Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-559 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 29-559
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-559
Status: in_force

The President and the Board of Trustees of the Coahoma Community College District shall have the powers to do all things necessary for the successful operation of the district and the campuses located therein.

The college of the district shall be under the direction of the board of trustees and the president. The board of trustees shall, by resolution or order, provide for the government, maintenance and operation of the campus of the district.

The President and the Board of Trustees of the Coahoma Community College District shall have the same powers as the presidents and trustees of other community colleges in the State of Mississippi.

The delineation and enumeration of the powers and purposes set out in Sections 37-29-551 through 37-29-569 shall be deemed to be supplemental and additional and shall not be construed to restrict the powers of the governing authorities of the district or of any college or campus located therein so as to deny any of the rights, privileges and powers enjoyed by other community/junior colleges and community/junior college districts in the State of Mississippi.

The Coahoma Community College District shall remain subject to the jurisdiction of the Mississippi Community College Board as now established or as the same may be hereafter changed by law, and shall be subject to all rules and regulations and all statutory limitations which are now in effect or may hereafter be imposed, except as the same may be in direct conflict with the provisions of Sections 37-29-551 through 37-29-569 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-59 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 28-59
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-59
Status: in_force

(1) Any monies received by a charter school from any source remaining in the charter school's accounts at the end of a budget year must remain in the charter school's accounts for use by the charter school during subsequent budget years.

(2) Nothing in this chapter may be construed to prohibit any person or organization from providing funding or other assistance to the establishment or operation of a charter school. The governing board of a charter school may accept gifts, donations and grants of any kind made to the charter school and may expend or use such gifts, donations and grants in accordance with the conditions prescribed by the donor; however, a gift, donation or grant may not be accepted if it is subject to a condition that is contrary to any provision of law or term of the charter contract.

(3) A charter school must disclose publicly all sources of private funding and all funds received from foreign sources, including gifts from foreign governments, foreign legal entities and domestic entities affiliated with either foreign governments or foreign legal entities. For the purposes of this subsection, the term “ foreign ” means a country or jurisdiction outside of any state or territory of the United States.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-207 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 153-207
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-207
Status: in_force

(1) There is established the Accelerate Mississippi Physician Residency and Fellowship Start-Up Grant Program, which shall be directed by the office for the purpose of creating new or increasing capacity in existing physician residency and fellowship programs in hospitals, which were severely impacted by the disruption to the economy and workforce caused by COVID-19.

(2) For purposes of this section, the following words shall have the meanings ascribed herein unless the context requires otherwise:

(a) “Grant program” means the program established in this section, which provides funding, as determined by the office, from federal COVID-19 relief funds to create new or increase capacity in existing physician residency and fellowship programs at general acute care hospitals in the State of Mississippi which are licensed by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

(b) “Recipient” means a general acute care hospital in the State of Mississippi which is licensed by the Mississippi State Department of Health.

(c) “Residency and fellowship programs” means advanced training programs in medical or surgical specialty areas which are accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education or a similar accreditation body.

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

(e) “Federal COVID-19 relief funds” means funds allocated to the State of Mississippi from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund in Section 9901 of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ( Public Law No. 117-2 ).

(f) “Eligible expenses” means a cost incurred by a recipient, pursuant to this article, to include:

(i) Equipment or other supplies necessary for accreditation;

(ii) Necessary infrastructure, including building, renovation or construction, for accreditation;

(iii) Curricula or other academic or training materials necessary for accreditation;

(iv) Stipends for the recruitment, hiring and development of program directors, program coordinators, faculty and/or teaching staff and clinic staff necessary for accreditation; and

(v) Remote learning or other classroom technology.

(3) The Department of Employment Security shall serve as fiscal agent in administering the funds.

(4) Subject to appropriation by the Legislature, allocations to recipients shall be awarded by the office through an application process, which shall require the applicant to provide:

(a) Evidence that the applicant is in the process of preparing for accreditation, has applied for accreditation or has received accreditation for a new residency or fellowship program, or increased capacity in an existing residency or fellowship program;

(b) A detailed explanation of the residency or fellowship program the applicant intends to use awarded funds to create or expand, to include:

(i) A description of the workforce shortage the residency or fellowship program is intended to address, including specific information from health care providers in the region;

(ii) Any relevant waitlist or other information demonstrating high demand for medical school graduates to enter the residency or fellowship program;

(iii) The number of residents who will be served by the residency or fellowship program;

(iv) The budget for the residency or fellowship program, including a plan showing sustainability after accreditation and any required federal approval of the program; and

(v) The average wage rate for residents or fellows receiving employment after completing the program;

(c) A proposed budget on how awarded funds will be expended, including a plan to consistently report expenditures to the office throughout the funding commitment;

(d) A plan to provide data on participation and outcomes of the residency or fellowship program, including a plan to report outcomes to the office throughout the funding commitment; and

(e) Other relevant information as determined appropriate by the office.

(5) Applicants agreeing to commit a portion of their federal COVID-19 relief funds, if they received federal COVID-19 relief funds directly, or other state, federal or private funds as supplemental matching funds to offset the total cost of the approved program shall be prioritized for approval.

(6) The office shall:

(a) Inform each recipient of its portion of the funds appropriated to the grant program;

(b) Develop regulations and procedures to govern the administration of the grant program;

(c) Prioritize residency or fellowship programs within medical or surgical specialties which are currently experiencing staffing shortages in hospitals, clinics, long-term care facilities and other health care providers across the state;

(d) Prioritize residency or fellowship programs which produce graduates in high-demand medical and surgical fields;

(e) Establish a schedule of application deadlines and a system for considering applications on a rotating basis; and

(f) Ensure that every effort be made, in accordance with the priorities in this subsection, to provide funds for the placement of one (1) resident with each recipient before considering awarding funds for the placement of additional residents in the same round of consideration.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-81 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 151-81
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-81
Status: in_force

(1) For each student with a disability who is being educated by a public school district or is placed in accord with Section 37-23-77 , and whose individualized educational program (IEP) requires an extended school year in accord with the State Department of Education criteria, a sufficient amount of funds shall be allocated for the purpose of providing the educational services the student requires. The State Board of Education shall promulgate such regulations as are required to ensure the equitable distribution of these funds. All costs for the extended school year for a particular summer shall be reimbursed from funds appropriated for the fiscal year beginning July 1 of that summer. If sufficient funds are not made available to finance all of the required educational services, the State Department of Education shall expend available funds in such a manner that it does not limit the availability of appropriate education to students with disabilities more severely than it does to students without disabilities.

(2) The State Department of Education is hereby authorized to match the total funding formula funds provided in Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 and other funds allocated for provision of services to students with disabilities with Division of Medicaid funds to provide language-speech services, physical therapy and occupational therapy to students with disabilities who meet State Department of Education or Division of Medicaid standards and who are Medicaid eligible. Provided further, that the State Department of Education is authorized to pay such funds as may be required as a match directly to the Division of Medicaid pursuant to an agreement to be developed between the State Department of Education and the Division of Medicaid.

(3) When any children who are residents of the State of Mississippi and qualify under the provisions of Section 37-23-31 shall be provided a program of education, instruction and training within a school under the provisions of said section, the State Department of Education shall allocate funds equivalent to the full base student cost and all qualifying weighted adjustments as prescribed in Section 37-151-205 . The university or college shall be eligible for state and federal funds for such programs on the same basis as local school districts. The university or college shall be responsible for providing for the additional costs of the program.

(4) A school district may provide a program of education and instruction to children ages five (5) years through twenty-one (21) years, who are resident citizens of the State of Mississippi, who cannot have their educational needs met in a regular public school program and who have not finished or graduated from high school, if those children are determined by competent medical authorities and psychologists to need placement in a state licensed facility for inpatient treatment, day treatment or residential treatment or a therapeutic group home. Such program shall operate under rules, regulations, policies and standards of school districts as determined by the State Board of Education. If a private school approved by the State Board of Education is operated as an integral part of the state licensed facility that provides for the treatment of such children, the private school within the facility may provide a program of education, instruction and training to such children by requesting the State Department of Education to allocate funds equivalent to the full base student cost and all qualifying weighted adjustments as prescribed in Section 37-151-205 for each student placed in such facility for each approved class. The facility shall be responsible for providing any additional costs of the program.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-11 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 146-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-11
Status: in_force

(1) Students in the program may apply to the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry.

(2) Students in the program seeking admission to the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry shall be eligible for the admissions process pursuant to criteria established by the School of Dentistry Admissions Committee which will include consideration of the attributes of participation in the program.

(3) In carrying out the admissions process developed for the Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program participants under this section, the goal is for the program to work with the School of Dentistry to enhance the capability of participants to successfully enter and complete dental school and enter practice in rural or underserved areas in Mississippi. To the extent feasible, the early admissions process should be completed before December 1 of the year preceding a student's admission to dental school.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 47-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-3
Status: in_force

The term “ school district ” as used in this chapter shall be defined as including all public school districts and public charter schools in this state and also all agricultural high schools not located on the campus of a junior college.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-49 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 28-49
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-49
Status: in_force

(1) Charter school teachers and other school personnel, as well as members of the governing board and any education service provider with whom a charter school contracts, are subject to criminal history record checks and fingerprinting requirements applicable to employees of other public schools. The authorizer shall require that current criminal records background checks and current child abuse registry checks are obtained, and that the criminal record information and registry checks are on file at the charter school for any new hires applying for employment. In order to determine an applicant's suitability for employment, the applicant must be fingerprinted. If no disqualifying record is identified at the state level, the fingerprints must be forwarded by the Department of Public Safety to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history record check. Under no circumstances may a member of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board, member of the charter school governing board or any individual other than the subject of the criminal history record checks disseminate information received through the checks except as may be required to fulfill the purposes of this section. The determination whether the applicant has a disqualifying crime, as set forth in subsection (2) of this section, must be made by the appropriate state or federal governmental authority, which must notify the charter school whether a disqualifying crime exists.

(2) If the fingerprinting or criminal record checks disclose a felony conviction, guilty plea or plea of nolo contendere to a felony of possession or sale of drugs, murder, manslaughter, armed robbery, rape, sexual battery, sex offense listed in Section 45-33-23(g) , child abuse, arson, grand larceny, burglary, gratification of lust or aggravated assault which has not been reversed on appeal or for which a pardon has not been granted, the new hire is not eligible to be employed at the charter school. However, the charter school, in its discretion, may allow any applicant aggrieved by the employment decision under this section to show mitigating circumstances that exist and may allow, subject to the approval of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board, the new hire to be employed at the school. The authorizer may approve the employment depending on the mitigating circumstances, which may include, but need not be limited to: (a) age at which the crime was committed; (b) circumstances surrounding the crime; (c) length of time since the conviction and criminal history since the conviction; (d) work history; (e) current employment and character references; and (f) other evidence demonstrating the ability of the person to perform the employment responsibilities competently and that the person does not pose a threat to the health or safety of children.

(3) No charter school, charter school employee, member of the charter school governing board, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board or member or employee of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board employee may be held liable in any employment discrimination suit in which an allegation of discrimination is made regarding an employment decision authorized under this section.

(4) A charter school shall terminate any teacher or administrator for committing one or more of the following acts:

(a) Engaging in unethical conduct relating to an educator-student relationship as identified by the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board;

(b) Fondling a student as described in Section 97-5-23 or engaging in any type of sexual involvement with a student as described in Section 97-3-95 ; or

(c) Failure to report sexual involvement of a charter school employee with a student as required by Section 97-5-24 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-135 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 29-135
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-135
Status: in_force

The board of trustees is authorized to lease land and/or buildings owned by the college to any governmental agency, political subdivision, corporation, partnership, joint venture, or individual for the purpose of enabling such persons to construct thereon or repair, renovate and rehabilitate any buildings or facilities the board may determine as necessary and beneficial for additional facilities, services or educational opportunities to the college, students, faculty or the community, and to lease such building and facilities to the college.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-45-51 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 45-51
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-45-51
Status: in_force

Any school board of a school district aggrieved by any final rule, regulation or order of the commission shall have the right of appeal to the chancery court of the county in which said school district or any part thereof may be located or situated, which appeal shall be taken and perfected as hereinafter provided within thirty (30) days from the date of such final rule, regulation or order. The said chancery court may modify or affirm such rule, regulation or order or reverse or remand the same for further proceedings as justice may require. All such appeals shall be taken and perfected, heard and determined, either in term time or in vacation, on the record, including a transcript of any evidence, pleadings or testimony filed and heard before said commission. Such appeal shall be heard and disposed of promptly by the chancery court as a preference cause. In perfecting any appeal provided by this chapter, the provisions of law respecting notice to the reporter and the allowance of bills of exception, now or hereafter in force respecting appeals from the chancery court to the Supreme Court shall be applicable. The reporter shall transcribe his notes and file the transcript of the record with the commission within thirty (30) days after approval of the appeal bond.

Upon the filing with the commission of a petition for appeal to the chancery court, it shall be the duty of the commission, as promptly as possible and in any event within sixty (60) days after approval of the appeal bond, to file with the clerk of the chancery court a copy of the petition for appeal and of the rule, regulation or order appealed from, and a transcript of the record of the pleadings and evidence before the commission. After the filing of said petition, the appeal shall be perfected by the filing of bond in the sum of Five Hundred Dollars ($500.00) with two (2) sufficient sureties or with a surety company qualified to do business in Mississippi as the surety, conditioned to pay the cost of such appeal. Said bond shall be approved by the clerk of the court. The perfection of an appeal shall not stay or suspend the operation of any rule, regulation or order of the commission, but the judge of the said chancery court may award a writ of supersedeas to any rule, regulation or order of the commission after five (5) days' notice to the commission and after hearing. Any order or judgment staying the operation of any rule, regulation or order of the commission shall contain a specific finding, based upon evidence submitted to the chancellor and identified by reference thereto, that great or irreparable damage would result to the appellant if he is denied relief, and the stay shall not become effective until a supersedeas bond shall have been executed and filed with and approved by the clerk of the court or the chancellor, payable to the state. The bond shall be in an amount fixed by the chancellor and conditioned as said chancellor may direct in the order granting the supersedeas.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-15 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 65-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-15
Status: in_force

Upon or during any closure of any school, junior college or institution of higher learning in accordance with the terms of this article, the retirement benefits under existing law of any teacher, superintendent, principal or other employee shall in no way be affected by the same or because of the period of time elapsing during which such school, junior college or institution of higher learning may be closed.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-17-13 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 17-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-17-13
Status: in_force

(1) Whenever the Governor declares a state of emergency in a school district in response to a certification by the State Board of Education and the Commission on School Accreditation made under Section 37-17-6(12)(b) , or when the State Board of Education places a school district into a District of Transformation for academic or financial reasons under Section 37-17-6 (12)(b) , the State Board of Education, in addition to any actions taken under Section 37-17-6 , shall abolish the school district and assume control and administration of the schools formerly constituting the district, and appoint an interim superintendent to carry out this purpose under the direction of the State Board of Education. In such case, the State Board of Education shall have all powers which were held by the previously existing school board, and the previously existing superintendent of schools or county superintendent of education, including, but not limited to, those enumerated in Section 37-7-301 , and the authority to request tax levies from the appropriate governing authorities for the support of the schools and to receive and expend the tax funds as provided by Section 37-57-1 et seq. and Section 37-57-105 et seq.

