2018-2019 school year, if a student's reading deficiency is not remedied by the end of the student's Third-Grade year, as demonstrated by the student scoring above the lowest two (2) achievement levels in reading on the state annual accountability assessment or on an approved alternative standardized assessment for Third Grade, the student shall not be promoted to Fourth Grade.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-31-111 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 31-111
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-31-111
Status: in_force

An annual report on program activities and results shall be prepared by the state department of education, vocational division, and submitted to the legislature with the overall annual vocational education report.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-83 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 106-83
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-83
Status: in_force

(1) There is established in the State Treasury a special fund to be designated as the “Kinkade Fostering Access and Inspiring True Hope (FAITH) Scholarship Program Fund.” The special fund shall consist of funds appropriated or otherwise made available by the Legislature in any manner, and funds from any other source designated for deposit into the special fund. Monies in the fund shall only be spent upon appropriation by the Legislature to the Mississippi Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board and shall only be used by the Board for the purpose of implementing the scholarship program established in Section 37-106-81 .

(2) Unexpended amounts remaining in the special fund at the end of a fiscal year shall not lapse into the State General Fund but shall remain in the Kinkade FAITH Scholarship Program Fund. Any investment earnings or interest earned on amounts in the special fund shall be deposited to the credit of the special fund.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-41 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 106-41
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-41
Status: in_force

(1) If any member of the armed services, whose official house of record and residence is within the State of Mississippi, is officially reported as being either a prisoner of war or missing in action in Southeast Asia or has been a prisoner of a foreign government as the result of a military action against the United States naval vessel, Pueblo, his child or children shall be entitled to an eight-semester scholarship without cost, exclusive of books, food, school supplies, materials and dues or fees for extracurricular activities at any state-supported college or university of his choice within this state. However, no child will be entitled to receive benefits during any semester or quarter when said child has reached the age of twenty-three (23) years on the first day of the semester or quarter.

(2) The provisions of this section shall apply to the child or children of any member of the armed services who is officially reported as being either a prisoner of war or missing in action in Southeast Asia whose spouse was a resident of this state for a period of not less than ten (10) years during her minority and is a resident or physically resides within this state and does continually reside within this state at the time of enrollment and during the enrollment, and is a resident or physically resides within this state as of April 9, 1973.

(3) It is further provided that the provisions of this section shall apply to the child or children of any person who was a resident of this state at the time he was inducted into the Armed Forces of the United States of America and who is either a former prisoner of war or officially reported as being a prisoner of war or missing in action in Southeast Asia and who, or his spouse if she was a resident of this state for a period of not less than ten (10) years during her minority, is a resident of this state and at the time of enrollment and during the enrollment of his child or children at any state-supported college or university in this state resided or resides in this state.

(4) Any applicant qualified and desiring a scholarship under this section shall apply in writing to the board. The board shall make inquiries into each such application and shall make the investigation as it deems proper to establish and validate all claims made under this section before a scholarship is granted.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-121 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 23-121
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-121
Status: in_force

Sections 37-23-121 through 37-23-131 shall be cited as the “Mississippi Learning Resources Law of 1974.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-39 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 27-39
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-39
Status: in_force

The boards of trustees of any agricultural high school in the state, with the approval of the board of supervisors and the county board of education, are hereby authorized and empowered to exchange the lands belonging to said schools, except the lands on which the school buildings are located, for other lands. The deed or deeds of conveyance shall be executed by the president or chairman and the secretary of the board of trustees pursuant to an order of the board of trustees entered on its minutes, and pursuant to an order of approval by the board of supervisors and county board of education entered on their minutes, and which, when so executed, shall be fully effective to convey title to said property. The orders of the respective boards shall fully describe the property to be conveyed by said school and also, the property to be received in exchange for same.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-61-33 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 61-33
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-61-33
Status: in_force

(1) There is created within the State Treasury a special fund to be designated the “Education Enhancement Fund” into which shall be deposited all the revenues collected pursuant to Sections 27-65-75(5) , (7) and (8) and 27-67-31(a) and (b) .

(2) Of the amount deposited into the Education Enhancement Fund, Sixteen Million Dollars ($16,000,000.00) shall be appropriated each fiscal year to the State Department of Education to be distributed to all school districts. Such money shall be distributed to all school districts in the proportion that the net enrollment of each school district bears to the net enrollment of all school districts within the state for the following purposes:

(a) Purchasing, erecting, repairing, equipping, remodeling and enlarging school buildings and related facilities, including gymnasiums, auditoriums, lunchrooms, vocational training buildings, libraries, teachers' homes, school barns, transportation vehicles (which shall include new and used transportation vehicles) and garages for transportation vehicles, and purchasing land therefor;

(b) Establishing and equipping school athletic fields and necessary facilities connected therewith, and purchasing land therefor;

(c) Providing necessary water, light, heating, air-conditioning and sewerage facilities for school buildings, and purchasing land therefor;

(d) As a pledge to pay all or a portion of the debt service on debt issued by the school district under Sections 37-59-1 through 37-59-45 , 37-59-101 through 37-59-115 , 37-7-351 through 37-7-359 , 37-41-89 through 37-41-99 , 37-7-301 , 37-7-302 and 37-41-81 , or debt issued by boards of supervisors for agricultural high schools pursuant to Section 37-27-65 , if such pledge is accomplished pursuant to a written contract or resolution approved and spread upon the minutes of an official meeting of the district's school board or board of supervisors. The annual grant to such district in any subsequent year during the term of the resolution or contract shall not be reduced below an amount equal to the district's grant amount for the year in which the contract or resolution was adopted. The intent of this provision is to allow school districts to irrevocably pledge a certain, constant stream of revenue as security for long-term obligations issued under the code sections enumerated in this paragraph or as otherwise allowed by law. It is the intent of the Legislature that the provisions of this paragraph shall be cumulative and supplemental to any existing funding programs or other authority conferred upon school districts or school boards. Debt of a district secured by a pledge of sales tax revenue pursuant to this paragraph shall not be subject to any debt limitation contained in the foregoing enumerated code sections; and

(e) Any other purpose for which the total funding formula funds as determined by Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 are not sufficient.

(3) The remainder of the money deposited into the Education Enhancement Fund shall be appropriated as follows:

(a) To the State Department of Education as follows:

(i) Sixteen and sixty-one one-hundredths percent (16.61%) to the cost of the total funding formula determined under Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 ; of the funds generated by the percentage set forth in this section for the support of the adequate education program, one and one hundred seventy-eight one-thousandths percent (1.178%) of the funds shall be appropriated to be used by the State Department of Education for the purchase of textbooks to be loaned under Sections 37-43-1 through 37-43-59 to approved nonpublic schools, as described in Section 37-43-1 . The funds to be distributed to each nonpublic school shall be in the proportion that the average daily attendance of each nonpublic school bears to the total average daily attendance of all nonpublic schools;

(ii) Seven and ninety-seven one-hundredths percent (7.97%) to assist the funding of transportation operations and maintenance pursuant to Section 37-19-23 ; and

(iii) Nine and sixty-one one-hundredths percent (9.61%) for classroom supplies, instructional materials and equipment, including computers and computer software, to be distributed to all eligible teachers within the state through the use of procurement cards or a digital solution capable of tracking, paying and reporting purchases. Classroom supply funds shall not be expended for administrative purposes. On a date to be determined by the State Department of Education, but not later than July 1 of each year, local school districts shall determine and submit to the State Department of Education the number of teachers eligible to receive an allocation for the current year. For purposes of this subparagraph, “ teacher ” means any employee of the school board of a school district, or the Mississippi School for the Arts, the Mississippi School for Math and Science, the Mississippi School for the Blind, the Mississippi School for the Deaf or public charter school, who is required by law to obtain a teacher's license from the State Department of Education and who is assigned to an instructional area of work as defined by the department, and shall include any full- or part-time gifted or special education teacher. It is the intent of the Legislature that all classroom teachers shall utilize these funds in a manner that addresses individual classroom needs and supports the overall goals of the school regarding supplies, instructional materials, equipment, computers or computer software under the provisions of this subparagraph, including the type, quantity and quality of such supplies, materials and equipment. Classroom supply funds allocated under this subparagraph shall supplement, not replace, other local and state funds available for the same purposes. The State Board of Education shall develop and promulgate rules and regulations for the administration of this subparagraph consistent with the above criteria, with particular emphasis on allowing the individual teachers to expend funds as they deem appropriate. The local school board shall require each school to issue credentials for a digital solution selected by or procurement cards provided by the Department of Finance and Administration under the provisions of Section 31-7-9(1)(c) for the use of teachers and necessary support personnel in making instructional supply fund expenditures under this section, consistent with the regulations of the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration pursuant to Section 31-7-9 . Such credentials or procurement cards shall be provided by the State Department of Education to local school districts on a date determined by the State Department of Education, but not later than August 1 of each year. Local school districts shall issue such credentials or procurement cards to classroom teachers at the beginning of the school year, but no later than August 1 of each year, and shall be issued in equal amounts per teacher determined by the total number of qualifying personnel and the current state appropriation for classroom supplies with the Education Enhancement Fund. After initial cards are issued under the timeline prescribed by this section, the State Department of Education may issue cards to districts for any classroom teacher hired after July 1 under a timeline prescribed by the State Department of Education. Such credentials or cards will expire on a predetermined date at the end of each school year, but not before April 1 of each year;

(b) Twenty-two and nine one-hundredths percent (22.09%) to the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning for the purpose of supporting institutions of higher learning; and

(c) Fourteen and forty-one one-hundredths percent (14.41%) to the Mississippi Community College Board for the purpose of providing support to community and junior colleges.

(4) The amount remaining in the Education Enhancement Fund after funds are distributed as provided in subsections (2) and (3) of this section shall be appropriated for other educational needs.

(5) None of the funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (3)(a) of this section shall be used to reduce the state's General Fund appropriation for the categories listed in an amount below the following amounts:

(a) For subsection (3)(a)(ii) of this section, Thirty-six Million Seven Hundred Thousand Dollars ($36,700,000.00);

(b) For the aggregate of minimum program allotments in the 1997 fiscal year, formerly provided for in Chapter 19, Title 37, Mississippi Code of 1972 , as amended, excluding those funds for transportation as provided for in paragraph (a) of this subsection.

(6) Any funds appropriated from the Education Enhancement Fund that are unexpended at the end of a fiscal year shall lapse into the Education Enhancement Fund.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-307 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 7-307
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-307
Status: in_force

(1) For purposes of this section, the term “ licensed employee ” means any employee of a public school district required to hold a valid license by the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development.

(2) The school board of a school district shall establish by rules and regulations a policy of sick leave with pay for licensed employees and teacher assistants employed in the school district, and such policy shall include the following minimum provisions for sick and emergency leave with pay:

(a) Each licensed employee and teacher assistant, at the beginning of each school year, shall be credited with a minimum sick leave allowance, with pay, of seven (7) days for absences caused by illness or physical disability of the employee during that school year.

(b) Any unused portion of the total sick leave allowance shall be carried over to the next school year and credited to such licensed employee and teacher assistant if the licensed employee or teacher assistant remains employed in the same school district. In the event any public school licensed employee or teacher assistant transfers from one public school district in Mississippi to another, any unused portion of the total sick leave allowance credited to such licensed employee or teacher assistant shall be credited to such licensed employee or teacher assistant in the computation of unused leave for retirement purposes under Section 25-11-109 . Accumulation of sick leave allowed under this section shall be unlimited.

(c) No deduction from the pay of such licensed employee or teacher assistant may be made because of absence of such licensed employee or teacher assistant caused by illness or physical disability of the licensed employee or teacher assistant until after all sick leave allowance credited to such licensed employee or teacher assistant has been used.

(d) For the first ten (10) days of absence of a licensed employee because of illness or physical disability, in any school year, in excess of the sick leave allowance credited to such licensed employee, there shall be deducted from the pay of such licensed employee the established substitute amount of licensed employee compensation paid in that local school district, necessitated because of the absence of the licensed employee as a result of illness or physical disability. In lieu of deducting the established substitute amount from the pay of such licensed employee, the policy may allow the licensed employee to receive full pay for the first ten (10) days of absence because of illness or physical disability, in any school year, in excess of the sick leave allowance credited to such licensed employee. Thereafter, the regular pay of such absent licensed employee shall be suspended and withheld in its entirety for any period of absence because of illness or physical disability during that school year.

(3)(a) Beginning with the school year 1983-1984, each licensed employee at the beginning of each school year shall be credited with a minimum personal leave allowance, with pay, of two (2) days for absences caused by personal reasons during that school year. Effective for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years, licensed employees shall be credited with an additional one-half ( 1 / 2 ) day of personal leave for every day the licensed employee is furloughed without pay as provided in Section 37-7-308 . Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) of this subsection, such personal leave shall not be taken on the first day of the school term, the last day of the school term, on a day previous to a holiday or a day after a holiday. Personal leave may be used for professional purposes, including absences caused by attendance of such licensed employee at a seminar, class, training program, professional association or other functions designed for educators. No deduction from the pay of such licensed employee may be made because of absence of such licensed employee caused by personal reasons until after all personal leave allowance credited to such licensed employee has been used. However, the superintendent of a school district, in his discretion, may allow a licensed employee personal leave in addition to any minimum personal leave allowance, under the condition that there shall be deducted from the salary of such licensed employee the actual amount of any compensation paid to any person as a substitute, necessitated because of the absence of the licensed employee. Any unused portion of the total personal leave allowance up to five (5) days shall be carried over to the next school year and credited to such licensed employee if the licensed employee remains employed in the same school district. Any personal leave allowed for a furlough day shall not be carried over to the next school year.

(b) Notwithstanding the restrictions on the use of personal leave prescribed under paragraph (a) of this subsection, a licensed employee may use personal leave as follows:

(i) Personal leave may be taken on the first day of the school term, the last day of the school term, on a day previous to a holiday or a day after a holiday if, on the applicable day, an immediate family member of the employee is being deployed for military service.

(ii) Personal leave may be taken on a day previous to a holiday or a day after a holiday if an employee of a school district has either a minimum of ten (10) years' experience as an employee of that school district or a minimum of thirty (30) days of unused accumulated leave that has been earned while employed in that school district.

(iii) Personal leave may be taken on the first day of the school term, the last day of the school term, on a day previous to a holiday or a day after a holiday if, on the applicable day, the employee has been summoned to appear for jury duty or as a witness in court.

(iv) Personal leave may be taken on the first day of the school term, the last day of the school term, on a day previous to a holiday or a day after a holiday if, on the applicable day, an immediate family member of the employee dies or funeral services are held. Any day of the three (3) bereavement days may be used at the discretion of the teacher, and are not required to be taken in consecutive succession.

For the purpose of this subsection (3), the term “ immediate family member ” means spouse, parent, stepparent, child or stepchild, grandparent or sibling, including a stepbrother or stepsister.

(4) Beginning with the school year 1992-1993, each licensed employee shall be credited with a professional leave allowance, with pay, for each day of absence caused by reason of such employee's statutorily required membership and attendance at a regular or special meeting held within the State of Mississippi of the State Board of Education, the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development, the Commission on School Accreditation, the Mississippi Authority for Educational Television, the meetings of the state textbook rating committees or other meetings authorized by local school board policy.

(5) Upon retirement from employment, each licensed and nonlicensed employee shall be paid for not more than thirty (30) days of unused accumulated leave earned while employed by the school district in which the employee is last employed. Such payment for licensed employees shall be made by the school district at a rate equal to the amount paid to substitute teachers and for nonlicensed employees, the payment shall be made by the school district at a rate equal to the federal minimum wage. The payment shall be treated in the same manner for retirement purposes as a lump-sum payment for personal leave as provided in Section 25-11-103(f) . Any remaining lawfully credited unused leave, for which payment has not been made, shall be certified to the Public Employees' Retirement System in the same manner and subject to the same limitations as otherwise provided by law for unused leave. No payment for unused accumulated leave may be made to either a licensed or nonlicensed employee at termination or separation from service for any purpose other than for the purpose of retirement.

(6) The school board may adopt rules and regulations which will reasonably aid to implement the policy of sick and personal leave, including, but not limited to, rules and regulations having the following general effect:

(a) Requiring the absent employee to furnish the certificate of a physician or dentist or other medical practitioner as to the illness of the absent licensed employee, where the absence is for four (4) or more consecutive school days, or for two (2) consecutive school days immediately preceding or following a nonschool day;

(b) Providing penalties, by way of full deduction from salary, or entry on the work record of the employee, or other appropriate penalties, for any materially false statement by the employee as to the cause of absence;

(c) Forfeiture of accumulated or future sick leave, if the absence of the employee is caused by optional dental or medical treatment or surgery which could, without medical risk, have been provided, furnished or performed at a time when school was not in session;

(d) Enlarging, increasing or providing greater sick or personal leave allowances than the minimum standards established by this section in the discretion of the school board of each school district.

(7) School boards may include in their budgets provisions for the payment of substitute employees, necessitated because of the absence of regular licensed employees. All such substitute employees shall be paid wholly from district funds. Such school boards, in their discretion, also may pay, from district funds other than the total funding formula funds provided for in Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 , the whole or any part of the salaries of all employees granted leaves for the purpose of special studies or training.

(8) The school board may further adopt rules and regulations which will reasonably implement such leave policies for all other nonlicensed and hourly paid school employees as the board deems appropriate. Effective for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years, nonlicensed employees shall be credited with an additional one-half ( 1 / 2 ) day of personal leave for every day the nonlicensed employee is furloughed without pay as provided in Section 37-7-308 .