(2) When a school district is abolished under this section, loans from the School District Emergency Assistance Fund may be made by the State Board of Education for the use and benefit of the schools formerly constituting the district in accordance with the procedures set forth in Section 37-17-6(15) for such loans to the district. The abolition of a school district under this section shall not impair or release the property of that school district from liability for the payment of the loan indebtedness, and it shall be the duty of the appropriate governing authorities to levy taxes on the property of the district so abolished from year to year according to the terms of the indebtedness until same shall be fully paid.

(3) After a local school board is abolished by the State Board of Education, at such time the State Board of Education determines that the impairments are being substantially corrected and the responsibility of the district transformation in such district upon the conclusion of the final scholastic year in which a district has maintained a “C” accountability rating for three (3) consecutive years, the State Board of Education may appoint a new five-member board for the administration of the school district and shall notify the local county board of supervisors and/or municipal governing authority of such appointment, spreading the names of the new school board members on its minutes. The new local school board members shall be residents of the school district. The new local school board members appointed by the State Board of Education may serve in an advisory capacity to the interim superintendent for its first year of service and thereafter shall have full responsibility to administer the school district. Thirty (30) days prior to the end of the first year of office as an advisory board, each member shall draw lots to determine when the members shall rotate off the board as follows: one (1) member shall serve a one-year term of office; one (1) member shall serve a two-year term of office; one (1) member shall serve a three-year term of office; one (1) member shall serve a four-year term of office; and one (1) member shall serve a five-year term of office. At that time, the State Board of Education shall notify the appropriate board of supervisors or municipal governing authority of this action and request them to provide for the election or appointment of school board members at the end of the terms of office in the manner provided by law, in order for the local residents of the school district to select a new school board on a phased-in basis. In such situations, the Governor will set the date of any necessary special election which shall be conducted by the county election commission. During the new school board's first two (2) years administering the school district, the interim superintendent shall continue to serve alongside the school board. The State Board of Education shall request the new school board to provide for the appointment of a superintendent to govern the reconstituted or reorganized school district one (1) year after the new school board's first year of administering the school district. The new superintendent shall serve as deputy to the interim superintendent while the interim superintendent is assigned to the district. A board member or superintendent in office at the time the Governor declares a state of emergency in a school district, or when the State Board of Education places a school district into a District of Transformation due to academic or financial reasons, shall not be eligible to serve in the office of school board member or superintendent for the school district reconstituted or reorganized following the district transformation period.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-469 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 29-469
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-469
Status: in_force

The board of trustees of the Copiah-Lincoln Junior College District shall have the general borrowing and bonding authority provided in Sections 37-29-101 through 37-29-127 . The said board of trustees shall have the taxation authority provided in Sections 37-29-141 through 37-29-145 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-213 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 151-213
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-213
Status: in_force

(1) To qualify for state funds under this chapter, a school district may not exceed a student-teacher ratio determined in accordance with appropriate accreditation standards developed by the Mississippi Commission on School Accreditation. However, a local district may apply to the State Board of Education for approval of a waiver to this section by submitting and justifying an alternative educational program to serve the needs of enrollment. The State Board of Education must approve or disapprove of the waiver no later than forty-five (45) days after the receipt of the application.

(2) If a school district violates a required student-teacher ratio, the state share in support of the funding formula for the next succeeding fiscal year to that school district must be reduced by the percentage variance that the actual student-teacher ratios in the school district is to the required student-teacher ratios established under accreditation standards.

(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, the State Board of Education may waive the student-teacher requirements upon a finding that a good faith effort is being made by a school district to comply with the ratio provision but, due to a lack of classroom space which is beyond the district's control, it is physically impossible for the district to comply, and the cost of temporary classroom space cannot be justified.

(4) If a school district meets the highest levels of performance classification, as determined by the State Board of Education in the state's accountability standards, the State Board of Education, in its discretion, may exempt the school district from the maximum student-teacher ratio required under this section.

(5) This section is not applicable to charter schools.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-303 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 7-303
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-303
Status: in_force

(1) The school board of any school district may insure motor vehicles for any hazard that the board may choose, and shall insure the school buildings, equipment and other school property of the district against any and all hazards that the board may deem necessary to provide insurance against. In addition, the local school board of any school district shall purchase and maintain business property insurance and business personal property insurance on all school district-owned buildings and/or contents as required by federal law and regulations of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as is necessary for receiving public assistance or reimbursement for repair, reconstruction, replacement or other damage to those buildings and/or contents caused by the Hurricane Katrina Disaster of 2005 or subsequent disasters. The school district is authorized to expend funds from any available source for the purpose of obtaining and maintaining that property insurance. The school district is authorized to enter into agreements with the Department of Finance and Administration, other local school districts, community or junior college districts, state institutions of higher learning, community hospitals and/or other state agencies to pool their liabilities to participate in a group business property and/or business personal property insurance program, subject to uniform rules and regulations as may be adopted by the Department of Finance and Administration. Such school board shall be authorized to contract for such insurance for a term of not exceeding five (5) years and to obligate the district for the payment of the premiums thereon. When necessary, the school board is authorized and empowered, in its discretion, to borrow money payable in annual installments for a period of not exceeding five (5) years at a rate of interest not exceeding eight percent (8%) per annum to provide funds to pay such insurance premiums. The money so borrowed and the interest thereon shall be payable from any school funds of the district other than the total funding formula funds provided for in Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 . The school boards of school districts are further authorized and empowered, in all cases where same may be necessary, to bring and maintain suits and other actions in any court of competent jurisdiction for the purpose of collecting the proceeds of insurance policies issued upon the property of such school district.

(2) Two (2) or more school districts, together with other educational entities or agencies, may agree to pool their liabilities to participate in a group workers' compensation program. The governing authorities of any school board or other educational entity or agency may authorize the organization and operation of, or the participation in such a group self-insurance program with other school boards and educational entities or agencies, subject to the requirements of Section 71-3-5 . The Workers' Compensation Commission shall approve such group self-insurance programs subject to uniform rules and regulations as may be adopted by the commission applicable to all groups.

(3) The governing board of any county, municipality, municipal separate school district, other school district or community/junior college district, and the governing board or head of any other political subdivision or entity may negotiate for, secure and pool their risks under this section and may provide for the purchase of any one or more policies of property insurance, or the establishment of a self-insurance fund or self-insurance reserves, or any combination thereof. The governing board of any political subdivision or other entity set forth in this section is authorized to expend funds from any available source for the purpose of obtaining and maintaining that property insurance. The administration and service of any such self-insurance program shall be contracted to a third party and approved by the Commissioner of Insurance.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 9-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-3
Status: in_force

Except as otherwise provided in Section 37-167-1 , within the limits of the available funds, the superintendent of schools of a school district shall recommend to the school board thereof all noninstructional employees to be employed and may prescribe the duties thereof. Compensation for such employees may be paid from any lawful funds.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-155-13 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 155-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-155-13
Status: in_force

Through the dormitory residence plan, the advance payment contract shall provide prepaid housing fees for a maximum of eight (8) semesters of full-time undergraduate enrollment in an institution of higher education. Dormitory residence plans are optional and may be purchased only in conjunction with a prepaid tuition plan. Dormitory residence plans shall be purchased in increments of two (2) semesters. Beneficiaries shall bear the cost of any additional elective charges such as laundry service or long-distance telephone service. Each institution of higher education may specify the residence halls eligible for inclusion in the plan. In addition, any institution of higher education may request immediate termination of a dormitory contract based on a violation or multiple violations of rules of the residence hall. Beneficiaries shall have the highest priority in the assignment of housing with institutions of higher education residence halls. In the event that sufficient housing is not available for all beneficiaries, the board shall refund the purchaser or beneficiary an amount equal to the fees charged for dormitory residence during that semester.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-35-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 35-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-35-7
Status: in_force

Any funds that may be appropriated by the State Legislature for the purpose of carrying out a program of adult education may be used to supplement local funds or to meet the minimum requirements of the federal government for a program of adult education in the state, provided such program is conducted under the rules and regulations established by the Mississippi Community College Board.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-15 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 113-15
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-15
Status: in_force

The privilege of rooming in the dormitories belongs to the free students, and to the due quota of students from each county in preference to all others, on the basis of the present dormitory capacity in the Mississippi State University of Agricultural and Applied Science.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-138-5 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 138-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-138-5
Status: in_force

(a) “Abatement” means removal, encapsulation, enclosure or repair of or an operations and maintenance program for asbestos-containing materials.

(b) “Air monitor” means person who collects airborne samples for analysis of asbestos fibers during an abatement project including baseline, area, personal and clearance samples.

(c) “Asbestos-containing materials” (ACM) means any material or product which contains more than one percent (1%) asbestos.

(d) “Asbestos project” means a project for the abatement of ACM in school buildings, public buildings and commercial buildings except for exclusions adopted by the commission in accordance with Section 37-138-9(a) and except for abatement of asbestos-containing resilient floor tile, sheet vinyl flooring and associated adhesives, provided there is a two-working-day advance notification to the commission of the abatement of asbestos-containing floor tile, sheet vinyl flooring and associated adhesives, unless sanding, grinding, burning or sawing occurs or such abatement is otherwise considered a “response action” or would cause the material to become “friable” as both those terms are defined under 40 C.F.R. Section 763.83 .

(e) “Certificate” means a document authorizing a person to perform certain specific activities related to the identification, evaluation or abatement of ACM in school buildings, public buildings and commercial buildings as described in this chapter.

(f) “Commercial building” means any privately owned building in which the public is invited or allowed access and any other privately owned building so located that the conduct of any asbestos abatement activities therein could reasonably expose any person or persons to ACM hazards, except that a commercial building shall not include any residence.

(g) “Commission” means the Mississippi Commission on Environmental Quality.

(h) “Contractor” means a person who enters into a contract for the performance of an asbestos project.

(i) “Director” means the Executive Director of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality.

(j) “Inspector” means a person employed to inspect or reinspect for presence of ACM, collect samples of ACM confirmation and provide written assessment of ACM.

(k) “Management plan” is a plan for abatement of ACM.

(l) “Management planner” means a person employed to develop a management plan.

(m) “Model plan” means the Model Accreditation Plan for states promulgated at Section I of Appendix C to Title 40, Part 763 , Subpart E of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(n) “Operations and maintenance program” means a program of work practices to maintain ACM in good condition, ensure cleanup of asbestos fibers previously released, and prevent further release by minimizing and controlling ACM disturbance or damage.

(o) “Person” means the state or other agency or institution thereof, any municipality, political subdivision, public or private corporation, individual, partnership, association or other entity, and includes any officer or governing or managing body of any municipality, political subdivision, or public or private corporation, or the United States or any officer or employee thereof.

(p) “Project designer” means a person who specifies engineering methods and work practices to be used during asbestos projects.

(q) “Public building” means any building owned by the state, counties, municipalities, institutions of higher learning, community colleges or any political subdivision.

(r) “School” means any elementary or secondary school as defined in Section 198 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C.S. 2854 ).

(s) “School building” means:

(i) Any structure suitable for use as a classroom, including a school facility such as a laboratory, library, school eating facility, or facility used for the preparation of food.

(ii) Any gymnasium or other facility which is specially designed for athletic or recreational activities or for an academic course in physical education.

(iii) Any other facility used for the instruction or housing of students or for the administration of educational or research programs.

(iv) Any maintenance, storage or utility facility, including any hallway, essential to the operation of any facility described in this definition of “school building” under paragraphs (i), (ii) or (iii).

(v) Any portico or covered exterior hallway or walkway.

(vi) Any exterior portion of a mechanical system used to condition interior space.

(t) “Supervisor” means a person designated by a contractor to be responsible for direction of day-to-day activities of an asbestos project.

(u) “Worker” means a person who works on an asbestos project other than a project designer, contractor, supervisor or management planner.

(v) The commission is authorized to adopt by promulgated regulation any or all additional definitions necessary to carry out the intent of this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-111-11 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 111-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-111-11
Status: in_force

The members of organizations of the character designated in Section 37-111-1 , shall be amenable to the same rules and regulations as any and all other students in the institution. In the event that the members of such an organization become guilty of continued violation of the rules and of infractions of discipline the board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning shall have the authority to dissolve such society and prohibit further meetings or its continuation as an organization. A failure to comply with the requirements of the trustees shall be a cause for suspension or expulsion from the institution as the faculty of the same may elect.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-5 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / 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. § 37-101-181 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 101-181
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-181
Status: in_force

Any member of the faculties of Alcorn State University, Jackson State University, and Mississippi Valley State University shall be eligible for leave of absence to pursue advanced academic training so as to elevate the scholastic qualifications of the faculties of these above-mentioned colleges, in line with the requirements of the several accrediting agencies.

In order to provide for the above leaves, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall have power to adopt rules and regulations regarding such leave. In no instance shall leave be granted unless there is a contract providing for continued service, after expiration of the leave, in the college where the faculty member is employed.

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning is hereby authorized to make payment of salary, or such part of salary as may be decided, of such faculty members who are under contract for academic leaves.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 28-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-7
Status: in_force

(1) There is created the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board as a state agency with exclusive chartering jurisdiction in the State of Mississippi. Unless otherwise authorized by law, no other governmental agency or entity may assume any charter authorizing function or duty in any form.

(2)(a) The mission of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board is to authorize high-quality charter schools, particularly schools designed to expand opportunities for underserved students, consistent with the purposes of this chapter. Subject to the restrictions and conditions prescribed in this subsection, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board may authorize charter schools within the geographical boundaries of any school district.

(b) The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board may approve a maximum of fifteen (15) qualified charter applications during a fiscal year.

(c) In any school district designated as an “A,” “B” or “C” school district by the State Board of Education under the accreditation rating system at the time of application, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board may authorize charter schools only if a majority of the members of the local school board votes at a public meeting to endorse the application or to initiate the application on its own initiative.

(3) The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board shall consist of seven (7) members, to be appointed as follows:

(a) Three (3) members appointed by the Governor, with one (1) member being from each of the Mississippi Supreme Court Districts.

(b) Three (3) members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, with one (1) member being from each of the Mississippi Supreme Court Districts.

(c) One (1) member appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Education.

All appointments must be made with the advice and consent of the Senate. In making the appointments, the appointing authority shall ensure diversity among members of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board.

(4) Members appointed to the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board collectively must possess strong experience and expertise in public and nonprofit governance, management and finance, public school leadership, assessment, curriculum and instruction, and public education law. Each member of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board must have demonstrated an understanding of and commitment to charter schooling as a strategy for strengthening public education.

(5) To establish staggered terms of office, the initial term of office for the three (3) Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board members appointed by the Governor shall be four (4) years and thereafter shall be three (3) years; the initial term of office for the three (3) members appointed by the Lieutenant Governor shall be three (3) years and thereafter shall be three (3) years; and the initial term of office for the member appointed by the State Superintendent of Public Education shall be two (2) years and thereafter shall be three (3) years. No member may serve more than two (2) consecutive terms. The initial appointments must be made before September 1, 2013.

(6) The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board shall meet as soon as practical after September 1, 2013, upon the call of the Governor, and shall organize for business by selecting a chairman and adopting bylaws. Subsequent meetings shall be called by the chairman.

(7) An individual member of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board may be removed by the board if the member's personal incapacity renders the member incapable or unfit to discharge the duties of the office or if the member is absent from a number of meetings of the board, as determined and specified by the board in its bylaws. Whenever a vacancy on the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board exists, the original appointing authority shall appoint a member for the remaining portion of the term.

(8) No member of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board or employee, agent or representative of the board may serve simultaneously as an employee, trustee, agent, representative, vendor or contractor of a charter school authorized by the board.

(9) The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board shall appoint an individual to serve as the Executive Director of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board. The executive director shall possess the qualifications established by the board which are based on national best practices, and shall possess an understanding of state and federal education law. The executive director, who shall serve at the will and pleasure of the board, shall devote his full time to the proper administration of the board and the duties assigned to him by the board and shall be paid a salary established by the board, subject to the approval of the State Personnel Board. Subject to the availability of funding, the executive director may employ such administrative staff as may be necessary to assist the director and board in carrying out the duties and directives of the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board.

(10) The Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board is authorized to obtain suitable office space for administrative purposes. In acquiring a facility or office space the authorizer board shall adhere to all policies and procedures required by the Department of Finance and Administration and the Public Procurement Review Board.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-102-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 102-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-102-1
Status: in_force

The Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning may establish off-campus instructional programs for existing universities. However, the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning shall not establish off-campus instructional programs if in its opinion such action is not in the best interest of quality education for the State of Mississippi and the university system.

Students at any off-campus program site may, in the discretion of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning, be permitted to register for full-time course loads.

Attendance at an off-campus site shall fulfill the residency requirements as if the student had attended class on the parent campus of the university, and there shall be no difference in the standards for work nor quality weight of a degree earned in the off-campus program from that earned at the parent institution.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-144-17 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 144-17
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-144-17
Status: in_force

(1) Upon completion of residency, a participant in the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program must proceed to enter the practice of medicine in a rural or underserved area in Mississippi, as defined by the commission and consistent with generally acceptable designations. If an area experiences significant changes in its medical or general community which are not reflected by health professional shortage area (HPSA) or medically underserved area (MUA) rural designation, the commission may receive testimony and, in its discretion, may qualify the area as an underserved or rural area to allow the program participant to fulfill his or her practice obligation.

(2) Upon entering the practice of medicine, a participant in the program must serve in a health professional shortage area (HPSA), medically underserved area (MUA), or rural area otherwise approved for practice under subsection (1) of this section for a number of years which corresponds to the number of years, not to exceed five (5), for which the participant received funding through the program. A participant who completes residency who fails to enter the practice of medicine as required under this section shall be deemed in breach of contract and shall be liable for the immediate repayment of all financial assistance provided to the participant 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 board. Any participant who fails to complete the period of practice for which he or she is obligated to provide services in a health professional shortage area (HPSA) or a medically underserved area (MUA) in exchange for financial assistance received through the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program shall be liable for the repayment of all financial assistance provided to the participant through the program, along with other penalties that may be prescribed by the commission, an amount which shall be reduced on a pro rata basis for actual years of practice by the physician in the area designated by the commission.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-181-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 181-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-181-1
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as “The Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs Act.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-31-11 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 31-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-31-11
Status: in_force

The State of Mississippi shall appropriate sums of money for the support of vocational education from year to year, sufficient at least to equal the amounts allotted year by year to the State of Mississippi for vocational education by the federal government under the provisions of the “Smith-Hughes Act.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-23 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 101-23
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-23
Status: in_force

(1) The Mississippi Small Farm Development Center, which shall be referred to in this section as the SFDC, is established under the management and control of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning. The principal offices of the SFDC shall be located at Alcorn State University and shall be under the direction of the president of the university subject to the governance of the board of trustees. The president shall appoint a director of the SFDC who shall recommend to the president necessary professional and administrative staff of the center, all subject to the approval of the board of trustees.

(2) It shall be the function and duty of the SFDC to:

(a) Develop a system to deliver management and technical assistance to small farms utilizing the resources of local, state and federal government programs, various segments of the private sector, and universities and colleges throughout the state;

(b) Make management and technical assistance available to small farms by linking together with the above resources;

(c) Research and develop small farm opportunities for new or alternative crops;

(d) Develop a clearinghouse for the collection and dissemination of agricultural and economic data; and

(e) Assist small farms in developing more efficient marketing and distribution channels, including foreign trade marketing.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-473 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 7-473
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-473
Status: in_force

School buildings, land, property and related facilities may be sold, conveyed, leased or otherwise disposed of under Sections 37-7-471 through 37-7-483 , to any charter school, to any group of persons, to any association, club or corporation, or to any county, municipality or other political subdivision, to be used as a charter school facility, to be used as a civic, community, recreational or youth center, or to be used by any county or district fair association in connection with its activities, or to be used for church purposes, or to be used as a library or other public building, or to be used as a factory or otherwise in connection with an industrial enterprise, or to be used as part of a residential, mixed-use or other development activity to stimulate economic development activities within the district, or to enhance property values within the district, or to be used for any similar or related purpose or activity.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-20-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 20-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-20-9
Status: in_force

(1) The State Department of Education shall provide technical assistance to districts and carry out the responsibilities of reviewing, monitoring and evaluating the programs conducted under this chapter.

(2) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules which, in its opinion, are necessary to assure that the programs in each school district are carried out in a manner consistent with the purpose and intent of this chapter. The State Board of Education shall develop a procedure for approving or denying local program applications within sixty (60) days of their receipt by the State Department of Education. The State Department of Education shall include in its annual report the number of students participating in programs under this chapter, the extent to which student achievement has increased, the programs which appear to be most successful, and an analysis of the expenditure of funds by district.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-269 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 29-269
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-269
Status: in_force

Nothing in Sections 37-29-1 through 37-29-273 shall be construed to repeal any statute relating to county agricultural high schools, and it is expressly provided that such schools may be operated in conjunction with junior colleges. However, when so operated they shall be under control of the president and boards of trustees of the junior college districts.

Any agricultural high school which is not located on or adjacent to an existing junior college shall continue to be operated as heretofore and shall in no way be affected by the provisions of Sections 37-29-1 through 37-29-273 .

When a junior college through the agricultural high school provides high school facilities of any school district, then the pupils from that district may be enumerated as other pupils in the common schools and the school district or county superintendent may pay to the junior college tuition such as determined by the state department of education for any other schools, and no agricultural high school funds shall be disbursed for pupils for whom such tuition is paid.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-37 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 11-37
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-37
Status: in_force

A public high school fraternity, sorority or secret society, as contemplated by Sections 37-11-37 through 37-11-45 , is hereby defined to be any organization composed wholly, or in part, of public high school pupils, which seeks to perpetuate itself by taking in additional members from the pupils enrolled in such high school on the basis of the decision of the membership of such fraternity, sorority or secret society, rather than upon the free choice of any pupil in the school. However, this does not apply to the Order of DeMolay or a similar organization sponsored by any branch of the Masonic Orders or like adult fraternal organization.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-59-31 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 59-31
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-59-31
Status: in_force

In any case where the issuance of the bonds of a school district has been authorized pursuant to referendum of the qualified electors of the school district under the provisions of this article, and at any time prior to the actual issuance and sale of said bonds, there should be a resolution adopted by the school board of the school district on whose behalf the bonds are to be issued requesting either that the authority to issue said bonds be withdrawn and revoked or that the purpose or purposes for which the bonds are to be issued be amended, altered and changed, in which latter case the resolution shall specify distinctly the amendment, alteration and change proposed, the school board shall, within sixty (60) days after the adoption of such resolution, call an election to be held within the school district involved for the purpose of submitting to the qualified electors thereof the question of whether the authority to issue the bonds should be withdrawn and revoked or whether the purpose or purposes for which the bonds are to be issued should be amended, altered and changed, as the case may be. The resolution calling said election shall designate the date upon which the election will be held and the place or places within such district at which same will be held, which place or places may or may not be the school house or school houses of such district. In all respects, notice of the election shall be given for the time and in the manner otherwise provided in this article with respect to elections upon the question of the issuance of bonds of the school district. The results of the election shall be canvassed, returned and determined as is otherwise provided in this article with respect to elections upon the question of the issuance of school district bonds. The ballots used at said election shall have printed thereon a brief statement of the proposal that the authority to issue the bonds be withdrawn and revoked, or of the proposal that the purpose or purposes for which the bonds are to be issued be amended, altered and changed, as the case may be and in the event the proposal be to amend, alter and change the purpose or purposes of the proposed issue of bonds, a brief statement of the amendments, alterations and changes proposed. There shall also be printed on the ballot the words “FOR THE PROPOSITION” and the words “AGAINST THE PROPOSITION” and the voter shall vote by placing a cross (x) or check mark (✓) opposite his choice. If a majority of the qualified electors who vote in said election shall vote in favor of the proposition, and the proposition be to withdraw or revoke the authority to issue said bonds, then the authority to issue such bonds shall terminate; otherwise, the school board shall continue to have the power and authority to issue said bonds to the same extent as though such election shall not have been held. If a majority of the qualified electors who vote in said election shall vote in favor of the proposition, and the proposition be to amend, alter or change the purpose or purposes for which the bonds shall be issued, then the school board shall be authorized to issue said bonds for the purpose or purposes as amended, altered and changed; otherwise, the bonds shall be issued for the purpose or purposes originally specified.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-41-2 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 41-2
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-41-2
Status: in_force

(a) It shall be unlawful for any individual, other than a student scheduled to be a passenger upon that particular bus, a member of the public school administration or faculty, or a law enforcement official, to directly or indirectly interfere in any way with passenger ingress and egress or the operation, including unauthorized boarding thereof, of a bus used in public school student transportation unless permission has been obtained as prescribed by pertinent rules and regulations promulgated by the state board of education or the local school authorities.

(b) Upon conviction of violation of any provision of this section, such individual shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be subject to a fine of not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00), imprisonment in the county jail for a period not to exceed six (6) months, or both. Any person under the age of seventeen (17) who violates any provision of this section shall be treated as delinquent within the jurisdiction of the youth court.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-23 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 27-23
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-23
Status: in_force

The board of trustees of each county shall be the judges of the eligibility of all applicants for admission to any agricultural high school in the county. They shall not permit any applicant to become a student therein, when in the opinion of the said trustees the moral and mental characteristics of the applicant are such as would prove detrimental to the good morals of the institution.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-33 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 47-33
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-33
Status: in_force

For the purpose of: (a) providing funds to enable the State Board of Education to make loans or advances to school districts as provided by Section 37-47-25 ; (b) providing funds for the payment and redemption of certificates of credit issued to school districts under Section 37-47-23 , when such funds are not otherwise available; or (c) providing funds in an amount not exceeding Twenty Million Dollars ($20,000,000.00) for the payment of allocations of total funding formula funds to school districts for capital expenditures approved under Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215 by the State Board of Education which have not been pledged for debt by the school district, when such funds are not otherwise available, the State Bond Commission is authorized and empowered to issue state school bonds under the conditions prescribed in this chapter. The aggregate principal amount of such bonds outstanding at any one (1) time, after deducting the amount of the sinking fund provided for the retirement of bonds issued for such purposes, shall never exceed the sum of One Hundred Million Dollars ($100,000,000.00). Within such limits, however, state school bonds may be issued from time to time under the conditions prescribed in this chapter. None of such bonds so issued shall have a maturity date later than July 1, 2021.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-57-133 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 57-133
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-57-133
Status: in_force

In the event taxable real property has been or is incorporated in, annexed to, or otherwise made a part of a school district, or in the event taxable personal property is or becomes situated or located within a school district, as the case may be, prior to October 1 of any year but after the approval of the assessment roll of the county or school district for such year, then the board of supervisors of the county or the governing authority of the municipality, as the case may be, shall have the power and authority to make such changes in the assessment roll as shall be necessary to cause such real or personal property to be assessed properly for the ad valorem taxes levied during said year for which such property shall be liable under the terms of Section 37-57-131 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-141-57 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 141-57
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-141-57
Status: in_force

The University Research Center shall develop rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-203 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 9-203
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-203
Status: in_force

The Legislature finds that:

(a) The quality of teaching in the public schools is of vital importance to the future of this state;

(b) This state has a special interest in insuring that the induction of beginning teachers into their profession is conducive to their professional growth and development; and

(c) The formal assignment of mentor teachers who have demonstrated mastery of teaching skills and subject matter knowledge should substantially improve the induction and professional growth of beginning teachers in this state, as well as provide mentor teachers with additional and valuable opportunities to enhance their own professional growth.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-19 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 146-19
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-19
Status: in_force

The Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program, acting through the commission, shall make an effort to establish an initial practice entry support system for participants in the program.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-177 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 29-177
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-177
Status: in_force

Specialized programs in vocational and vocational-technical education which are not available to students in their home districts, but which are offered in other districts, shall be available to such students on a non-out-of-district fee basis.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-187-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 187-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-187-1
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Pandemic Response Broadband Availability Act.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-148-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 148-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-148-7
Status: in_force

IHL and the Department of Revenue each may promulgate, in accordance with the Mississippi Administrative Procedures Law, rules and regulations, application forms and any other forms necessary for the implementation and administration of this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-217 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 33-217
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-217
Status: in_force

Any individual applying for or receiving services provided by the Office of Special Disability Programs who is aggrieved by any action or inaction of the office shall be entitled, in accordance with regulations promulgated by the department, to a fair hearing.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-31-79 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 31-79
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-31-79
Status: in_force

Sections 37-31-71 through 37-31-79 shall be liberally construed to effectuate the provisions thereof and are hereby declared to be severable. Such sections are supplemental to the authority provided in Sections 37-7-401 through 37-7-413 and other applicable statutes, and any agreement entered into pursuant to Sections 37-31-71 through 37-31-79 shall likewise be effective to confer on the contracting parties all powers contained in the Sections 37-7-401 through 37-7-413 provided such agreement is also approved by the state educational finance commission in accordance therewith.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-175-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 175-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-175-7
Status: in_force

(1) A student is not eligible for a Mississippi Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship while he or she is:

(a) Enrolled in a school operating for the purpose of providing educational services to youth in Department of Juvenile Justice commitment programs;

(b) Participating in a home-school education program;

(c) Participating in a virtual school, correspondence school, or distance learning program that receives state funding under the student's participation unless the participation is limited to no more than two (2) courses per school year;

(d) Not having regular and direct contact with his or her private school teachers at the school's physical location.

(2)(a) For purposes of continuity of educational choice, a Mississippi Speech-Language Therapy Scholarship shall remain in force until the student returns to a public school or completes Grade 6 or its equivalent, whichever occurs first.