(9) Vacation leave granted to either licensed or nonlicensed employees shall be synonymous with personal leave. Unused vacation or personal leave accumulated by licensed employees in excess of the maximum five (5) days which may be carried over from one year to the next may be converted to sick leave. The annual conversion of unused vacation or personal leave to sick days for licensed or unlicensed employees shall not exceed the allowable number of personal leave days as provided in Section 25-3-93 . The annual total number of converted unused vacation and/or personal days added to the annual unused sick days for any employee shall not exceed the combined allowable number of days per year provided in Sections 25-3-93 and 25-3-95 . Local school board policies that provide for vacation, personal and sick leave for employees shall not exceed the provisions for leave as provided in Sections 25-3-93 and 25-3-95 . Any personal or vacation leave previously converted to sick leave under a lawfully adopted policy before May 1, 2004, or such personal or vacation leave accumulated and available for use prior to May 1, 2004, under a lawfully adopted policy but converted to sick leave after May 1, 2004, shall be recognized as accrued leave by the local school district and available for use by the employee. The leave converted under a lawfully adopted policy prior to May 1, 2004, or such personal and vacation leave accumulated and available for use as of May 1, 2004, which was subsequently converted to sick leave may be certified to the Public Employees' Retirement System upon termination of employment and any such leave previously converted and certified to the Public Employees' Retirement System shall be recognized.

(10)(a) For the purposes of this subsection, the following words and phrases shall have the meaning ascribed in this paragraph unless the context requires otherwise:

(i) “ Catastrophic injury or illness ” means a life-threatening injury or illness of an employee or a member of an employee's immediate family that totally incapacitates the employee from work, as verified by a licensed physician, and forces the employee to exhaust all leave time earned by that employee, resulting in the loss of compensation from the local school district for the employee. Conditions that are short-term in nature, including, but not limited to, common illnesses such as influenza and the measles, and common injuries, are not catastrophic. Chronic illnesses or injuries, such as cancer or major surgery, that result in intermittent absences from work and that are long-term in nature and require long recuperation periods may be considered catastrophic.

(ii) “ Immediate family ” means spouse, parent, stepparent, sibling, child or stepchild, grandparent, stepbrother or stepsister.

(b) Any school district employee may donate a portion of his or her unused accumulated personal leave or sick leave to another employee of the same school district who is suffering from a catastrophic injury or illness or who has a member of his or her immediate family suffering from a catastrophic injury or illness, in accordance with the following:

(i) The employee donating the leave (the “donor employee”) shall designate the employee who is to receive the leave (the “recipient employee”) and the amount of unused accumulated personal leave and sick leave that is to be donated, and shall notify the school district superintendent or his designee of his or her designation.

(ii) The maximum amount of unused accumulated personal leave that an employee may donate to any other employee may not exceed a number of days that would leave the donor employee with fewer than seven (7) days of personal leave remaining, and the maximum amount of unused accumulated sick leave that an employee may donate to any other employee may not exceed fifty percent (50%) of the unused accumulated sick leave of the donor employee.

(iii) An employee must have exhausted all of his or her available leave before he or she will be eligible to receive any leave donated by another employee. Eligibility for donated leave shall be based upon review and approval by the donor employee's supervisor.

(iv) Before an employee may receive donated leave, he or she must provide the school district superintendent or his designee with a physician's statement that states that the illness meets the catastrophic criteria established under this section, the beginning date of the catastrophic injury or illness, a description of the injury or illness, and a prognosis for recovery and the anticipated date that the recipient employee will be able to return to work.

(v) Before an employee may receive donated leave, the superintendent of education of the school district shall appoint a review committee to approve or disapprove the said donations of leave, including the determination that the illness is catastrophic within the meaning of this section.

(vi) If the total amount of leave that is donated to any employee is not used by the recipient employee, the whole days of donated leave shall be returned to the donor employees on a pro rata basis, based on the ratio of the number of days of leave donated by each donor employee to the total number of days of leave donated by all donor employees.

(vii) Donated leave shall not be used in lieu of disability retirement.

(11) Effective January 1, 2020, the provisions of this section shall be fully applicable to any licensed employee of the Mississippi School of the Arts (MSA).
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 101-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-9
Status: in_force

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall serve without salary compensation but shall receive a per diem and mileage as authorized by law including time of going to and returning from meetings of said board, together with actual travel and hotel expenses incident to the meetings of the board, and in the discharge of duties prescribed by the board.

The board of trustees shall hold two (2) regular slated meetings annually, one (1) in June and the other in January, and as many special meetings as may be necessary on call of the president or on call of five (5) members. In either case, the call shall be in writing and shall be mailed by registered letter with return receipt requested, or by certified mail, to each and every member at least five (5) days prior to the date of meeting. Eight (8) members of the board shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-141-5 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 141-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-141-5
Status: in_force

The main office building of the University Research Center and the Department of Economic Development in the City of Jackson shall be known and designated as the Paul B. Johnson, Jr. Building. The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Governor's Office of General Services shall coordinate and cooperate to effect the relocation of the Department of Economic Development to the Paul B. Johnson, Jr. Building and any other related agency relocations necessary to accomplish the requirement of this section if such relocation is feasible. If such relocation of the Department of Economic Development to the Paul B. Johnson, Jr. Building is not feasible because of space limitations, the Governor's Office of General Services shall coordinate the relocation of such department to some other location and shall, if possible, secure the amount of space necessary to also place the University Research Center in the same location with the department.

The Office of General Services shall provide proper signs to be placed on the building in accordance with this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-5 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 47-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-5
Status: in_force

For the purposes of this chapter, the term “capital improvement” shall mean the cost of (1) erecting, repairing, equipping, remodeling and enlarging school buildings and related facilities, including, but not being limited to, gymnasiums, auditoriums, lunch rooms, vocational training buildings, libraries, teachers' homes, school barns, garages for transportation vehicles, and (2) providing necessary water, lights, heating, air conditioning and sewerage facilities for school buildings. Such term shall not include the cost of the acquisition of land whereon to construct or establish any of the facilities named above.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-148-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 148-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-148-9
Status: in_force

Before December 1 of each year, IHL shall file a report with the Governor, Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House of Representatives on the implementation of the Strengthening Mississippi Academic Research Through Business Act. For each research agreement where an investor was issued a SMART Business certificate during that year, the report must include, but not necessarily be limited to, the name of the investor and the rebate amount the investor was eligible to claim. For each SMART Business Accelerate Initiative disbursement certificate issued during that year, the report must include, but not necessarily be limited to, the name of the applicant, a description of the research validation and the amount of the disbursement.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-53 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 47-53
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-53
Status: in_force

All bonds and interim certificates issued under the provisions of this chapter and all interest thereon and income therefrom shall be exempt from all taxation, except gift, transfer, and inheritance taxes.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-329 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 7-329
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-329
Status: in_force

In a school district where there are Indian children, or children of any race not otherwise provided for by law with educational advantages, sufficient to form a school, the school board may locate one or more schools exclusively for Indians, or children of such other race, and pay salaries of teachers for same, and provide for the transportation of the children, under rules and regulations prescribed by the State Board of Education. Special licenses may be provided by the director of the division of instruction for teachers of Indian schools and other schools mentioned in this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-148-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 148-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-148-9
Status: in_force

Before December 1 of each year, IHL shall file a report with the Governor, Secretary of the Senate and Clerk of the House of Representatives on the implementation of the Strengthening Mississippi Academic Research Through Business Act. For each research agreement where an investor was issued a SMART Business certificate during that year, the report must include, but not necessarily be limited to, the name of the investor and the rebate amount the investor was eligible to claim. For each SMART Business Accelerate Initiative disbursement certificate issued during that year, the report must include, but not necessarily be limited to, the name of the applicant, a description of the research validation and the amount of the disbursement.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-55 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 27-55
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-55
Status: in_force

When any pupils shall attend any agricultural high school or community or junior college under the provisions of Section 37-27-51 , such pupils shall be reported and accounted for the allocation of total funding formula funds provided in Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 and building funds just as though such pupils were attending the regular schools of the district in which they reside. For this purpose reports shall be made to the board of trustees of the school district involved by the agricultural high school or community or junior college of the number of children in net enrollment, and the net enrollment of such pupils shall thereupon be included in reports made to the county or school district. The allocation of total funding formula funds and state public school building funds shall be made for such children just as though such children were attending the regular schools of the district. However, all total funding formula funds which accrue to any district as a result of the pupils who are in attendance at such agricultural high school or community or junior college shall be paid by the board of trustees of the municipal separate school district or the county board of education, as the case may be, to the agricultural high school or community or junior college at which the pupils are in attendance, and shall be expended by said agricultural high school or community or junior college for the instruction of said pupils. Funds allotted to the school district for building purposes under Chapter 47 of this title, shall, however, be retained by the school district entitled thereto. The term “ school district ” as used in Sections 37-27-51 through 37-27-59 shall be defined as including all public school districts in this state and also all agricultural high schools not located on the campus of a community or junior college.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-451 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 29-451
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-451
Status: in_force