(b) Upon reasonable notice to the department and the school district, the student's parent or legal guardian may remove the student from the nonpublic school and place the student in a public school in accordance with this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-144-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 144-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-144-7
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 family physicians, psychiatrist, child psychiatrists or other generalist physicians in rural or medically underserved areas of Mississippi, and to develop and implement the programs designed to foster successful entry of participants into medical school, completion of medical school, enrollment into and completion of family medicine or other generalist residency, and establishment and maintenance of a career in family medicine, psychiatrist, child psychiatry or other generalist specialty 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 medical school. The commission and the University of Mississippi Medical Center will develop coursework that will provide scholarship students with the skills necessary for sustained and successful medical 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 Medicine 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) Not less than fifteen (15) students will be admitted to the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program each year, provided that there are fifteen (15) or more qualified applicants for the program.

(8) Upon the funding of sixty-one (61) or more rural physicians scholarships by the Legislature and recognizing the importance of balancing the needs of comprehensive primary care along with a critical shortage of psychiatrists in Mississippi, the commission may grant an exception for fourth-year medical or osteopathic school (M4) students who demonstrate a desire to practice psychiatry in rural Mississippi and who use a practice model and enter the practice of medicine in a rural or underserved area in Mississippi, as defined by the commission, beginning for the M4 Class of 2020.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-551 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 29-551
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-551
Status: in_force

There is hereby created the Coahoma Community College District comprised of the territory lying within Coahoma County, Tunica County, Quitman County, Bolivar County and Tallahatchie County, and having boundaries coinciding with the external boundaries thereof. The district shall be, and is hereby constituted, a legal political governmental subdivision and a body corporate.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-39 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 15-39
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-39
Status: in_force

(1) The purpose of this section is to ensure that each student has a sufficient education for success after high school and that all students have equal access to a substantive and rigorous curriculum that is designed to challenge their minds and enhance their knowledge skill.

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

(a) “ Advanced placement course ” means any high school level preparatory course for a college advanced placement test that incorporates all topics specified by recognized advanced placement authorities on standards for a given subject area and is approved by recognized advanced placement authorities.

(b) “ Pre-advanced placement course ” means a middle, junior high or high school level course that specifically prepares students to enroll and participate in an advanced placement course.

(c) “ Vertical team ” means a group of educators from different grade levels in a given discipline working cooperatively to develop and implement a vertically aligned program aimed at helping students from diverse backgrounds acquire the academic skills necessary for success in the advanced placement program and other challenging course work.

(d) “ High concentration of low-income students ” means, when used with respect to a public school or school district, a public school or school district that serves a student population with fifty percent (50%) or more being low-income individuals ages five (5) through seventeen (17) years from a low-income family on the basis of: data on children eligible for the free or reduced price lunches under the National School Lunch Act; data on children in families receiving assistance under Part A of Title IV of the Social Security Act; data on children eligible to receive medical assistance under the Medicaid program under Title XIX of the Social Security Act; or an alternate method of identifying such children which combines or extrapolates that data.

(3) The State Board of Education shall establish clear, specific and challenging training guidelines that require teachers of advanced placement courses and teachers of pre-advanced placement courses to obtain a recognized advanced placement authority endorsed training. A teacher of an advanced placement or pre-advanced placement course, or both, must obtain the appropriate training.

(4)(a) In order to ensure that each student has a sufficient education for success after high school and that all students have equal access to a substantive and rigorous curriculum that is designed to challenge their minds and enhance their knowledge skill, school districts shall offer pre-advanced placement courses to prepare students for advanced placement course work.

(b) Subject to appropriation, funding shall be made available for the 2007-2008 school year so that all sophomores in Mississippi's public schools may take an examination that measures the students' ability to succeed in an advanced placement course. The State Department of Education shall seek federal funding through the Advanced Placement Incentive Grant Program and other available funding for this purpose. Funding efforts must be focused with an intent to carry out advanced placement and pre-advanced placement activities in school districts targeted as serving a high concentration of low-income students.

(c) The State Department of Education shall develop rules necessary for the implementation of advanced placement courses.

(5) Beginning with the 2007-2008 school year, all school districts must offer at least one (1) advanced placement course in each of the four (4) core areas of math, English, science and social studies, for a total offering of no less than four (4) advanced placement courses. The use of the state's online Advanced Placement Instructional Program is an appropriate alternative for the delivery of advanced placement courses.

Any public high school offering the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program is exempt from the requirements of this subsection. However, the school may participate in teacher training and program funding on the same basis as any high school offering advanced placement courses.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-140-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 140-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-140-1
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) “ Board ” means the State Board of Education.

(b) “ School ” means the Mississippi School of the Arts.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-67 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 47-67
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-47-67
Status: in_force

Any county board of education or board of trustees of any school district, including a municipal separate school district, which may be aggrieved by any final rule, regulation, or order of the state educational finance commission adopted under the provisions of this chapter shall have the right to appeal therefrom to the chancery court of the county in which the school district involved or any part thereof is located in like manner, within the same time, with like effect, and subject in all other respects to appeals from orders, rules, and regulations of the state educational finance commission as provided in Chapter 45 of this Title, the provisions of which are hereby made applicable in all respects to appeals from orders, rules, and regulations of the commission under the provisions of this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-69-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 69-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-69-7
Status: in_force

(1) The Board of Trustees of the Vicksburg-Warren School District and the Claiborne County Board of Education are authorized to make application to the Mississippi Development Authority for the approval of entering into a Memorandum of Understanding with a nuclear facility and Warren County and the State of Mississippi for the establishment of a partnership for the operation of an Energy High School Academy. The purpose of the Energy High School Academy shall be to provide qualified students attending school in Warren and/or Claiborne County in the eighth through twelfth grade with career education, potential student internships and continuing education for careers in the energy industry.

(2)(a) The Energy High School Academy shall be under the administrative direction of the Energy High School Academy Partnership Council (Partnership Council) consisting of one (1) member from each of the following entities:

(i) The Chief Executive Officer of an enterprise engaged in the generation of nuclear energy located in Claiborne County, or his designee, who shall serve for four (4) years;

(ii) The superintendent of the Vicksburg-Warren School District, who shall serve for four (4) years;

(iii) The superintendent of the Claiborne County School District, who shall serve for four (4) years;

(iv) A designee of the Mississippi Development Authority, appointed by the executive director of MDA, and who may be the executive director, who shall serve three (3) years;

(v) A member of the Board of Trustees of the Vicksburg-Warren School District, appointed by the Vicksburg Mayor and Board of Alderman, who shall serve two (2) years;

(vi) A member of the Claiborne County Board of Education, appointed by the Claiborne County Board of Supervisors, who shall serve two (2) years;

(vii) A member of the Claiborne County Chamber of Commerce, appointed by the chairman of the board of directors, who may appoint himself or herself, and who shall serve one (1) year; and

(viii) A member of the Vicksburg Chamber of Commerce, appointed by the chairman of the board of directors, who may appoint himself or herself, and who shall serve one (1) year.

(b) Members of the Partnership Council shall serve staggered terms, as prescribed in paragraph (a) of this subsection, commencing with the initial appointments made in 2019, and shall thereafter, upon the expiration of the initial term, the succeeding appointees shall serve a term of four (4) years. Members of the council may be reappointed to the council by the original appointing authority without limitation on the number of terms served. In the event of a vacancy on the council, the original appointing authority shall appoint a replacement to complete the unexpired term of the member creating the vacancy.

(c) The Partnership Council shall meet on or before August 1, 2019, and organize for business, elect officers and adopt necessary regulations for the operation of the Energy High School Academy. Meetings shall be held upon the call of the chairman.

(3) The Energy High School Academy Partnership Council shall promulgate administrative rules and regulations to prescribe the criteria to be used in the establishment of the Energy High School Academy, which shall include student qualifications, application requirements and curriculum components.

(4)(a) There is established in the State Treasury a fund to be known as the “Energy High School Academy Fund.” The purpose of the fund is to provide necessary financial support to Vicksburg-Warren/Claiborne County School Districts and the Mississippi Development Authority for start-up costs and costs associated with implementing and operating the Energy Academy established under this section. The fund may consist of monies obtained from grants from any public or private source. The Mississippi Development Authority shall administer the fund pursuant to appropriation by the Legislature, and may apply for any grants from the federal government or private sources.

(b) The Mississippi Development Authority shall prepare a three-year budget proposal for the operation of the Energy Academy which shall include staff and liaison salary estimates, equipment and facility costs and job demand estimates. This budget shall be submitted to the Governor, the Legislative Budget Office and the Partnership Council and updated annually.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 15-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-7
Status: in_force

In addition to the cumulative records provided for in Section 37-15-1 , there shall be kept a continuing census of all children below the age of nineteen within each school district. Such record shall be kept as a part of the permanent office records of the superintendent of the district.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-505 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 29-505
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-505
Status: in_force

The control and operation of the Meridian Junior College District shall be vested in a board of trustees appointed by the city council of the City of Meridian. The board of trustees of the Meridian Junior College District shall consist of five (5) members. When the initial appointments are made, the first appointee shall serve for a term of one (1) year, the second appointee for a term of two (2) years, the third appointee for a term of three (3) years, the fourth appointee for a term of four (4) years and the fifth appointee for a term of five (5) years; thereafter all appointments shall be for a term of five (5) years. Trustees of the Meridian Junior College District shall be appointed by a majority vote of the full membership of the city council of the City of Meridian at the first meeting of the council held in the month of February of each year, and the term of office of each trustee so appointed shall commence on the first Saturday of March following, except that the existing trustees of the Meridian Municipal Separate School District as of April 30, 1980, shall constitute the initial board of trustees of the Meridian Junior College District. As the terms of these individual trustees expire, trustees for the Meridian Junior College District shall be appointed as provided herein. All vacancies shall be filled for unexpired terms by appointment by majority vote of the full membership of the city council.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-173-29 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 173-29
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-173-29
Status: in_force

The inclusion of eligible nonpublic schools within options available to Mississippi public school students does not expand the regulatory authority of the state, its officers, or any school district to impose any additional regulation of nonpublic schools beyond those reasonably necessary to enforce requirements expressly set forth in this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-71-11 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 71-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-71-11
Status: in_force

(1) Beginning with July 1, 2020, a licensing authority shall grant a license to any student applicant who participates in an alternative learning course, program or opportunity or apprenticeship program, and who meets the following criteria:

(a) Completed an apprenticeship in the licensed occupation or profession;

(b) Attained a satisfactory industry certification score on the WorkKeys assessment, if such assessment is a required component of the alternative course or apprenticeship;

(c) Passed an examination, if one is deemed to be necessary by the licensing authority; and

(d) Paid any fees deemed necessary by the licensing authority.

(2) Licensing authorities shall establish a passing score for their respective examinations which shall not exceed the passing score that is required under the standard licensing processes. If the relevant licensing authority or provision of law does not require an examination for the standard licensing process for an occupation, no examination may be required for applicants who complete an apprenticeship in that occupation.

(3) Licensing authorities shall establish a licensing fee, which shall not exceed the licensing fee that is required under the standard licensing processes. If the relevant licensing authority or state does not require a fee for the standard licensing process for an occupation, no fee can be required for applicants who complete an apprenticeship in that occupation.

(4) Except as otherwise required by federal law, apprenticeships for an occupation shall not be required to exceed the number of hours required by the relevant licensing authority or statute for that occupation.

(5) Licensing authorities shall adopt necessary rules for the implementation of this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-43 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 11-43
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-43
Status: in_force

All boards of trustees of public high schools shall prohibit fraternities, sororities, or secret societies in all high schools under their respective jurisdiction. It shall be the duty of said boards of trustees to suspend or expel from said high schools under their control, any pupil or pupils who shall be or remain a member of, or shall join or promise to join, or who shall become pledged to become a member, or who shall solicit or encourage any other person to join, promise to join, or be pledged to become a member of, any such public high school fraternity, sorority or secret society, as defined in Section 37-11-37 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-104.8 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 7-104.8
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-7-104.8
Status: in_force

(1) In Chickasaw County, Mississippi, in which are located, as of January 1, 2017, three (3) school districts, there shall be an administrative consolidation of two (2) of those school districts in the county as a new school district to be designated as Chickasaw County School District which shall consist of the territory of the former Chickasaw County School District and the Houston Municipal Separate School District, effective on July 1, 2021. At such time that the administrative consolidation becomes effective, the central administrative office of the new Chickasaw County School District shall be located in Houston, Mississippi.

(2) On July 1, 2020, the Superintendent of Schools of the former Houston Municipal Separate School District shall continue to serve in like administrative capacity for the purpose of managing the transition for the consolidation of the former Chickasaw County School District and the Houston Municipal Separate School District. The said Superintendent of Schools shall be responsible for the administration, management and operation of the school district from July 1, 2020, until July 1, 2021, including, but not limited to, the following activities: (a) merging the existing budgets with the budget of the new consolidated school district; (b) nonrenewal of central office staff as necessary; (c) construction of a new salary scale for licensed and nonlicensed employees; (d) supplemental duties of school district employees; (e) assist local officials with school tax assessment; (f) appointment of assistant superintendents for the new district not to exceed three (3); and (g) veto authority over decisions of the former school boards until the new Chickasaw County Board of Education is in place. The said Superintendent of Schools shall cooperate with the State Department of Education, as soon as practicable after July 1, 2017, for the planning and transition of programs, services and alignment of curriculum for the administratively consolidated school districts.

(3) On July 1, 2020, the State Board of Education shall serve the Chickasaw County Board of Education and the Board of Trustees of the Houston Municipal Separate School District 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 require the administrative consolidation of the Chickasaw County School District and the Houston Municipal Separate School District on or before July 1, 2021.

(4) In the new Chickasaw County School District, there shall be an Interim County Board of Education elected in a November 2020 special election which shall be called by the Governor for that purpose. The State Board of Education shall declare that the following territory shall be the election districts for the Interim Chickasaw County Board of Education, and members shall be qualified electors residing in that district: (a) three (3) members shall be elected at large from the territory of the former Houston School District; and (b) two (2) members shall be elected at large from the territory of the former Chickasaw County School District. Members elected in the November 2020 special election shall serve terms of three (3) years beginning on January 1, 2021. There shall be a new Chickasaw County Board of Education for the Chickasaw County School District, elected on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November 2023, at the same time and in the same manner as the statewide general election is held and conducted, for that purpose. The new county board of education shall be elected and the terms of office established as provided in Section 37-5-7(5) . Any school board member of the former school districts residing in the proper territory shall be eligible for election to the new Chickasaw County Board of Education.

(5) The State Board of Education shall declare that the territory embraced by Chickasaw County, Mississippi, excluding the territory of Okolona Separate School District, shall be the boundary lines for the territory of the new Chickasaw County School District and shall spread a legal description of the new school district on the minutes of its August 2020 meeting and shall serve the applicable school boards and the board of supervisors with an adequate legal description of these new boundaries. Any school district affected by the required administrative consolidation in the county that does not voluntarily consolidate as ordered by the State Board of Education shall be administratively consolidated by the State Board of Education, to be effective immediately upon action of the State Board of Education. 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 the Chickasaw School District by July 1, 2021, following the motion to consolidate. The affected school districts shall comply with any consolidation order issued by the State Board of Education.