There is hereby created the Copiah-Lincoln Junior College District comprised of the territory lying within Adams, Copiah, Franklin, Jefferson, Lawrence, Lincoln and Simpson Counties and having boundaries coinciding with the external boundaries thereof. The said district shall be and is hereby constituted a legal political governmental subdivision and a body corporate. The board of trustees of said district, with the consent of the Mississippi Community College Board, is hereby empowered to change the name of the district.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-127 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 29-127
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-127
Status: in_force

Sections 37-29-121 through 37-29-125 shall be construed as cumulative and no restriction, limitation or prohibition of the general laws shall operate to curtail the authority or prescribe the procedure by which the purposes of said sections shall be effected.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-104-21 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 104-21
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-104-21
Status: in_force

All revenue bonds and interest coupons issued under the provisions of this chapter shall have and are hereby declared to have all the qualities and incidents of negotiable instruments under the Mississippi Uniform Commercial Code. The revenue bonds and the income therefrom shall be exempt from all taxation within the State of Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-213 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 33-213
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-213
Status: in_force

The department, through the office, shall cooperate, under agreements with the federal government, in carrying out the purposes of any federal statutes pertaining to special disability programs, and may adopt such methods of administration as are found by the federal government to be necessary for the proper and efficient operation of those agreements or plans for special disability programs and comply with such conditions as may be necessary to secure the full benefits of those federal statutes and appropriations, administer any legislation under federal statutes and appropriations that is enacted by the State of Mississippi, direct the disbursement and administer the use of all funds provided by the federal government or this state for the persons of this state, and do all things necessary to ensure the provision of services to the person served by the special disability programs.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 65-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-7
Status: in_force

The board of trustees of any such school district, agricultural high school district or agricultural high school and junior college district, and the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning, respectively, as the case may be, may, in their discretion, pay all or any part of the salary of all superintendents, principals, teachers and other employees during or for the period when any of the said schools, agricultural high schools, agricultural high schools and junior colleges, or institutions of higher learning are closed in accordance with the terms of this article, and funds shall be drawn from the same source or sources as such funds would be drawn to pay such items if the schools, agricultural high schools, agricultural high schools and junior colleges, or institutions of higher learning had not been closed.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 146-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-7
Status: in_force

(1) The commission shall develop and implement policies and procedures designed to recruit, identify and enroll undergraduate students who demonstrate necessary interest, commitment, aptitude and academic achievement to pursue careers as dentists in rural or dentally underserved areas of Mississippi, and to develop and implement the programs designed to foster successful entry of participants into dental school, completion of dental school, and establishment and maintenance of a career in dentistry in a rural or underserved area of Mississippi.

(2) The commission shall have the authority through use of generally applicable definitions, to designate an area of the state as underserved or rural.

(3) The commission, in conjunction with the University of Mississippi Medical Center, shall have the authority to provide students selected for scholarship funding with faculty mentors and other programs designed to enhance the students' likelihood of admission to the dental school. The commission and the University of Mississippi Medical Center will develop coursework that will help provide scholarship students with the skills necessary for sustained and successful dental practice in rural Mississippi.

(4) Each applicant for admission to the program must submit an application to the commission that conforms to requirements established by the commission.

(5) In selecting participants for the program, the board may only accept an applicant if his or her academic record and other characteristics, if given consideration by the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry Admissions Committee, would be considered credible and competitive.

(6) An applicant for the program may be admitted only upon a majority vote of the members of the commission.

(7) Up to three (3) students will be admitted to the Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program each year.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-87 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 13-87
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-87
Status: in_force

(1) The Director of the Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement shall employ three (3) school attendance officer supervisors, each to maintain an office within a different Supreme Court district. Each supervisor shall be responsible for the enforcement of the Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law within his district and shall exercise direct supervision over the school attendance officers in the district. The supervisors, who shall report to the director of the office, shall assist the school attendance officers in the performance of their duties as established by law or otherwise.

(2) No person having less than eight (8) years combined actual experience as a school attendance officer, school teacher, school administrator, law enforcement officer possessing a college degree with a major in a behavioral science or a related field, and/or social worker in the state shall be employed as a school attendance officer supervisor. Further, a school attendance officer supervisor shall possess a college degree with a major in a behavioral science or a related field or shall have actual experience as a school teacher, school administrator, law enforcement officer possessing such degree or social worker; however, these requirements shall not apply to persons employed as school attendance officers before January 1, 1987. School attendance officers shall meet any additional qualifications established by the State Personnel Board for school attendance officers or school attendance officer supervisors. The school attendance officer supervisors shall receive an annual salary to be set by the State Superintendent of Public Education, subject to the approval of the State Personnel Board.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-104-23 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 104-23
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-104-23
Status: in_force

The Authority may sell the revenue bonds in such a manner and for such price as it may determine to be for the best interest of the State of Mississippi, but no such sale shall be made at a price less than par, plus accrued interest to date of delivery of the bonds to the purchaser. Notice of the sale of any revenue bonds shall be published at least one (1) time not less than ten (10) days prior to the date of sale, and shall be so published in one or more newspapers published in Jackson, Mississippi, and having general circulation within the State of Mississippi, and in one or more other newspapers or financial journals as may be directed by the Authority.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-133 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 29-133
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-133
Status: in_force

All such leases shall contain an option granting the board the right to purchase the leased property upon the expiration of the primary term or upon such earlier date as may be agreed upon. With respect to leased machinery, furniture, fixtures and equipment, the purchase price shall be specified in the lease contract separately and distinctly from that portion of lease payments attributable to interest. With respect to other property, the purchase price, excluding payments attributable to interest, shall not exceed the appraised fair market value of the leased property at the time the college takes possession of the property for occupancy.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 106-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-9
Status: in_force

(1) There is hereby created the Postsecondary Education Financial Assistance Board which shall consist of the following nine (9) members and two (2) nonvoting advisory members: two (2) people to be appointed by the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, one (1) from its membership to serve for an initial period of four (4) years and one (1) institutional representative to serve for an initial period of three (3) years; two (2) people to be appointed by the Mississippi Community College Board, one (1) from its membership to serve for an initial period of three (3) years and one (1) institutional representative to serve for an initial period of two (2) years; two (2) people to be appointed by the Governor, one (1) to serve for an initial period of two (2) years and one (1) to serve for an initial period of one (1) year; two (2) people to be appointed by the Executive Director of the Mississippi Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, one (1) association representative to serve for an initial period of two (2) years and one (1) institutional representative to serve for an initial period of one (1) year; and one (1) person to be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor for an initial period of (4) years. All subsequent appointments shall be for a period of four (4) years. Vacancies shall be filled for the length of the unexpired term only. The board shall elect from its membership a chairman. Additionally, the Chairmen of the House and Senate Universities and Colleges Committees shall serve as nonvoting advisory members.

(2) The agency shall designate one (1) member of its staff to serve as director, to administer the provisions of this financial assistance program. The director shall be assigned by the agency sufficient staff, professional and clerical, funds and quarters to administer this program.

(3) The director:

(a) Subject to the review of the board, shall have the power of final approval of any application submitted;

(b) Subject to the approval of the board, shall have authority to promulgate the necessary rules and regulations for effective administration of this chapter, including the method of making application for assistance authorized by this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-63 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 13-63
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-63
Status: in_force

(1) Except as otherwise provided, all public schools in the state shall be kept in session for at least one hundred eighty (180) days in each scholastic year.

(2) If the school board of any school district shall determine that it is not economically feasible or practicable to operate any school within the district for the full one hundred eighty (180) days required for a scholastic year as contemplated due to an enemy attack, a man-made, technological or natural disaster or extreme weather emergency in which the Governor has declared a disaster or state of emergency under the laws of this state or the President of the United States has declared an emergency or major disaster to exist in this state, the school board may notify the State Department of Education of the disaster or weather emergency and submit a plan for altering the school term. If the State Board of Education finds the disaster or extreme weather emergency to be the cause of the school not operating for the contemplated school term and that such school was in a school district covered by the Governor's or President's disaster or state of emergency declaration, it may permit that school board to operate the schools in its district for less than one hundred eighty (180) days; however, in no instance of a declared disaster or state of emergency under the provisions of this subsection shall a school board receive payment from the State Department of Education for per pupil expenditure for pupils in net enrollment in excess of ten (10) days.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-68-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 68-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-68-9
Status: in_force

(1) The department shall:

(a) Inform each school of its portion of the funds appropriated to this grant program as provided for in Section 37-68-7(2) ;

(b) Develop regulations and procedures to govern the administration of this grant program, to include:

(i) A reimbursement process for schools to submit expenditures and receive reimbursement for eligible expenses from the department up to the total amount allocated to each school in Section 37-68-7 ;

(ii) Provide guidance to schools in the development of a technology sustainability plan, addressing how devices and other technology purchased and used by the school district, and students, teachers and other administrators and staff, will be maintained throughout their usage and replaced before the expiration of the term of their expected useful life;

(iii) Provide guidance to schools in the development of a responsible use policy for students, teachers and administrators or other staff to govern the use of devices and other technology purchased under this grant program;

(c) Provide guidance to schools on the development and implementation of a distance learning plan;

(d) Solicit bid proposals from vendors to establish an EPL; and

(e) Seek an emergency exemption from the procurement laws and bidding procedures established in Section 31-7-13 to expedite the compilation of an EPL and to minimize the cost of relevant devices or other technology for school districts through bulk purchasing.