(6) The Interim Chickasaw County Board of Education shall conduct a search for a new Superintendent of Schools for the Chickasaw County School District to be selected no later than July 1, 2021, in the manner provided in Section 37-9-13 and the Superintendent of Schools serving on that date may be selected to continue in office. The position of Chickasaw County Superintendent of Schools shall be an appointive position. No superintendent serving in a school district placed under conservatorship shall be eligible for appointment as a superintendent or assistant superintendent in the new Chickasaw County School District. The Interim Chickasaw County Board of Education shall also employ central office staff for the Chickasaw County School District no later than July 1, 2021, or as soon thereafter as is practicable.

(7) On January 1, 2021, following the motion of the State Board of Education to consolidate school districts in Chickasaw County and the Houston Municipal Separate School Districts, the Chickasaw County School District and the Houston Municipal Separate School District and the former school boards of those districts shall be abolished. All real and personal property which is owned or titled in the name of the school district located in such former school districts shall be transferred to the new Chickasaw County School District. The Superintendent of Schools and the County Board of Education of the new Chickasaw County School District shall be responsible for establishing the contracts for teachers, principals, clerical and administrative staff personnel for the 2020-2021 school year and thereafter. It shall be the responsibility of the Superintendent of Schools and the County Board of Education of the new Chickasaw County School District to prepare and approve the budget of the new reorganized district. 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.

(8) From and after July 1, 2021, all outstanding debt of the former Chickasaw County School District and the Houston Municipal Separate School District shall be assumed by and become the debt of the new Chickasaw County School District. Any debt assumed by the Chickasaw County School District secured by a special ad valorem tax shall become secured by and payable from a mandatory, special ad valorem tax which shall be levied on all taxable property in the territory of the former Houston Municipal Separate School District or the former Chickasaw County School District, as the case may be, by the levying authority of the new Chickasaw County School District. It is the intent of the Legislature that any such pledges of the former school districts will remain in effect and that the pledged funds will be available to the new Chickasaw County School District to pay its debt to which the funds are pledged. The Board of Supervisors of Chickasaw County shall be the “levying authority” for the new Chickasaw County School District.

(9) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require the closing of any school or school facility, unless the 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.

(10) The State Board of Education, acting through the new Superintendent of Schools, shall promulgate rules and regulations to facilitate the administrative consolidation of the school districts in Chickasaw County and Houston, Mississippi, pursuant to this section. The consolidated district shall make an election within one (1) year of consolidation concerning the group term life insurance described in Section 25-15-9(7) .

(11) For the initial two (2) years following the administrative consolidation required by this section, conditioned on approval by the U.S. Department of Education, the State Department of Education shall grant a waiver of accountability and state assessment requirements to the new Chickasaw County School District for the student population enrolled therein from the former Chickasaw County School District and the Houston Municipal Separate School District, when determining the new consolidated school district accreditation level based on the performance and accountability rating model.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-57 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 9-57
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-57
Status: in_force

If any appointed superintendent, principal or licensed employee in any public school of this state shall arbitrarily or willfully breach his or her contract and abandon his or her employment without being released therefrom as provided in Section 37-9-55 , the contract of such superintendent, principal or licensed employee shall be null and void. In addition thereto the license of such superintendent, principal or licensed employee may be suspended by the State Board of Education for a period of one (1) school year as provided in Section 37-3-2(8) upon written recommendation of the majority of the members of the school board of the school district involved.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-61 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 151-61
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-61
Status: in_force

Any school board of any school district which may be aggrieved by any final rule, regulation or order of the State Board of Education adopted under the provisions of this chapter shall have the right to appeal therefrom to the chancery court of the county in which the school district involved or any part thereof is located in like manner, within the same time, with like effect, and subject in all other respects to appeals from orders, rules and regulations of the State Board of Education, the provisions of which are hereby made applicable in all respects to appeals from orders, rules and regulations of the commission under the provisions of this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-31 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 9-31
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-31
Status: in_force

All school principals and attendance center principals shall furnish good and sufficient surety bonds in like manner as required of superintendents. The amount of such bonds shall be not less than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), with sufficient surety.

The premium upon said bond shall be paid from the maintenance funds of the district served by such principal. Such bond shall be payable, conditioned and approved in the manner provided by law.

All such bonds shall be filed and recorded in the office of the clerk of the chancery court of the county in which the school district is located.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-133 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 33-133
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-133
Status: in_force

Any funds obtained by the State Department of Rehabilitation Services as a result of the manufacture of goods shall be used and accounted for separately from any funds received by the department through appropriations from the Legislature. All nonappropriated funds generated by community rehabilitation program facilities shall not be subject to appropriation by the Legislature, but must be used in accordance with the federal regulations set forth by The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-231 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 153-231
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-231
Status: in_force

This article shall be known and cited as the “Paramedics Recruitment and Retention Scholarship Program Act.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-171 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 13-171
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-171
Status: in_force

(1) The local school board of every public school district shall adopt a policy to implement abstinence-only or abstinence-plus education or sexual risk avoidance education into its curriculum, which instruction in those subjects shall be implemented not later than the start of the 2023-2024 school year or the local school board shall adopt the program which has been developed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services and the Mississippi Department of Health. The State Department of Education shall approve each district's curriculum for sex-related education and shall establish a protocol to be used by districts to provide continuity in teaching the approved curriculum in a manner that is age, grade and developmentally appropriate.

(2) Abstinence-only education shall remain the state standard for any sex-related education taught in the public schools. For purposes of this section, abstinence-only education includes any type of instruction or program which, at an appropriate age and grade:

(a) Teaches the social, psychological and health gains to be realized by abstaining from sexual activity, and the likely negative psychological and physical effects of not abstaining;

(b) Teaches the harmful consequences to the child, the child's parents and society that bearing children out of marriage is likely to produce, including the health, educational, financial and other difficulties the child and his or her parents are likely to face, as well as the inappropriateness of the social and economic burden placed on others;

(c) Teaches that unwanted sexual advances are irresponsible and teaches how to reject sexual advances and how alcohol and drug use increases vulnerability to sexual advances;

(d) Teaches that abstinence from sexual activity before marriage, and fidelity within marriage, is the only certain way to avoid out-of-marriage pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases and related health problems. The instruction or program may include a discussion on condoms or contraceptives, but only if that discussion includes a factual presentation of the risks and failure rates of those contraceptives. In no case shall the instruction or program include any demonstration of how condoms or other contraceptives are applied;

(e) Teaches the current state law related to sexual conduct, including forcible rape, statutory rape, paternity establishment, child support and homosexual activity; and

(f) Teaches that a mutually faithful, monogamous relationship in the context of marriage is the only appropriate setting for sexual intercourse.

(3) A program or instruction on sex-related education need not include every component listed in subsection (2) of this section for abstinence-only education. However, no program or instruction under an abstinence-only curriculum may include anything that contradicts the excluded components. For purposes of this section, abstinence-plus education includes every component listed under subsection (2) of this section that is age and grade appropriate, in addition to any other programmatic or instructional component approved by the department, which shall not include instruction and demonstrations on the application and use of condoms. Abstinence-plus education may discuss other contraceptives, the nature, causes and effects of sexually transmitted diseases, or the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS, along with a factual presentation of the risks and failure rates.

(4) Any course containing sex-related education offered in the public schools shall include instruction in either abstinence-only or abstinence-plus education.

(5) Local school districts, in their discretion, may host programs designed to teach parents how to discuss abstinence with their children.

(6) There shall be no effort in either an abstinence-only or an abstinence-plus curriculum to teach that abortion can be used to prevent the birth of a baby.

(7) At all times when sex-related education is discussed or taught, boys and girls shall be separated according to gender into different classrooms, sex-related education instruction may not be conducted when boys and girls are in the company of any students of the opposite gender.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-53 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / 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. § 37-23-193 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 23-193
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-193
Status: in_force

For purposes of Sections 37-23-191 through 37-23-203 , the following terms shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) “ Blind student ” means an individual who is eligible for special education services or 504 services and who has an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects the student's educational performance. This includes a student who:

(i) Has a visual acuity of 20 / 200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses or has a limited field of vision such that the widest diameter subtends an angular distance of less than twenty-one (21) degrees;

(ii) Has a medically indicated expectation of visual deterioration; or

(iii) Is functionally blind due to visual problems affecting reading and writing skills.

(b) “ Braille ” means the system of reading and writing through touch and includes literary code, designated commonly as the Unified English Braille Code or the Standard English Braille Code, Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science Notation, Music Braille Code and Computer Braille Code.

(c) “ Individualized educational program ” (IEP) means a statement developed for a student eligible for special education services under Section 602(a)(20) of Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

(d) “ Assistive technology service ” means any service or provision of devices which directly assists the functional capabilities of a blind or visually impaired student.

(e) “ Compensatory skills ” or “ alternative techniques ” means those skills or techniques needed by blind or visually impaired students to access all areas of the Mississippi Curriculum Frameworks. These skills include, but are not limited to: the use of Braille, large print, optical devices, tactile symbols, calendar systems and abacus; study and organizational skills; listening skills; concept development; the use of assistive technology and recorded materials; social interaction; independent living; recreation and leisure skills; and career education.

(f) “ 504 Plan ” means a legal document under the provisions of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which is designed to plan a program of instructional services to assist a student with specialized needs who is in a general education setting.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-139-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 139-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-139-1
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed herein, except when the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

(a) “Board” means the State Board of Education.

(b) “School” means the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-505 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 29-505
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-505
Status: in_force

The control and operation of the Meridian Junior College District shall be vested in a board of trustees appointed by the city council of the City of Meridian. The board of trustees of the Meridian Junior College District shall consist of five (5) members. When the initial appointments are made, the first appointee shall serve for a term of one (1) year, the second appointee for a term of two (2) years, the third appointee for a term of three (3) years, the fourth appointee for a term of four (4) years and the fifth appointee for a term of five (5) years; thereafter all appointments shall be for a term of five (5) years. Trustees of the Meridian Junior College District shall be appointed by a majority vote of the full membership of the city council of the City of Meridian at the first meeting of the council held in the month of February of each year, and the term of office of each trustee so appointed shall commence on the first Saturday of March following, except that the existing trustees of the Meridian Municipal Separate School District as of April 30, 1980, shall constitute the initial board of trustees of the Meridian Junior College District. As the terms of these individual trustees expire, trustees for the Meridian Junior College District shall be appointed as provided herein. All vacancies shall be filled for unexpired terms by appointment by majority vote of the full membership of the city council.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-67 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 106-67
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-106-67
Status: in_force

(1) There is established a health care professions' forgivable loan program. It is the intent of the Legislature that persons declaring an intention to work at certain state health institutions as nurses, nurse practitioners, speech pathologists, psychologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists shall be eligible for a loan for the purpose of acquiring an education in such professions. The board shall enter into contracts with applicants, providing that such loans may be discharged by working as a health care professional in a state health institution, as defined in this section. Repayment and conversion terms shall be the same as those outlined in Section 37-106-53 .

(2) “ State health institution ” shall mean any of the following: any facility or program operated by the Department of Mental Health; the State Board of Health; mental health/intellectual disability facilities under the administration of a regional commission as established under Section 41-19-31 which are certified by the Department of Mental Health; and health care facilities under the Department of Corrections.

(3) The board shall establish rules and regulations as it deems necessary and proper to carry out the purposes and intent of this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-61 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 151-61
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-61
Status: in_force

Any school board of any school district which may be aggrieved by any final rule, regulation or order of the State Board of Education adopted under the provisions of this chapter shall have the right to appeal therefrom to the chancery court of the county in which the school district involved or any part thereof is located in like manner, within the same time, with like effect, and subject in all other respects to appeals from orders, rules and regulations of the State Board of Education, the provisions of which are hereby made applicable in all respects to appeals from orders, rules and regulations of the commission under the provisions of this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-41-97 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 41-97
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-41-97
Status: in_force

The proceeds of all notes or bonds issued under the authority of Section 37-41-89 shall be deposited in the proper county or municipal treasury to the credit of a special school transportation equipment fund and shall be used and expended by the school board for the purpose or purposes for which they were issued under such rules and regulations as may be prescribed by the State Board of Education, and for no other purposes.

All such funds shall be paid out on warrants issued by the clerk of the board of supervisors or the municipal clerk, as the case may be, on pay certificates issued by the superintendent of schools upon order of the school board.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-63 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 33-63
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-63
Status: in_force

(1) Vocational rehabilitation services shall be provided to any individual who is blind, (i) who is a resident of the state at the time of filing his or her application therefor and whose vocational rehabilitation the director determines after full investigation can be satisfactorily achieved, or (ii) who is eligible therefor under the terms of an agreement with another state or with the federal government. Except as otherwise provided by law or as specified in any agreement with the federal government with respect to classes of individuals certified to the agency under that agreement, the following rehabilitation services shall be provided to blind individuals, utilizing available financial resources. These may include state, federal and/or personal funds. The services shall include:

(a) Physical restoration;

(b) Transportation not provided to determine the eligibility of the individual for vocational rehabilitation services and the nature and extent of the services necessary;

(c) Occupational licenses;

(d) Placement equipment, tools and supplies;

(e) Maintenance;

(f) Training books and materials;

(g) Supported employment services, rehabilitation engineering services and independent living services.

(2) No person shall be determined ineligible because of financial status.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-103 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 33-103
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-103
Status: in_force

The Executive Director of the State Department of Rehabilitation Services, through the Director of the Office of Vocational Rehabilitation, may, within budgetary limitations, purchase and operate motor vehicles for the purpose of transporting material, products and clients, and may employ program coordinating, supervising, support and production personnel to properly effectuate the purposes for which community rehabilitation programs are established under Section 37-33-101 . The director may designate a member of his or her staff to execute and enter into, on behalf of the office, contracts and subcontracts with any industry, manufacturer or other party for the production and the manufacture of goods or provision of services in the community rehabilitation program; however, the director must approve the general terms and conditions thereof. The director may authorize community rehabilitation programs to manufacture items and/or provide services for sale to jobbers or directly to the general public.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-93 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 27-93
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-93
Status: in_force

(1) The Board of Trustees of Coahoma Agricultural High School are authorized to make application to the Mississippi Department of Education for the approval of converting the facilities and programs of the agricultural high school to an Early College High School. In the event the State Board of Education approves this application, effective July 1, 2018, the Coahoma Agricultural High School shall be transferred to the Coahoma Community College District and shall be used as an Early College High School serving up to four hundred (400) students from the following counties: Bolivar, Coahoma, Tunica, Tallahatchie and Quitman. The conversion from Coahoma Agricultural High School to the Early College High School shall be administered on a phased-in basis beginning with ninth-grade students and adding on one (1) grade level every year from the applicable counties until the school has full enrollment. Students who are currently enrolled in Coahoma Agricultural High School in Grades 10-12 may be enrolled at the facility as students at the Early College High School and continue in the system. From July 1, 2016, through July 1, 2018, the President and Board of Trustees of Coahoma Agricultural High School shall cooperate with the Board of Trustees of the Coahoma Community College District for the transition of the facilities and programs. The Board of Trustees of the Coahoma Agricultural High School and the Board of Trustees of the Coahoma Community College District shall redesign the facilities in order to establish an environment that supports college readiness for all students through a required college preparatory curriculum, access to college courses, counseling for college admissions, and other college readiness activities, such as explicit instruction in college behavior and expectations. All real property titled to or used by Coahoma Agricultural High School will become the property of the Coahoma Community College District.