(2) The department may:

(a) Revise the adopted EPL based upon purchasing demands as needed to provide schools with choice in the selection of the electronic devices; and

(b) Use the federal ESSER funds set aside for administration of the program to administer this grant program, to the extent permissible under federal law.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-141-17 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 141-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-141-17
Status: in_force

The center, on behalf of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, shall prepare an annual report of economic development activities of those agencies and institutions subject to the Board of Trustees. The report shall describe:

(a) Economic development efforts and accomplishments of the University Research Center, each university, and each institute.

(b) Efforts and accomplishments of the center in coordinating economic development activities among the universities.

(c) Recommendations of the center for coordination and utilization of university resources in economic development, for university-based initiatives in economic development, and for funding related to economic development and plans of the universities.

(d) Assistance rendered to the Department of Economic Development by the center and each university.

(e) Activities and accomplishments of staff assigned to planning and development districts pursuant to Section 37-141-19 .

(f) Any other information which the center wishes to present.

The annual report shall be submitted to the Governor and the Joint Legislative Budget Committee not later than July 1 of each year.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-69-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 69-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-69-3
Status: in_force

The intent of the Legislature is to provide an opportunity for motivated students to participate in a curriculum that will prepare them for a career of employment in the energy industry in their home state.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-207 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 151-207
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-207
Status: in_force

(1) The net enrollment of a school district or charter school for use in the funding formula must be computed and currently maintained by the State Board of Education in accordance with the following:

(a) Determination of school district net enrollment for use in the funding formula. Effective with fiscal year 2026, the State Department of Education shall determine the percentage change from the prior year of each school district's months two (2) and three (3) for the three (3) immediately preceding school years of the year for which funds are being appropriated.

(b) Determination of charter school net enrollment for use in the funding formula. Effective with fiscal year 2026, the department shall base a charter school's net enrollment on the enrollment projections for the relevant year set forth over the term of the charter contract.

(c) The net enrollment of a school district used for funding formula calculations, as determined in paragraph (a) of this subsection, must be reconciled with the school district's net enrollment using months two (2) and three (3) for the year for which total funding formula funds are being appropriated, and any necessary adjustments must be made to payments during the school district's following year of operation. Any necessary adjustment for a school district must be based on the state share of the per pupil amount in effect for the year for which actual net enrollment did not meet expectations and not any new amount appropriated for the year in which the adjustment will be made. Reconciliation of net enrollment for charter schools must be based on requirements set forth in Section 37-28-55 .

(2) The net enrollment of a school district or charter school must include any student enrolled in a dual enrollment-dual credit program as defined and provided for in Section 37-15-38 . The State Department of Education shall make payments for dual enrollment-dual credit programs to the home school district or charter school in which the student is enrolled, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the State Board of Education. All state funding under the formula must cease upon completion of high school graduation requirements.

(3) The State Board of Education shall promulgate such rules and regulations as may be necessary for the counting and reporting of student enrollment by school districts and charter schools to the department in a manner that enables the provisions of Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 to be carried out. The rules and regulations must require school districts and charter schools to submit data that includes, at a minimum, numbers for the specific student populations that are subject to weighting under Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 as well as the aggregate amount of students in enrollment when each calculation is made. For the first year of operation of a charter school, the State Board of Education shall use imputed student demographic data based on the traditional district in which the charter school is located to estimate student populations that are subject to weighting under Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 .

(4) The superintendent of each school district and the head of school of each charter school, as applicable, shall submit the data required by subsection (3) of this section with a signed affidavit attesting that the data submitted to the department is accurate to the best of the superintendent's knowledge, and any inaccuracies later discovered will be reported to the department. The State Board of Education shall be specifically authorized and empowered to withhold allocations from the total funding formula funds as provided in Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 , to any school district or charter school for improperly or inaccurately reporting the student data required by Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-36 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 106-36
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-36
Status: repealed

(1) There is established the “William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Teacher Loan Repayment Program.”

(2) Subject to the availability of funds, an eligible applicant for an initial award must have:

(a) Graduated from a baccalaureate degree-granting institution of higher learning which is regionally accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) or a comparable accreditation body;

(b) Signed a contract as a full-time teacher in a public school district in Mississippi;

(c) Obtained a standard five-year license or a nontraditional five-year alternate route license. Persons with provisional emergency licenses shall not be eligible applicants; and

(d) Outstanding qualifying undergraduate or graduate educational loans, which may include the principal, interest and related expenses such as the required interest premium on the unpaid balances of government and commercial loans obtained by the recipient for undergraduate educational expense.

(3) Persons who have received funds from other forgivable loan programs established for teachers under Mississippi law, or who are presently in default or delinquent on any federal, state, local or commercial qualifying educational loan, shall not be eligible for this program.

(4) Provided that initial recipients remain eligible under the provisions of subsection (2) of this section, they may retain eligibility for two (2) additional awards, subject to the availability of funds.

(5) Initial recipients shall be selected on a first-come, first-served basis of all eligible applicants, subject to the availability of funds. In the second and third years of an applicant's continued eligibility, priority consideration shall first be given to renewal applicants. The State Financial Aid Board shall develop rules for ensuring that expenses of the program in a fiscal year do not exceed funding for the program in that fiscal year. For that purpose, and any other provision of this section to the contrary notwithstanding, the State Financial Aid Board may limit the acceptance of applications and may limit the number of awards.

(6) Among teacher recipients, priority consideration shall be given to persons who are teaching in a public school district designated as a geographical critical teacher shortage area by the State Board of Education.

(7) Awards for recipients who have signed a contract to teach in a public school district that is not designated as a geographical critical teacher shortage area shall be as follows:

(a) One Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($1,500.00) for the initial award;

(b) Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500.00) for the second award; and

(c) Three Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($3,500.00) for the third award.

(8) Awards for recipients who have signed a contract to teach in a public school district that is designated as a geographical critical teacher shortage area shall be as follows:

(a) Four Thousand Dollars ($4,000.00) for the initial award;

(b) Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000.00) for the second award, provided the recipient continues to teach in the same public school district or another public school district designated a geographical shortage area by the State Board of Education; and

(c) Six Thousand Dollars ($6,000.00) for the third award, provided the recipient continues to teach in the same public school district or another public school district designated a geographical shortage area by the State Board of Education.

(9) An initial recipient who moves to another public school district shall be eligible to receive an award based on the amount allowed under the program in the new district where the teacher is employed.

(10) Awards shall be granted on a year-to-year basis, and recipients shall have no obligation to seek a future award.

(11) Awards shall be paid annually, after the expiration of the one-year teaching contract for which the award was granted, to the recipient's lender or loan service provider, and shall be applied to the outstanding balance. Monies paid on the recipient's behalf toward qualifying undergraduate or graduate educational loans prior to receiving payment of the award shall not be eligible for repayment through the program.

(12) During the teaching year for which the award is granted, a recipient must at all times keep the State Financial Aid Board informed of any changes to the recipient's current contact information and employment status.

(13) Recipients who fail to maintain a standard or nontraditional license or fail to fulfill the one-year teaching contract on which the award was based shall forfeit any right to the award.

(14) The State Financial Aid Board, in collaboration with the State Board of Education, shall track recipients of an award under this program through the fourth year after receiving their initial award, unless the recipient shall leave teaching in a public school district at an earlier date. Data collected shall include recipients' undergraduate or graduate institution, school district, subject area/grade level in teaching and any other pertinent information necessary to determine the efficacy of the program in retaining teachers.

(15) The State Financial Aid Board shall promulgate regulations necessary for the proper administration of this section, including rules for ensuring that expenses of the program in a fiscal year do not exceed funding for the program in that fiscal year.

(16) There is established in the State Treasury a special fund to be designated the “William F. Winter and Jack Reed, Sr., Loan Repayment Program Fund,” into which shall be deposited those funds appropriated by the Legislature, and any other funds that may be made available, for the purpose of implementing the loan repayment program established herein. Money in the fund at the end of the fiscal year shall not lapse into the General Fund, and interest earned on any amounts deposited into the fund shall be credited to the special fund.