(2) All personal property used by the Coahoma Agricultural High School for secondary school purposes, including all nondisposable sports and/or extracurricular equipment (i.e., football helmets, shoulder pads, baseball bats and helmets, and band equipment) will become the property of the Coahoma Community College District. The division of such personal property will be determined by joint order of the Boards of Trustees of the Coahoma Community College District and the Coahoma County School District. Any cost of transferring title of such real or personal property will be paid by the Coahoma Community College District.

(3) Any such joint order directing the transfer of the personal property of the Coahoma Agricultural High School shall be submitted and approved by the State Board of Education. The finding of the State Board of Education shall be final and conclusive for the purpose of the transfer of property required by such administrative consolidation.

(4) The students attending the said agricultural high school shall be deemed to be students of the school district where they reside. After transfer of the Coahoma Agricultural High School, any student who is enrolled at the Coahoma Agricultural High School when the transfer is effected may receive two (2) diplomas upon successful completion of all graduation requirements of the school district they subsequently attend: one (1) diploma to be the official completion with the school district they subsequently attend and the second to be a courtesy diploma reflecting graduation from Coahoma Agricultural High School.

(5) The State Board of Education shall issue regulations providing for the automatic transfer of students in the surrounding counties who wish to enroll in the Early College High School.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-175 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 29-175
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-175
Status: in_force

If a junior college now or hereafter establishes facilities for the industrial training of students and it appears to the board of trustees of the junior college district that the training of students will be facilitated by the continuous operation of such facilities, the trustees are authorized to lease to individual firms or corporations such facilities or a part thereof upon such terms and conditions as the trustees may approve, provided that all students desirous of securing training of the kind offered by the lessee shall be given a reasonable opportunity therefor.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-45-29 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 45-29
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-45-29
Status: in_force

All notices or other process authorized or required to be served upon the commission shall be served upon the chairman and the executive secretary.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-5 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 65-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-5
Status: in_force

Upon the closure of any such school, college, or institution of higher learning, no person shall go or enter upon the premises thereof except with the permission or approval of said governor, and any other person going or entering upon said premises shall be a trespasser and guilty of a misdemeanor under the laws of the State of Mississippi. Upon conviction thereof, such person shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00), or be imprisoned in the county jail for not more than thirty days, or be both so fined and imprisoned.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-315 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 101-315
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-315
Status: in_force

The bonds issued under the provisions of Sections 37-101-301 through 37-101-331 shall be general obligations of the State of Mississippi, and for the payment thereof the full faith and credit of the State of Mississippi are hereby irrevocably pledged. If the funds appropriated by the Legislature be insufficient to pay the principal of and the interest on such bonds as they become due, then the deficiency shall be paid by the State Treasurer from any funds in the State Treasury not otherwise appropriated. All such bonds shall contain recitals on their faces substantially covering the foregoing provisions of this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-91 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 12 / Section 151-91
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-91
Status: in_force

The school boards of all school districts may establish salary schedules based on training, experience and other such factors as may be incorporated therein, including student progress and performance as developed by the State Board of Education, paying teachers greater amounts than the scale provided in Section 37-19-7 , but no teacher may be paid less than the amount based upon the minimum scale of pay provided in Section 37-19-7 , and all supplements paid from local funds shall be based upon the salary schedules so established. The school boards may call upon the State Department of Education for aid and assistance in formulating and establishing such salary schedules, and it shall be the duty of the State Department of Education, when so called upon, to render such aid and assistance. The amount actually paid to each teacher shall be based upon and determined by the type of license held by such teacher.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-5 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 146-5
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-5
Status: in_force

The Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Commission shall have the following powers and duties:

(a) Developing the administrative policy for the commission and the Mississippi Rural Dentists Scholarship Program;

(b) Promulgating rules and regulations, with the advice and consent of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, pertaining to the implementation and operation of the Rural Dentists Scholarship Program;

(c) Developing and implementing strategies and activities for the identification and recruitment of students and for marketing the program and for the implementation of the program. In developing these strategies, the board shall seek the input of various organizations and entities;

(d) Establishing a budget, with the advice and consent of the University of Mississippi Medical Center, to support the activities of the program and periodically reviewing and if appropriate, revising, the scholarship and other stipends offered through the program;

(e) Advising the University of Mississippi Medical Center regarding hiring appropriate staff necessary to work in conjunction with the Executive Director of the Mississippi Rural Physicians Scholarship Program;

(f) Reviewing participants' progress in the program and mentoring students and dentists participating in the program;

(g) The commission shall have the authority through use of generally applicable definitions, to designate an area of the state as underserved or rural. The method by which these designations shall be made shall be contained in rules and regulations promulgated by the commission;

(h) The commission shall produce an annual report to the Legislature showing certain information relating to the program for the previous fiscal year, including the following:

(i) Budget, including funds provided in addition to legislative appropriations;

(ii) The number of participants enrolled in dental school along with their matriculation status;

(iii) The status of, to include location or practice, participants who have entered a dental residency program;

(iv) The number and cause of participants who breached their obligation(s) to the program; and

(v) The status of, to include location of practice, participants who have entered into the practice of dentistry in a rural or medically underserved area in Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-109 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 29-109
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-109
Status: in_force

The loans authorized by Section 37-29-107 and Sections 37-29-401 through 37-29-437 , shall be evidenced by bonds, which shall be authorized by resolution of the boards of trustees. Each such resolution shall describe the land to be acquired, if any, and the said dormitories, dwellings or apartments to be erected, repaired, remodeled, maintained, added to, extended, improved, equipped, or acquired, together with the equipment therefor. A majority vote of all of the members of such boards, respectively, shall be necessary to the adoption of any such resolution. All votes cast on such resolutions shall be by yea and nay vote, duly recorded on the minutes of the proceedings of such boards, respectively.

Such bonds may be issued in one or more series, may bear such date or dates, may be in such denomination or denominations, may mature at such time or times, not exceeding twenty-five (25) years from the respective dates thereof, may mature in such amount or amounts, may bear interest at such rate or rates, not exceeding that allowed in Section 75-17-101, Mississippi Code of 1972 , payable semiannually, may be in such forms, either coupon or registered, may carry such registration privileges, may be executed in such manner, may be payable in such medium of payment, at such place or places, and may be subject to such terms of redemption, with or without premium, all as such resolution or other resolutions may provide.

All such bonds shall be sold at public sale pursuant to such notice as such boards shall prescribe by resolution. All such bonds shall be fully negotiable within the meaning and for the purposes of the Uniform Commercial Code. Incidental costs in connection with the issuance of said bonds, the printing thereof, costs of validation proceedings if required by bond resolution, including attorney's fees and other costs directly attributable to the issuance of said bonds, either in one or more series or at one (1) time or various times, may be paid out of the proceeds of the sale of said bonds. In agreements or commitments by or between the boards of trustees and private lenders and/or the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or its successor to make loans or grants in which bonds are to be issued under the provisions of this section, and in which part or all of the principal and/or interest on said bonds is to be paid or guaranteed by the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development or its successor, said bonds shall mature at such time or times, not to exceed (40) years, as shall be prescribed in the resolution of the board of trustees authorizing their issuance and shall bear a net interest rate not in excess of that allowed in Section 75-17-101, Mississippi Code of 1972 .

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, in any resolution authorizing the issuance of bonds hereunder, including refunding bonds, the boards of trustees, may provide for the initial issuance of one or more bonds (hereinafter sometimes collectively called “bond”), may make such provision for installment payments of the principal amount of any such bond as they may consider desirable, and may provide for the making of any such bond registerable as to principal or as to both principal and interest and, where interest accruing thereon is not represented by interest coupons, for the endorsing of payments of interest on such bond. Such boards may further make provision in any such resolution for the manner and circumstances in and under which any such bond may in the future, at the request of the holder thereof, be converted into bonds of smaller denominations, which bonds of smaller denominations may in turn be either coupon bonds or bonds registerable as to principal or as to principal and interest.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-67 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 151-67
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-151-67
Status: in_force

For purposes of Sections 37-151-63 through 37-151-75 , the following words and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) “State council” means the Mississippi Work Force Development Advisory Council; and

(b) “District councils” means the District Work Force Development Councils. 1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-211 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 33-211
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-33-211
Status: in_force

(1) The Office of Special Disability Programs shall assist individuals with the most severe disabilities determined to be eligible and in carrying out the purposes of the Rehabilitation Act is authorized among other things:

(a) To cooperate with other departments, agencies and institutions, both public and private, in providing rehabilitation services, in studying the problems involved therein, and in establishing, programs and services as may be necessary or desirable; and

(b) To conduct research and compile statistics relating to the provision of rehabilitation services to individuals with disabilities.

(2) The Office of Special Disability Programs shall utilize federal grant money through Title VII of the most current amendment of the federal Rehabilitation Act to assist those individuals with the most severe disabilities. The office will work to provide medical equipment, home modifications, vehicle modifications and other independent living services to assist those individuals determined to be eligible according to the regulations of Title VII of the most current amendment of the Rehabilitation Act to remain in or return to mainstream society.

(3) The State Attendant Care Program created by the Mississippi Legislature in 1985 to provide personal care services for people who are severely disabled may function under the Office of Special Disability Programs. Personal care services will be provided to those individuals determined to be eligible by the office in accordance with policies established by the department.

(4) The Office of Special Disability Programs shall provide special disability services through programs developed with other state and federal agencies. The individuals and services provided shall be in conformity with any program policies and eligibility categories established by the programs.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 13-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-7
Status: in_force

(1) The boards of trustees of the public schools of this state shall require the teachers under their control to have all pupils repeat the oath of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America at least once during each school month, such oath of allegiance being as follows:

“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

(2) The official pledge of the State of Mississippi shall read as follows:

“I salute the flag of Mississippi and the sovereign state for which it stands with pride in her history and achievements and with confidence in her future under the guidance of Almighty God.”

The pledge of allegiance to the Mississippi flag shall be taught in the public schools of this state, along with the pledge of allegiance to the United States flag.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-125 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 23-125
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-125
Status: in_force

(1) The Department of Education is directed to establish a learning resources system to be implemented and administered by the department.

(2) The state board of education shall adopt and promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to implement and administer this system.

(3) The department is authorized to employ and train such professional and clerical assistance as is necessary to implement and administer the system.

(4) The department is authorized to accept any federal, state or other governmental funds and any funds from private sources or gifts, grants or donations.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-145-11 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 145-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-145-11
Status: in_force

The board of trustees shall serve as the direct lender of the non-subsidized student loans authorized under this chapter and in such capacity shall:

(a) Accept and review each loan application;

(b) Determine the applicant's eligibility and continued eligibility;

(c) Collect any balance which may become due as a result of default on any loan, for which purpose the board of trustees shall have all the same authority as they have for the guaranteed student loan program; and

(d) Provide by rule for:

(i) A mechanism for informing students of the availability of the loans;

(ii) The creation of all applications, forms, promissory notes and other instruments necessary for the administration of the program; and

(iii) Any other items necessary for the administration of the program.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-61-35 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 61-35
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-61-35
Status: in_force

There is hereby created a special fund in the State Treasury to be designated School Ad Valorem Tax Reduction Fund into which proceeds collected pursuant to Sections 27-65-75(7) and 27-67-31(a) shall be deposited. Beginning with the 1994 state fiscal year, the entire amount of monies in such special fund shall be appropriated annually to the State Department of Education which shall distribute the appropriated amount to the various 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. On or before June 1 of each year, the State Department of Education shall notify each school district of the amount to which such district is entitled pursuant to this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 4 / Section 28-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-28-1
Status: in_force

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Charter Schools Act of 2013.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-155-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 155-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-155-3
Status: in_force

The Legislature hereby finds and declares as follows:

(a) Tuition and required fees at institutions of higher education are difficult for many to afford and difficult to predict. As a result, the ability of individuals and families to plan for future educational expenses has been adversely affected.

(b) It is in the best interest of the citizens of this state to foster higher education in order to provide well-educated citizens.

(c) It is in the best interest of the citizens of this state to encourage state residents to enroll in institutions of higher education.

(d) Providing a mechanism to help assure the higher education of the citizens of this state is necessary and desirable for the public health, safety and welfare.

(e) The purposes of this article are to:

(i) Provide wide and affordable access to the public institutions of higher education for the residents of this state.

(ii) Encourage attendance at institutions of higher education and help individuals plan for educational expenses.

(iii) Provide a program for the advance purchase of tuition and required fees as both a means and an incentive for the citizens of this state to provide for future higher education expenses.

(iv) Provide a program through which many of the costs associated with postsecondary attendance may be paid in advance and fixed at a guaranteed level for the duration of the undergraduate enrollment.

(v) Provide for the creation of a trust fund, as an agency and instrumentality of the State of Mississippi, to assist qualified students in financing a portion of the cost of attending institutions of higher education in the State of Mississippi.

(vi) Encourage timely financial planning for higher education by the creation of prepaid tuition contracts.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-71-11 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 71-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-71-11
Status: in_force

(1) Beginning with July 1, 2020, a licensing authority shall grant a license to any student applicant who participates in an alternative learning course, program or opportunity or apprenticeship program, and who meets the following criteria:

(a) Completed an apprenticeship in the licensed occupation or profession;

(b) Attained a satisfactory industry certification score on the WorkKeys assessment, if such assessment is a required component of the alternative course or apprenticeship;

(c) Passed an examination, if one is deemed to be necessary by the licensing authority; and

(d) Paid any fees deemed necessary by the licensing authority.

(2) Licensing authorities shall establish a passing score for their respective examinations which shall not exceed the passing score that is required under the standard licensing processes. If the relevant licensing authority or provision of law does not require an examination for the standard licensing process for an occupation, no examination may be required for applicants who complete an apprenticeship in that occupation.

(3) Licensing authorities shall establish a licensing fee, which shall not exceed the licensing fee that is required under the standard licensing processes. If the relevant licensing authority or state does not require a fee for the standard licensing process for an occupation, no fee can be required for applicants who complete an apprenticeship in that occupation.

(4) Except as otherwise required by federal law, apprenticeships for an occupation shall not be required to exceed the number of hours required by the relevant licensing authority or statute for that occupation.

(5) Licensing authorities shall adopt necessary rules for the implementation of this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-145-11 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 145-11
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-145-11
Status: in_force

The board of trustees shall serve as the direct lender of the non-subsidized student loans authorized under this chapter and in such capacity shall:

(a) Accept and review each loan application;

(b) Determine the applicant's eligibility and continued eligibility;

(c) Collect any balance which may become due as a result of default on any loan, for which purpose the board of trustees shall have all the same authority as they have for the guaranteed student loan program; and

(d) Provide by rule for:

(i) A mechanism for informing students of the availability of the loans;

(ii) The creation of all applications, forms, promissory notes and other instruments necessary for the administration of the program; and

(iii) Any other items necessary for the administration of the program.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 11-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-11-3
Status: in_force

In addition to all other power and authority which may now be vested in any board of trustees of any school district by the Constitution or statutes, or both, of the State of Mississippi, any such board of trustees is hereby vested with the authority to provide by assignment or reassignment, or other appropriate means, for the separation of students according to sex, separately by classrooms or schools, when such board, in its discretion, determines such separation will promote or preserve the public peace, order or tranquility of the school district, or the health, morals or education of the students.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-1 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 13-1
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-13-1
Status: in_force

There shall be maintained a uniform system of free public schools consisting of grades one through twelve, which may be divided between grammar schools, junior high schools and high schools, or any combination thereof, on such basis and in such grades as the board of trustees of the school district involved, in its discretion, shall deem necessary and desirable.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-161 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 29-161
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-161
Status: in_force

Sections 37-29-161 through 37-29-173 may be cited as the “Mississippi Junior College Vocational and Technical Training Law of 1964.”
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-194 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 23-194
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-194
Status: in_force

Contingent upon appropriated funding for teacher scholarships authorized under Chapter 562, Laws of 2012, students who are blind or visually impaired shall receive educational services from the following types of specialized professionals:

(a) Certified Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI), who are trained professionals having specialized knowledge and skills in the education of students with visual impairments. These teachers shall provide consultative services and instruction to blind or visually impaired students in the areas of communication literacy, daily living, social and emotional skills, academic support and career education.

(b) Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Specialists, who are professionals trained and certified in orientation and mobility. O&M Specialists shall provide consultative services and instruction to blind or visually impaired students in tools and techniques used by blind or visually impaired individuals to orient themselves and move independently and safely in their environments.

(c) Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVI), who are competent in reading and writing Literary Braille and Nemeth Code as certified by successful passage of the Mississippi Praxis II Braille Competency Exam.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-2 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 101-2
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-2
Status: in_force

There is hereby established within the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning a Welfare Policy Institute at a campus location to be designated by the board of trustees. The purpose of the institute shall be to research and gather empirical information regarding the social and welfare programs authorized under Sections 37-101-2 , 43-1-8 , 43-1-10 , 43-1-30 , 43-13-115 , 43-17-1 , 43-17-5 , and 43-49-1 through 43-49-15 and to write grant proposals regarding the policy implications of such program.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-4 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 15-4
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-4
Status: in_force

The school board of every school district, as created and empowered by law, shall keep and preserve permanently a copy of all district-wide reports required by the State Board of Education to be filed on an annual basis.

Copies of those district-wide reports required by the State Board of Education on less than an annual basis may be destroyed after five (5) years upon approval of the school board of the school district.

All supporting documents necessary to compile such district-wide reports, except as delineated in Section 37-15-8 may be destroyed after three (3) years following the academic year for which the report was made upon approval of the school board of the school district.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-185-21 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 185-21
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-185-21
Status: repealed

(1) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Independent Schools Infrastructure Grant Program Act of 2022.”

(2) There is established the Independent Schools Infrastructure Grant Program, to be administered by the Department of Finance and Administration. Under the program, eligible independent schools may apply for reimbursable grants to make necessary investments in water, wastewater, stormwater, broadband and other eligible infrastructure projects to be funded by the Legislature using Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds made available under the federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The program shall be funded from appropriations by the Legislature to the department from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund.

(3) The use of grants shall be subject to audit by the United States Department of the Treasury's Office of Inspector General and the Mississippi Office of the State Auditor. An eligible independent school found to be fully or partially noncompliant with grant requirements shall return to the state all or a portion of the grant monies received and used for unallowable expenditures. Applicants shall confirm their understanding of these terms.

(4) For purposes of this section, unless the context requires otherwise, the following terms shall have the meanings as defined in this subsection:

(a) “ Program ” means the Independent Schools Infrastructure Grant Program established under this section.

(b) “ ARPA ” means the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2 , which amends Title VI of the Social Security Act.

(c) “ ARPA funds ” means Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Funds awarded through Section 602 of Title VI of the Social Security Act amended by Section 9901 of the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, Public Law 117-2.

(d) “ Department ” means the Department of Finance and Administration.

(e) “ 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.

(5) On or before July 1, 2022, the department shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to administer the program established under this section, including application procedures and deadlines.

(6) Funds under the program shall be awarded for ARPA eligible projects in the following order:

(a) Eligible water, wastewater and stormwater projects under the Environmental Protection Agency's Clean Water State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) or Drinking Water State Revolving Fund (DWSRF) and other eligible water projects allowable by ARPA;

(b) Broadband infrastructure projects;

(c) Capital investments for prevention, mitigation and ventilation in congregate living facilities and other key settings; and

(d) Any eligible project through ARPA guidelines, guidance, rules, regulations and/or other criteria, as may be amended from time to time, of the United States Department of the Treasury, excluding premium pay for employees.

(7) The governing board of any eligible independent school may submit an application for grant funds under this section. Applicants shall certify to the department that each expenditure of the funds awarded to them by the department under this section is in compliance with the ARPA guidelines, guidance, rules, regulations and/or other criteria, as may be amended from time to time, by the United States Department of the Treasury regarding the use of monies from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund. Subsequent submissions will be due by the dates established by the department.

(8) An application for a grant under this section shall be submitted at such time, be in such form, and contain such information as the department prescribes. Each application shall include the following at a minimum: applicant contact information; project description and type of project; project map; estimate of the population served by the project; estimated project cost; estimated project schedule; and readiness to proceed. The department is authorized to accept additional rounds of grant proposals for application consideration as needed.

(9) Applications shall be reviewed, and the department shall certify that each project submitted is eligible under ARPA and all applicable guidance issued by the United States Department of the Treasury. For water, wastewater and stormwater projects, the department must also certify that it is a “necessary investment” in water, wastewater or stormwater infrastructure as defined in ARPA and all applicable guidance issued by the United States Department of the Treasury. Grant agreements shall be executed between the recipient and the department. All final awards shall be determined at the discretion of the executive director of the department. Funds shall be made available to a grantee upon the execution of a grant agreement between the department and the approved applicant, and the department obtains the necessary support for reimbursement.

(10) Grant funds shall be used prospectively, and grants are not available to cover the costs of debt incurred before July 1, 2022.

(11) The maximum amount of grant funds that may be awarded to any eligible independent school under the program is One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00).

(12) The department shall submit to the Joint Legislative Budget Committee by October 1 of each year an annual report about the program. The reports shall contain the applications received, the amount of grant funds awarded to each applicant, the amount of grant funds expended by each applicant, and the status of each applicant's project.

(13) Grant funds received under this section must be obligated no later than December 31, 2024, and must be expended no later than December 31, 2026. 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 using any other funds available.

(14) The department may retain an amount not to exceed Two Hundred Thousand Dollars ($200,000.00) of the total funds allocated to the program to defray its administrative costs.

(15) This section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2026.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-73-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 73-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-73-9
Status: in_force

(1) The Office of Workforce Development shall work in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi Community College Board to complete a program inventory and return on investment analysis of workforce programs and career technical education programs in both the K-12 and community college system, with the expectation that results will be used in conjunction with labor market analysis information and other relevant data to adjust program offerings to best meet the future needs of Mississippi business and industry and to provide high-demand, high-skill and high-wage pathways.

(2) The Office of Workforce Development, in collaboration with the Mississippi Community College Board, the Mississippi Department of Education and the Mississippi State University Research and Curriculum Unit, shall develop cross-sector partnerships among K-12 education, employers and industry, and postsecondary education to meet at least quarterly or more often as the industry needs require to complete the following objectives:

(a) The state's K-12 and community college career technical education programs emphasize high-demand, high-skill and high-wage pathways, as determined by state and regional labor market data, and aligned with the current and projected state economic priorities.

(b) Employers and industry are consulted and help lead the development of K-12 and community college career technical education program standards, curricula, instructional strategies and industry-valued credentials.

(c) K-12 and community college career technical education programs feature experiential learning opportunities such as internships, externships, apprenticeships or other work-based learning opportunities.

(d) K-12 career technical education programs are linked to postsecondary courses and credential programs and provide a seamless transition to a postsecondary credential.

(e) The state shall annually publish and promote a list of K-12 and community college industry-recognized certifications relevant to specific career technical education pathways and linked to high-demand, high-skill and high-wage pathways.

(f) K-12 and community college career technical education programs shall be annually reviewed to ensure that offerings do not lead to dead-end pathways and to develop new offerings to meet industry needs and strengthen existing offerings.

(g) K-12 and community college career technical education programs shall be reviewed annually to ensure student participation and success rates, including career technical education concentrators and students earning industry-recognized credentials. This review shall also include an examination of student participation and success by demographics to ensure equitable access and completion by all students.

(h) Best practices in cross-sector partnerships are developed and shared across the state.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-21 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 65-21
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-65-21
Status: in_force

The fact that the power and authority to close any one or more or all of the schools of any school district, or any agricultural high school, or any agricultural high school and junior college, or any institution of higher learning may be by some other law of the State of Mississippi vested in some other person or officer or board shall not cause this article and any other such law to be in conflict nor shall same be construed to be in conflict with each other, and the power and authority vested in each such board or boards of trustees or person or officer may be exercised by each or either, independent of the other such board or boards or person or persons or officer or officers.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-293 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 101-293
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-101-293
Status: in_force

(1) Within the limits of the funds available to any state agency for such purpose, the administrative head of such state agency may grant paid educational leave on a part-time or full-time basis and reimburse employees for educational expenses such as tuition, books and related fees to pursue undergraduate or graduate level education to those applicants deemed qualified.

It is the intent of the Legislature that such educational leave program shall be used as an incentive for employees to develop job-related skills and to develop employees for higher-level professional and management positions.

(2) In order to be eligible for paid educational leave, reimbursement for educational expenses or both, an applicant must:

(a) Be working at a state agency for at least three (3) years at the time of application or be working at a state agency at the time of application for part-time graduate level education in a particular profession deemed by the administrative head of the state agency to meet a critical need within the state agency;

(b) Attend any college or school located in the State of Mississippi and approved by the administrative head of such agency, unless such course of study is not available at a Mississippi college or school, in which case the applicant may attend an out-of-state college or school;

(c) Agree to work as an employee in the same state agency for at least three (3) full years after completion of the course of study or, in the case of employees on educational leave on a part-time basis or receiving reimbursement for educational expenses only, to work for a time prorated based upon the total amount of expenses, including leave, paid for by the agency.

(3)(a) Before being granted paid educational leave, or being approved for reimbursement of educational expense or both, each applicant shall enter into a contract with the state agency, which shall be deemed a contract with the State of Mississippi, agreeing to the terms and conditions upon which the paid educational leave will be granted to him. The contract shall include such terms and provisions necessary to implement the purpose and intent of this section. The form of such contract shall be prepared by the Attorney General of this state and approved by the State Personnel Board, and shall be signed by the administrative head of the state agency and signed by the recipient. If the recipient is a minor, his minority disabilities shall be removed by a chancery court of competent jurisdiction before the contract is signed.

(b) Educational expenses for tuition, books and associated fees shall be reimbursed to the employee only after the employee has submitted documentation that the approved course has been successfully completed.

(c) If the recipient does not work as an employee in that state agency for the period of employment specified in the contract, the recipient shall be liable for repayment on demand of the remaining portion of the compensation that he or she was paid while on paid educational leave and educational expenses paid, with interest accruing at ten percent (10%) per annum from the recipient's date of graduation, or the date that the recipient last worked at that state agency, whichever is the later date. In addition, there shall be included in any contract for paid educational leave a provision for liquidated damages equal to Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00) per year for each year remaining to be served under such contract.

(d) If any recipient fails or withdraws from school at any time before completing his or her education, the recipient shall be liable for repayment on demand of the amount of the total compensation that he or she was paid while on paid educational leave, with interest accruing at ten percent (10%) per annum from the date the recipient failed or withdrew from school. However, if the recipient remains or returns to work in the same position he or she held in the same state agency prior to accepting educational leave, he or she shall not be liable for payment of any interest on the amount owed.

(e) The state agency shall have the authority to cancel any contract made between it and any recipient for paid educational leave or educational expenses or both upon such cause being deemed sufficient by the administrative head of the agency.

(f) The state agency is vested with full and complete authority and power to sue in its own name any recipient for any balance due the state on any such uncompleted contract, which suit shall be conducted and handled by the Attorney General of the state.

(g) Persons who default on contracts entered into under this section shall have the default determined and lose their professional health care licenses under the procedures provided in Section 37-101-291 .

(4) At the discretion of the administrative head of the state agency, any recipient who is granted paid educational leave by the state agency, including nurses, shall be compensated by such agency as prescribed by the State Personnel Board during the time he or she is in school. For employees who are on educational leave on a full-time basis, the State Personnel Board shall establish a maximum salary amount at which any employee may be paid full compensation while on educational leave and shall establish a deduction ratio or reduced percentage rate of compensation to be paid to all employees compensated at a salary level above such maximum salary amount. No recipient of full-time educational leave shall accrue personal or major medical leave while he or she is on paid educational leave.

(5) Each state agency granting paid educational leave to employees or reimbursing educational expenses or both shall file an annual report with the Legislature which shall detail for each recipient of paid educational leave the position of the employee, the cost of the educational assistance and the degree program and school attended.

(6) Within the limits of funds available to the Mississippi Department of Mental Health, the Executive Director of the Department of Mental Health may grant educational leave to medical residents of the University of Mississippi and pay a stipend in an amount not to exceed the salary of a medical resident. In order to be eligible for paid educational leave under this subsection, the applicant must be approved by the Department of Mental Health Educational Leave Committee and meet all obligations established under agreements between the Department of Mental Health and the University of Mississippi and regulations promulgated by the Board of Mental Health. The recipient shall fulfill his or her obligation under this program on an annual pro rata basis for each year on paid education leave.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-22 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 113-22
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-113-22
Status: in_force

The Mississippi Cooperative Extension Service and the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station are authorized and encouraged to exercise any research and extension activities necessary to promote the Mississippi seafood industry.

It is not the intent of this section to mandate or authorize any new branch agricultural experiment stations for the purpose of carrying out the provisions of this section.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-411 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 29-411
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-411
Status: in_force

The Board of Trustees of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Junior College District shall have the powers to do all things necessary to the successful operation of the said district and the college or colleges or attendance centers located therein.

The several colleges of the said district shall be under the direction of the board of trustees and the president and under the local supervision of a dean. The board of trustees shall, by resolution or order, provide for the government, maintenance and operation of each of the colleges within the district.

The said junior college district shall have all the powers of other junior college districts or junior colleges in the State of Mississippi and the delineation and enumeration of the powers and purposes set out in Sections 37-29-401 through 37-29-437 shall be deemed to be supplemental and additional and shall not be construed to restrict the powers of the governing authorities of the district or of any college located therein so as to deny to the said district and the colleges therein the rights, privileges and powers enjoyed by other junior colleges and junior college districts in the State of Mississippi.