(17) This section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2028.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-15 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 4-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-4-15
Status: in_force

(1) On or after July 1, 2002, the Mississippi Community College Board shall contract with a competent management consulting or accounting firm to study the state funding formula for community and junior colleges. The study shall accomplish the following specific outcomes:

(a) Evaluate the validity of the current student classifications used in the funding formula and make recommendations for change in the classification system if advisable;

(b) Evaluate the weights assigned to each student classification and make recommendations for change in the current weights if advisable;

(c) Identify the best management practices associated with the production of graduates in each of the student classifications and use such information as a basis for validating any changes in weights referred to in paragraph (b) of this subsection. The study of best practices shall also identify the amount of state funding that is used in program areas at schools exhibiting the best management practices.

(2) The report also shall recommend to the Mississippi Community College Board all reporting requirements and systems needed to collect information necessary to maintain a valid system of weights, student classification and the best practices associated with producing graduates most efficiently. All community and junior colleges shall cooperate with the Mississippi Community College Board in conducting this study and in providing all further information on an annual basis necessary to update the weights for programs established as a result of this study, the best management practices and the student classifications established as a result of this study.

(3) The Mississippi Community College Board shall report its findings to the Chairs of the House and Senate Education Committees and the House and Senate Appropriations Committees no later than December 15, 2002.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-144-13 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 144-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-144-13
Status: in_force

(1) Subject to the availability of funding, students in the program who successfully matriculate to medical or osteopathic school are eligible for ongoing financial support in accordance with policies and requirements of the commission and in accordance with the applicable laws and regulations. The number of students to be supported at the University of Mississippi School of Medicine and at other schools will be established by policy prescribed by the commission.

(2) Subject to the availability of funding, students enrolled at a medical or osteopathic school in Mississippi may receive tuition support, funding to assist with the cost of books and a living stipend, as prescribed by policy of the commission and in accordance with applicable regulations. Preferences for ongoing funding must be given to those students admitted to the University of Mississippi School of Medicine.

(3) For each year that a student in medical or osteopathic school receives financial assistance, the student is obligated for one (1) year of practice as a primary care physician in a rural or underserved area in Mississippi. Breach of the agreement at any stage of training shall invoke the repayment of all financial assistance provided to the student through the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program, including assistance provided during undergraduate school, as well as in medical or osteopathic school, along with other penalties that may be prescribed in policy by the commission.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-155-121 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 155-121
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-155-121
Status: in_force

Nothing in this article or in any savings trust agreement entered into pursuant to this article shall be construed as a promise or guarantee by the state or any agency or instrumentality of the state that either qualified higher education expenses in general or any specific qualified higher education expense shall be covered in full by contributions or earnings on any savings trust account. Savings trust accounts and agreements entered into pursuant to this article are not guaranteed by the full faith and credit of the State of Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-51 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 28-51
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-51
Status: in_force

A charter school is eligible to participate in state-sponsored or district-sponsored athletic and academic interscholastic leagues, competitions, awards, scholarships and recognition programs for students, educators, administrators and schools to the same extent as noncharter public schools.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-38 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 15-38
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-38
Status: in_force

(1) The following phrases have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly requires otherwise:

(a) A dual enrolled student is a student who is enrolled in a community or junior college or state institution of higher learning while enrolled in high school.

(b) A dual credit student is a student who is enrolled in a community or junior college or state institution of higher learning while enrolled in high school and who is receiving high school and college credit for postsecondary coursework.

(2) A local school board, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Mississippi Community College Board shall establish a dual enrollment system under which students in the school district who meet the prescribed criteria of this section may be enrolled in a postsecondary institution in Mississippi while they are still in school.

(3) Dual credit eligibility. Before credits earned by a qualified high school student from a community or junior college or state institution of higher learning may be transferred to the student's home school district, the student must be properly enrolled in a dual enrollment program.

(4) Admission criteria for dual enrollment in community and junior college or university programs. The Mississippi Community College Board and the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning may recommend to the State Board of Education admission criteria for dual enrollment programs under which high school students may enroll at a community or junior college or university while they are still attending high school and enrolled in high school courses. Students may be admitted to enroll in community or junior college courses under the dual enrollment programs if they meet that individual institution's stated dual enrollment admission requirements.

(5) Tuition and cost responsibility. Tuition and costs for university-level courses and community and junior college courses offered under a dual enrollment program may be paid for by the postsecondary institution, the local school district, the parents or legal guardians of the student, or by grants, foundations or other private or public sources. Payment for tuition and any other costs must be made directly to the credit-granting institution.

(6) Transportation responsibility. Any transportation required by a student to participate in the dual enrollment program is the responsibility of the parent, custodian or legal guardian of the student. Transportation costs may be paid from any available public or private sources, including the local school district.

(7) School district net enrollment credit. When dually enrolled, the student may be counted, for total funding formula purposes, in the net enrollment of the public school district in which the student attends high school.

(8) High school student transcript transfer requirements. Grades and college credits earned by a student admitted to a dual credit program must be recorded on the high school student record and on the college transcript at the university or community or junior college where the student attends classes. The transcript of the university or community or junior college coursework may be released to another institution or applied toward college graduation requirements.

(9) Determining factor of prerequisites for dual enrollment courses. Each university and community or junior college participating in a dual enrollment program shall determine course prerequisites. Course prerequisites shall be the same for dual enrolled students as for regularly enrolled students at that university or community or junior college.

(10) Process for determining articulation of curriculum between high school, university, and community and junior college courses. All dual credit courses must meet the standards established at the postsecondary level. Postsecondary level developmental courses may not be considered as meeting the requirements of the dual credit program. Dual credit memorandum of understandings must be established between each postsecondary institution and the school district implementing a dual credit program.

(11) [Deleted]

(12) Eligible courses for dual credit programs. Courses eligible for dual credit include, but are not necessarily limited to, foreign languages, advanced math courses, advanced science courses, performing arts, advanced business and technology, and career and technical courses. Distance Learning Collaborative Program courses approved under Section 37-67-1 shall be fully eligible for dual credit. All courses being considered for dual credit must receive unconditional approval from the superintendent of the local school district and the chief instructional officer at the participating community or junior college or university in order for college credit to be awarded. A university or community or junior college shall make the final decision on what courses are eligible for semester hour credits.

(13) High school Carnegie unit equivalency. One (1) three-hour university or community or junior college course is equal to one (1) high school Carnegie unit.

(14) Course alignment. The universities, community and junior colleges and the State Department of Education shall periodically review their respective policies and assess the place of dual credit courses within the context of their traditional offerings.

(15) Maximum dual credits allowed. It is the intent of the dual enrollment program to make it possible for every eligible student who desires to earn a semester's worth of college credit in high school to do so. A qualified dually enrolled high school student must be allowed to earn an unlimited number of college or university credits for dual credit.

(16) Dual credit program allowances. A student may be granted credit delivered through the following means:

(a) Examination preparation taught at a high school by a qualified teacher. A student may receive credit at the secondary level after completion of an approved course and passing the standard examination, such as an Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate course through which a high school student is allowed CLEP credit by making a three (3) or higher on the end-of-course examination.

(b) College or university courses taught at a high school or designated postsecondary site by a qualified teacher who is an employee of the school district and approved as an instructor by the collaborating college or university.

(c) College or university courses taught at a college, university or high school by an instructor employed by the college or university and approved by the collaborating school district.

(d) Online courses of any public university, community or junior college in Mississippi.

(17) Qualifications of dual credit instructors. A dual credit academic instructor must meet the requirements set forth by the regional accrediting association (Southern Association of College and Schools). University and community and junior college personnel have the sole authority in the selection of dual credit instructors.

A dual credit career and technical education instructor must meet the requirements set forth by the Mississippi Community College Board in the qualifications manual for postsecondary career and technical personnel.

(18) Guidance on local agreements. The Chief Academic Officer of the State Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Chief Instructional Officers of the Mississippi Community College Board and the State Department of Education, working collaboratively, shall develop a template to be used by the individual community and junior colleges and institutions of higher learning for consistent implementation of the dual enrollment program throughout the State of Mississippi.

(19) Mississippi Works Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Option . A local school board and the local community colleges board shall establish a Mississippi Works Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Option Program under which potential or recent student dropouts may dually enroll in their home school and a local community college in a dual credit program consisting of high school completion coursework and a community college credential, certificate or degree program. Students completing the dual enrollment-credit option may obtain their high school diploma while obtaining a community college credential, certificate or degree. The Mississippi Department of Employment Security shall assist students who have successfully completed the Mississippi Works Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Option in securing a job upon the application of the student or the participating school or community college. The Mississippi Works Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Option Program will be implemented statewide in the 2012-2013 school year and thereafter. The State Board of Education, local school board and the local community college board shall establish criteria for the Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Program. Students enrolled in the program will not be eligible to participate in interscholastic sports or other extracurricular activities at the home school district. Tuition and costs for community college courses offered under the Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Program shall not be charged to the student, parents or legal guardians. When dually enrolled, the student shall be counted, for total funding formula purposes, in the net enrollment of the public school district in which the student attends high school. Any transportation required by the student to participate in the Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Program is the responsibility of the parent or legal guardian of the student, and transportation costs may be paid from any available public or private sources, including the local school district. Grades and college credits earned by a student admitted to this Dual Enrollment-Dual Credit Program shall be recorded on the high school student record and on the college transcript at the community college and high school where the student attends classes. The transcript of the community college coursework may be released to another institution or applied toward college graduation requirements. Any course that is required for subject area testing as a requirement for graduation from a public school in Mississippi is eligible for dual credit, and courses eligible for dual credit shall also include career, technical and degree program courses. All courses eligible for dual credit shall be approved by the superintendent of the local school district and the chief instructional officer at the participating community college in order for college credit to be awarded. A community college shall make the final decision on what courses are eligible for semester hour credits and the local school superintendent, subject to approval by the Mississippi Department of Education, shall make the final decision on the transfer of college courses credited to the student's high school transcript.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-144-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 144-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-144-9
Status: in_force

(1) Participants must adhere to the policies and practices as stipulated by the commission to continue in the program.

(2) Students in the program may receive tuition or other financial support that may be provided by the commission. If a student in the program is admitted to and completes medical or osteopathic school, any tuition or other educational and living support provided to the student by the commission will be forgiven. However, if the student is not successful in being accepted into medical or osteopathic school within three (3) years of entry into the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program, or if the student otherwise breaches his or her agreement with the commission, all financial assistance provided to the student must be repaid according to policies adopted by the board.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-31 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 28-31
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-31
Status: in_force

(1) The authorizer shall monitor annually the performance and legal compliance of each charter school it oversees, including collecting and analyzing data to support the school's evaluation according to the charter contract. The authorizer may conduct or require oversight activities that enable the authorizer to fulfill its responsibilities under this chapter, including conducting appropriate inquiries and investigations, so long as those activities are consistent with the intent of this chapter, adhere to the terms of the charter contract and do not unduly inhibit the autonomy granted to charter schools.

(2) As part of its annual report to the Legislature, the authorizer shall publish and provide a performance report for each charter school it oversees in accordance with the performance framework set forth in the charter contract. The report must be made available to the public at the same time as it is submitted to the Legislature. The authorizer may require each charter school it oversees to submit an annual report to assist the authorizer in gathering complete information about each school, consistent with the performance framework.

(3) If a charter school's performance or legal compliance is unsatisfactory, the authorizer shall notify promptly the charter school of the problem and provide reasonable opportunity for the school to remedy the problem unless the problem warrants revocation, in which case the revocation timeframes will apply.

(4) The authorizer may take appropriate corrective actions or exercise sanctions in response to apparent deficiencies in a charter school's performance or legal compliance. If warranted, the actions or sanctions may include requiring a charter school to develop and execute a corrective action plan within a specified timeframe.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-17 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 153-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-17
Status: repealed

Sections 37-153-1 , 37-153-3 , 37-153-5 , 37-153-7 , 37-153-9 , 37-153-11 , 37-153-13 and 37-153-15 shall stand repealed on July 1, 2026.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-67 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 27-67
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-67
Status: in_force

If, within three (3) weeks after notice by publication has been made of intention to issue bonds pursuant to the provisions of Section 37-27-65 , ten percent (10%) of the adult taxpayers of the county shall petition against the issuance of said bonds, then the question shall be submitted to the qualified electors of the county, within twenty (20) days after the next meeting of the board of supervisors after the filing of the petition. Should a majority of those voting in such election vote against the bond issue, the bonds shall not be issued, and the order shall be null and void.

When ten percent (10%) of the adult taxpayers of the county shall petition for the issuance of bonds pursuant to the provisions of Section 37-27-65 , then the board of supervisors shall submit the question to the qualified electors of the county within twenty (20) days after the meeting of the board of supervisors at which such petition is filed. Should a majority of those voting in such election vote for the bond issue the bonds shall be issued by the board of supervisors as provided by law, but if a majority of the qualified electors voting at such election should vote against the bond issue, the bonds shall not be issued.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-133 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 23-133
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-133
Status: in_force

Words and terms, unless otherwise defined below, when used in Sections 37-23-1 through 37-23-159 shall be defined in the same manner as those words and terms used in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 Amendments (IDEA), Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, applicable federal regulations and relevant court cases:

(a) “ Assistive technology device ” means any item, piece of equipment or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified or customized, that is used to increase, maintain or improve the functional capabilities of children with disabilities.

(b) “ Assistive technology service ” means any service that directly assists a student with a disability in the selection, acquisition or use of an assistive technology device. The term includes:

(i) The evaluation of the needs of a student with a disability, including a functional evaluation of the student in his or her customary environment;

(ii) Purchasing, leasing or otherwise providing for the acquisition of assistive technology devices by students with disabilities;

(iii) Selecting, designing, fitting, customizing, adapting, applying, maintaining, repairing or replacing assistive devices;

(iv) Coordinating and using other therapies, interventions or services with assistive technology devices, such as those associated with existing education and rehabilitation plans and programs;

(v) Training or technical assistance for a student with a disability or, if appropriate, that student's family; and

(vi) Training or technical assistance for professionals (including individuals providing education or rehabilitation services), employers or other individuals who may provide services to, employ, or are otherwise substantially involved in the major life functions of students with disabilities.

(c) “ Consent ” means agreement in writing from the parent of a child with a disability pertaining to the activities as required under IDEA and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. Local educational agencies shall ensure that the parent:

(i) Has been fully informed of all information relevant to the activity for which consent is required;

(ii) Understands the activity for which consent is requested; and

(iii) Understands that the granting of consent is voluntary and may be revoked at any time prior to the time the activity is conducted.

(d) “ Free appropriate public education ” means special education and related services provided by local educational agencies that:

(i) Have been provided at public expense, under public supervision and direction, and without charge;

(ii) Meet the standards of the State Department of Education;

(iii) Include an appropriate preschool, elementary, or secondary school education; and

(iv) Are provided in conformity with the individualized education program required under IDEA, applicable federal and state regulations and relevant court cases.

(e) “ Individualized education program ” or “ IEP ” means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in accordance with the requirements under IDEA, applicable federal and state regulations and relevant court cases.

(f) “ Least restrictive environment ” means to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

(g) “ Parent ” means a person who is legally responsible for a child's welfare or acting for the child in the absence of the legally responsible person. Parent may also mean a natural parent, a guardian, or a surrogate parent.

(h) “ Related services ” means transportation, and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services (including speech-language pathology and audiology services, psychological services, physical and occupational therapy, recreation, including therapeutic recreation, social work services, counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling, orientation and mobility services, and medical services, except that such medical services shall be for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only) as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes the early identification and assessment of disabling conditions in children.

(i) “ Special education ” means specially designed instruction provided by local educational agencies, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals and institutions, and in other settings. This term also includes instruction in physical education.

(j) “ Supplementary aids and services ” means aids, services, and other supports that are provided in regular education classes or other education-related settings to enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate in accordance with the least restrictive environment requirements under IDEA, applicable federal regulations and relevant court cases.

(k) “ Transition services ” means a coordinated set of activities for a student with a disability that:

(i) Is designed within an outcome-oriented process, which promotes movement from school to post-school activities, including post-secondary education, vocational training, integrated employment (including supported employment), continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living, or community participation;

(ii) Is based upon the individual student's needs, taking into account the student's preferences and interests;

(iii) Includes instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment and other post-school adult living objectives, and, when appropriate, acquisition of daily living skills and functional vocational evaluation.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-135-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 135-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-135-3
Status: in_force

The States of Delaware and West Virginia are hereby approved by the State of Mississippi for admission into the southern regional education compact to which the State of Mississippi became a party with the States of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Virginia on April 13, 1948, under the provisions of Section 37-135-1 , said section being Chapter 284, Laws of Mississippi of 1948, as amended and further amplified by Chapter 383, Laws of Mississippi of 1950, approved April 18, 1950. The admission of the States of Delaware and West Virginia to the southern regional education compact shall become effective upon the approval of their respective legislatures and their respective governors and upon the approval of their admission by the other states who are parties to the compact.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-151 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 13-151
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-151
Status: in_force

Before July 1, 1997, all local school districts shall provide programs of education in home economics, in Grade 10, 11 or 12, which include course work in responsible parenting and family living skills. These programs shall contain instruction to prepare students to understand children's physical, mental, emotional and social growth and development as well as to assume responsibility for their care and guidance, with emphasis on nutrition, emotional health and physical health. All such programs shall be subject to the approval of the State Board of Education pursuant to Section 37-31-205(1)(d) .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-5-66 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 5-66
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-5-66
Status: in_force

Effective with the term of office beginning January 1, 2016, in any Class 1 county bordering the Mississippi River having a population in excess of thirty thousand (30,000), according to the 2010 federal decennial census, wherein Mississippi Highway 49 and U.S. Highway 61 intersect, the county superintendent of education shall be appointed by the county board of education.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-107 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 65-107
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-107
Status: in_force

Upon and during the closure in accordance with the provisions of this article of any school, the educable children or enrolled students affected thereby may be assigned or transferred, as the case may be, to another school or district, as the case may be, in accordance with the laws of this state.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-102-17 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 102-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-102-17
Status: in_force

The associate degree program in nursing of the University of Southern Mississippi located at Natchez, Mississippi, is exempt from this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 23-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-1
Status: in_force

The purpose of Sections 37-23-1 through 37-23-159 is to mandate free appropriate public educational services and equipment for exceptional children in the age range three (3) through twenty (20) for whom the regular school programs are not adequate and to provide, on a permissive basis, a free appropriate public education, as a part of the state's early intervention system in accordance with regulations developed in collaboration with the agency designated as “lead agency” under Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The portion of the regulations developed in collaboration with the lead agency which are necessary to implement the programs under the authority of the State Board of Education shall be presented to the State Board of Education for adoption. This specifically includes, but shall not be limited to, provision for day schools for the deaf and blind of an age under six (6) years, where early training is in accordance with the most advanced and best approved scientific methods of instruction, always taking into consideration the best interests of the child and his improvement at a time during which he is most susceptible of improvement. Educational programs to exceptional children under the age of three (3) years shall be eligible for total funding formula funds provided in Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 .

All references in the laws of this state to the “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act” or to the “IDEA” shall be construed to include any subsequent amendments to that act.

The educational programs and services provided for exceptional children in Sections 37-23-1 through 37-23-15 , 37-23-31 through 37-23-35 , 37-23-61 through 37-23-75 and 37-23-77 shall be designed to provide individualized appropriate special education and related services that enable a child to reach his or her appropriate and uniquely designed goals for success. The State Board of Education shall establish an accountability system for special education programs and students with disabilities. The system shall establish accountability standards for services provided to improve the educational skills designed to prepare children for life after their years in school. These standards shall be a part of the accreditation system and shall be implemented before July 1, 1996.

The State Department of Education shall establish goals for the performance of children with disabilities that will promote the purpose of IDEA and are consistent, to the maximum extent appropriate, with other goals and standards for children established by the State Department of Education. Performance indicators used to assess progress toward achieving those goals that, at a minimum, address the performance of children with disabilities on assessments, drop-out rates, and graduation rates shall be developed. Every two (2) years, the progress toward meeting the established performance goals shall be reported to the public.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-16 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 23-16
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-16
Status: in_force

(1)(a) The State Department of Education shall select early literacy and numeracy screening assessment instrument or instruments to be used throughout the state in the screening of students in Kindergarten through Grade 3.

(b) All school districts shall use the literacy and numeracy screening instrument or instruments selected by the department; however, no literacy or numeracy screening instrument or instruments shall be used by school districts for the purpose of determining whether or not a student will be promoted to the next grade level. For the purposes of this section, “ literacy ” means ability to read and write and “ numeracy ” means fluency in understanding numbers and mathematical operations.

(2) In addition to those funds that are appropriated by the Legislature, the State Department of Education may receive and expend funds made available to the department from any source, including any federal or other governmental agency, private business, industry, foundation or other organization, to screen students for literacy and numeracy difficulties.

(3) The State Department of Education shall establish a reporting system for school districts in order to monitor the effectiveness of the literacy or numeracy screening assessment instruments. The department shall require school districts to annually submit data requested by the department which may be utilized to determine whether or not the assessment instruments are accurately identifying students in need.

(4) The requirements of this section shall be effective beginning with the 2008-2009 school year and compliance with the mandates of this section shall be subject to appropriation by the Legislature.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-145-53 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 145-53
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-145-53
Status: in_force

The company, subject to the provisions in proceedings relating to outstanding bonds as may then exist, may purchase bonds out of any funds available therefor, which shall thereupon be cancelled, at any reasonable price which, if the bonds are then redeemable, shall not exceed the redemption price (and premium, if any) then applicable plus accrued interest to the redemption date thereof.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 13-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-9
Status: in_force

The state board of education is hereby authorized to appoint a curriculum committee, composed of professional and lay members, not to exceed seven in number, to make a continuous study of the curriculum of the public schools and to make recommendations to the state board of education from time to time as to changes which should be made in the curriculum in the grammar school grades and in the high school grades. The members of such committee as of July 1, 1954, shall continue to serve until the expiration of the terms for which they were appointed; thereafter the members of such committee shall be appointed and serve for a term of two years and until their successors are appointed. Each member of said committee shall receive a per diem of Fifteen Dollars ($15.00) for each day actually spent attending the meetings of the committee and, in addition, each member shall be reimbursed for actual travel expenses at the rate of six cents ($.06) per mile for each mile traveled in attending the meetings of the committee. However, the total amount paid to any member of the committee for per diem shall not exceed the sum of One Hundred Fifty Dollars ($150.00) in any one year. The per diem and travel expenses provided for herein shall be paid out of such appropriation as may be made for such purpose by the legislature.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-17 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 11-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-17
Status: in_force

(1) The State Board of Education, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, the Mississippi Community College Board, the boards of trustees of the several junior colleges, the county boards of education, the governing authorities of any county, municipal or other public school districts, such other boards set up by law for any educational institution, school, college or university, or their authorized representative, or the State Health Officer or his authorized representative, may require any teacher, supervisor, janitor or other employee of the school to submit to a thorough physical examination, deemed advisable to determine whether he has any infectious or communicable disease.

(2) The State Board of Education may develop a program to accomplish the identification of public school district students with abnormal spinal curvature. No state funds shall be expended for the purposes of implementing this subsection. Such program shall:

(a) Provide that an adequate number of school personnel in each district be instructed by qualified medical experts in the proper examination of students for abnormal spinal curvatures;

(b) Provide that all public school district students who are at least ten (10) years old be screened at least every two (2) years but at least in the fourth, sixth, eighth and tenth grades or at such other times as may be recommended by medical experts on a per case basis;

(c) Provide that students identified as having abnormal spinal curvatures or potential for abnormal spinal curvatures be referred to the county health officer or to the student's personal physician or chiropractor with notice of the evaluation; and

(d) Provide for notification of the parent or guardian of any student identified under this program and for the supplying to such parent or guardian information on the condition and resources available for the correction or treatment of such condition. However, the requirement for screening shall not apply to a child whose parent or guardian objects thereto on grounds that the requirement conflicts with his conscientiously held religious beliefs.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-185-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 185-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-185-3
Status: in_force

As used in Sections 37-185-1 through 37-185-9 , the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “ COVID-19 ” means the Coronavirus Disease 2019.

(b) “ CARES Act ” means the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

(c) “ Eligible independent school ” means any private or nonpublic school operating within the State of Mississippi that:

(i) Is a member of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) and located in the State of Mississippi; or

(ii) Is accredited by a state, regional or national accrediting organization; and

(iii) Is not subject to the purview of authority of the State Board of Education.

“ Eligible independent school ” includes independent universities that are accredited by a state, regional or national accrediting organization and are not subject to the purview of authority of the State Institutions of Higher Learning.

(d) “ Interruption in learning ” means disruption of regular educational instruction in a school facility resulting from required or voluntary closure related to COVID-19.

(e) “ Public health measure ” means any action reasonably taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the educational setting.

(f) “ Eligible expense ” means a cost incurred by an independent school for public health measures or due to interruption in learning from March 1, 2020 through December 30, 2020. Such eligible expenses may consist of:

(i) Training and professional development of local school staff regarding measures to decrease the spread of COVID-19 and familiarity with technology programs and devices to facilitate distance learning;

(ii) Purchasing facility sanitization supplies and other expenses of disinfection of the independent school's facilities to mitigate or respond to COVID-19;

(iii) Purchasing technology programs and equipment for the expansion of internet connectivity and broadband access within the school facility to be used by school administrators, faculty and staff to facilitate online distance learning;

(iv) Purchasing necessary equipment and accommodations and providing adequate services for students with disabilities;

(v) Purchasing medical supplies and personal protection equipment (PPE);

(vi) Developing infrastructure necessary at the community or junior colleges to increase capacity in workforce development or skills training classes for students who are unemployed, underemployed or seeking new employment as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19; or

(vii) Medical expenses incurred by the independent school to treat or dispense COVID-19, including COVID-19 testing and serological testing, emergency medical response and transportation, and telemedicine expenses related to COVID-19.

No cost will be considered an eligible expense if found to be ineligible under the guidelines, guidance, rules, regulations and/or other criteria, as may be amended from time to time, of the United States Department of the Treasury regarding the use of monies from the Coronavirus Relief Fund established by the CARES Act.

(g) “ MDA ” means the Mississippi Development Authority.

(h) “ Grant ” means an award by the MDA to an independent school to cover eligible expenses in accordance with Sections 37-185-1 through 37-185-9 .

(i) “ Program ” means the Independent Schools' COVID-19 Assistance Grant Program established in Sections 37-185-1 through 37-185-9 .