The said junior college district shall remain subject to the jurisdiction and control of the Mississippi Community College Board as now established or as the same may be hereafter changed by law, and shall be subject to all rules and regulations and all statutory limitations which are now in effect or may hereafter be imposed, except as the same may be in direct conflict with the provisions of Sections 37-29-401 through 37-29-437 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-146-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / 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. § 37-115-29 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 13 / Section 115-29
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-115-29
Status: in_force

The state building commission shall construct the buildings and all other related facilities for said medical school and teaching hospital. When such buildings shall have been constructed and made ready for occupancy, the lands so selected by the state building commission for the use of said medical school and teaching hospital, together with the buildings and other improvements erected thereon, shall be conveyed by the state building commission to the University of Mississippi, and title to said property shall be vested in the University of Mississippi. Said medical school and teaching hospital shall be operated as departments of the University of Mississippi.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-25-27 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 25-27
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-25-27
Status: in_force

Funds expended under authority of this chapter shall be paid by the state treasurer out of the driver training penalty assessment fund or other funds used in administering this chapter, upon warrants issued by the state auditor of public accounts. The said auditor shall issue his warrant upon requisition signed by the proper person, officer or officers in the manner provided by law.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-29 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 15-29
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-15-29
Status: in_force

(1) Except as provided in subsections (2), (3), (4) and (5) of this section, no minor child may enroll in or attend any school except in the school district of his residence, unless such child be lawfully transferred from the school district of his residence to a school in another school district in accord with the statutes of this state now in effect or which may be hereafter enacted.

(2) Those children whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are instructional personnel or certificated employees of a school district may at such employee's discretion enroll and attend the school or schools of their parent's or legal guardian's employment regardless of the residence of the child.

(3) No child shall be required to be transported in excess of thirty (30) miles on a school bus from his or her home to school, or in excess of thirty (30) miles from school to his or her home, if there is another school in an adjacent school district located on a shorter school bus transportation route by the nearest traveled road. Those children residing in such geographical situations may, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), enroll and attend the nearer school, regardless of the residence of the child. In the event the parent or legal guardian of such child and the school board are unable to agree on the school bus mileage required to transport the child from his or her home to school, an appeal shall lie to the State Board of Education, or its designee, whose decision shall be final. The school districts involved in the appeal shall provide the Mississippi Department of Education with any school bus route information requested, including riding the buses as necessary, in order to measure the bus routes in question, as needed by the State Board of Education in considering the appeal.

(4) Those children lawfully transferred from the school district of his residence to a school in another school district prior to July 1, 1992, may, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), continue to enroll and attend school in the transferee school district. Provided further, that the brother(s) and sister(s) of said children lawfully transferred prior to July 1, 1992, may also, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), enroll and attend school in the transferee school district.

(5)(a) Those children whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are active members of the United States Armed Forces may, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), enroll and attend the school district and school campus of their parent's or legal guardian's choosing, regardless of the residence of the child.

(b) Those children whose parent(s) or legal guardian(s) are civilian military personnel and reside on a military base may, at the discretion of their parent(s) or legal guardian(s), enroll and attend the school district and school campus of their parent's or legal guardian's choosing, regardless of the residence of the child.

(c) For purposes of paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection (5):

(i) A school district is not required to provide transportation to a student who enrolls in or transfers to another school district or school campus within the district of chosen attendance;

(ii) A student eligible for enrollment or transfer shall be allowed only one (1) school transfer per academic year;

(iii) Once admitted, and unless expelled, the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of students transferring under the authority of this subsection shall not be required to reapply for admission for continued enrollment in the school district or school campus of last attendance for any subsequent years of attendance therein; and

(iv) If the school district is unable to accommodate a request for enrollment for transfer due to a lack of capacity to accept the student in to the district or a specific school campus, the school board shall deny the request and spread the same upon its minutes.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-55 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 5 / Section 153-55
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-153-55
Status: in_force

As used in this article, the following words have the meanings ascribed unless the context requires otherwise:

(a) “ ARPA ” means the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 ( Public Law No. 117-2 ).

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

(c) “ Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds ” means funds allocated to the State of Mississippi from the Coronavirus State Fiscal Recovery Fund in Section 9901 of ARPA.

(d) “ Grant program ” means the workforce development and training programs administered under this article using federal COVID-19 relief funds.

(e) “ Office ” means the Office of Workforce Development established in Section 37-153-7 .
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-17-7 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 17-7
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-17-7
Status: in_force

Any nonpublic school may, through its governing body, request that the State Board of Education approve such institution. Approval shall be based upon a process promulgated by the State Board of Education; provided, however, that in no event shall the State Board of Education adopt more stringent standards for approval of nonpublic schools than the accreditation standards applied to public schools.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-13 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 23-13
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-23-13
Status: in_force

(1) The school board of any school district is hereby authorized to comply with the provisions of the Federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ( 42 U.S.C.A. Sections 12101 - 12213 (West Supp. 1991) ) by making reasonable accommodations to the known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified individual with a disability who is an applicant or employee, unless the school board can demonstrate that the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of the school. The school board of any such school district determining that such accommodation is required and reasonable may, by resolution spread upon its minutes, apply to the State Department of Education for funds to defray the cost of providing qualified reader machines or persons, as determined by the school board to be in the best interest of the individual teacher, for visually-impaired classroom teachers in compliance with said federal law.

(2) The State Department of Education, within the availability of funds appropriated for such purpose, may expend funds for the purpose of defraying the expenses of school districts in providing qualified reader machines or persons, as determined by the school board to be in the best interest of the individual teacher, for visually-impaired classroom teachers under the said Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, with the approval of the State Board of Education. The department shall, by regulation, prescribe a method and necessary forms for the purpose of school districts' applications for funds as authorized herein.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-31 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 9-31
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-9-31
Status: in_force

All school principals and attendance center principals shall furnish good and sufficient surety bonds in like manner as required of superintendents. The amount of such bonds shall be not less than Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000.00), with sufficient surety.

The premium upon said bond shall be paid from the maintenance funds of the district served by such principal. Such bond shall be payable, conditioned and approved in the manner provided by law.

All such bonds shall be filed and recorded in the office of the clerk of the chancery court of the county in which the school district is located.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-133 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / 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. § 37-41-83 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 1 / Section 41-83
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-41-83
Status: in_force

The school boards are authorized and empowered to expend the necessary amounts from the available transportation funds of the school district for the purchase of such transportation equipment, the servicing, repair and maintenance thereof and for the payment of the salaries of persons employed to drive or operate such transportation equipment, and to establish, erect and equip school bus shops or garages, and purchase land therefor.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-111-9 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 6 / Section 111-9
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-111-9
Status: in_force

The board of trustees of state institutions of higher learning is hereby authorized and empowered, in its discretion, to lease to social fraternities, sororities, or other social organizations, upon such conditions as it may prescribe, for a term not exceeding ninety-nine years, any land at any state-supported institution of higher learning for the purpose of erecting fraternity houses, sorority houses, or other facilities for recreation thereon.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-271 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 3 / Section 29-271
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-271
Status: in_force

Where any agricultural high school has extended its curriculum, so as to include freshman and sophomore years of college work, the board of trustees of the agricultural high school, with the approval of the county board of education of the county in which the school is located, may abolish all its high school work and confine its activities to junior college work. Where the high school department is abolished in any agricultural high school-junior college under the provisions of this section, and it later appears that it would be to the interest of the agricultural high school-junior college and the county in which the school is located, the board of trustees of the agricultural high school of the county in which the school is located, may, in its discretion, with the consent of the county board of education restore all or any part of the high school department to the curriculum of the agricultural high school-junior college.

When any agricultural high school-junior college abolishes its high school department as provided in this section all laws relating to agricultural high school for tax levies for the support of the school, and all other laws relating to the government and management of agricultural high schools and agricultural high school-junior colleges, not inconsistent with the provisions of this section, shall continue in full force and effect for the junior college department of said school.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-183-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 11 / Section 183-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-183-3
Status: in_force

As used in this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed unless the context otherwise requires:

(a) “ Department ” means the Department of Finance and Administration.

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

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

(d) “ Eligible postsecondary educational institution ” means:

(i) Any state-supported four-year college or university operating within the State of Mississippi under the governing authority of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning;

(ii) Any private four-year college or university operating within the State of Mississippi and accredited by a state, regional or national accrediting organization; and

(iii) Any state-supported two-year community college operating within the State of Mississippi under the governing authority of the Mississippi Community College Board and a local community college district board of trustees.

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

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

(g) “ Eligible expense ” means a cost incurred by a postsecondary educational institution 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 for faculty and staff regarding measures to decrease the spread of COVID-19;

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

(iii) Technology costs associated with transition to and administration of online learning;

(iv) Payroll expenses for public health and public safety employees employed by the recipient institution, and payroll expenses for health care, human services and similar employees of the institution whose services are substantially dedicated to mitigating or responding to the COVID-19 public health emergency;

(v) Purchasing of 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 recipient institution to treat or diagnose 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 or supplemented 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.

(h) “ Grant ” means an award by the department to a postsecondary educational institution to cover eligible expenses in accordance with this chapter.

(i) “ Program ” means the Postsecondary Education COVID-19 Mitigation Relief Program established in this chapter.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-6 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 27-6
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-27-6
Status: in_force

The board of supervisors of any county wherein the control, operation and maintenance of the agricultural high school has been transferred to the county board of education under provisions of Section 37-29-272 , is hereby authorized, in its discretion, upon request in writing of the board of trustees of the community college district in which such county is located, to levy on the taxable property in the county at the time the annual tax levy is made, a tax under Section 37-27-5 as is necessary for the retirement of debt service on bonds heretofore issued for the building, repair and equipment of such agricultural high school.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-111 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 29-111
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-29-111
Status: in_force

Bonds issued under the provisions of Section 37-29-109 , may be refunded, in whole or in part, in any of the following circumstances, to wit:

(a) When any such bonds by their terms become due and payable and there are not sufficient sums in the fund established for their payment to pay such bonds and the interest thereon;

(b) When any such bonds are by their terms callable for payment and redemption in advance of their date of maturity and shall have been duly called for payment and redemption;

(c) When any such bonds are voluntarily surrendered by the holder or holders thereof in exchange for refunding bonds; and

(d) When, in connection with the issuance of any additional bonds under the provisions of Section 37-29-109 for the purpose of financing any additional construction authorized under the provisions of Section 37-29-107 , any such board shall determine to combine such new issue of bonds with any issue or issues of bonds of the same board then outstanding, for the purpose of unifying such indebtedness and utilizing the income and revenues derived from all projects or facilities operated by such board to the payment of such indebtedness, and such board shall determine that such outstanding bonds are by their terms then callable for redemption or are obtainable by and through the voluntary surrender thereof by the holder or holders thereof.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-181-19 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 14 / Section 181-19
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-181-19
Status: in_force

The State Department of Education may receive and expend contributions from any public or private source to fund ESAs for participating students.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-155-111 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 9 / Section 155-111
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-155-111
Status: in_force

(1) There is created a Mississippi Affordable College Savings Trust Fund as an instrumentality of the state to be administered by the Treasury Department. The MACS Trust Fund shall consist of state appropriations, monies acquired from other governmental or private sources and money remitted in accordance with savings trust agreements and shall receive and hold all payments, contributions and deposits intended for it as well as gifts, bequests, endowments or federal, state or local grants and any other public or private source of funds and all earnings on the fund until disbursed as provided under this section. The amounts on deposit in the trust fund shall not constitute property of the state. Amounts on deposit in the trust fund may not be commingled with state funds, and the state may have no claim to or interest in such funds. Savings trust agreements or any other contract entered into by or on behalf of the trust do not constitute a debt or obligation of the state, and no account owner is entitled to any amounts except for those amounts on deposit in or accrued to their account.

The MACS Trust Fund shall continue in existence as long as it holds any funds belonging to an account owner or otherwise has any obligations to any person or entity until its existence is terminated by the Legislature and remaining assets on deposit in the fund are returned to account owners or transferred to the state in accordance with unclaimed property laws.

(2) There are created the following three (3) separate accounts within the MACS Trust Fund: (a) the administrative account; (b) the endowment account; and (c) the program account. The administrative account shall accept, deposit and disburse funds for the purpose of administering and marketing the program. The endowment account shall receive and deposit accounts received in connection with the sales of interests in the MACS Trust Fund other than amounts for the administrative account and other than amounts received pursuant to a savings trust agreement. Amounts on deposit in the endowment account may be applied as specified by the board for any purpose related to the program or to otherwise assist Mississippi residents to attain a postsecondary education. The program account shall receive, invest and disburse amounts pursuant to savings trust agreements.

(3) The official location of the trust fund shall be the State of Mississippi Treasury Department, and the facilities of the Treasury Department shall be used and employed in the administration of the fund, including, but without limitation to, the keeping of records, the management of bank accounts and other investments, the transfer of funds and the safekeeping of securities evidencing investments. These functions may be administered pursuant to a management agreement with a qualified entity or entities.

(4) Payments received by the board on behalf of beneficiaries from account owners, other payors or from any other source, public or private, shall be placed in the trust fund, and the board shall cause there to be maintained separate records and accounts for individual beneficiaries, as may be required under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 , as amended, and any other applicable federal law.

(5) Account owners and any other payors or contributors shall be permitted only to contribute cash or any other form of payment or contribution as is permitted under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 , as amended, and approved by the board. The board shall cause the program to maintain adequate safeguards against contributions in excess of what may be required for qualified higher education expenses. The MACS Trust Fund, through the Treasurer, may receive and deposit into the trust fund any gift of any nature, real or personal property, made by an individual by testamentary disposition, including, without limitation, any specific gift or bequeath made by will, trust or other disposition to the extent permitted under Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 , as amended. The MACS Trust Fund may receive amounts transferred from an UGMA, UTMA or other account established for the benefit of a minor if the trust beneficiary of such an account is identified as the legal owner of the MACS Trust Fund account upon attaining majority age.

(6) The account owner retains ownership of all amounts on deposit in his or her account with the program up to the date of distribution on behalf of a designated beneficiary. Earnings derived from investment of the contributions shall be considered to be held in trust in the same manner as contributions, except as applied for purposes of the designated beneficiary and for purposes of maintaining and administrating the program as provided in this article. Amounts on deposit in an account owner's account shall be available for expenses and penalties imposed by the board for the program as disclosed in the savings trust agreement.

(7) The MACS Trust Fund shall constitute a fund of an instrumentality of the state, and its property and income shall be exempt from all taxation by the state and by all of its political subdivisions.

(8) The assets of the MACS Trust Fund shall be preserved, invested and expended solely pursuant to and for the purposes of this article and shall not be loaned or otherwise transferred or used by the state for any other purpose.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-177-3 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 177-3
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-177-3
Status: in_force

Immediately upon the determination of a reading deficiency, and subsequently with each quarterly progress report until the deficiency is remediated, the parent or legal guardian of a Kindergarten or First-, Second- or Third-Grade student who exhibits a substantial deficiency in reading must be notified in writing by the student's teacher of the following:

(a) That the student has been identified as having a substantial deficiency in reading;

(b) A description of the services that the school district currently is providing to the student;

(c) A description of the proposed supplemental instructional services and supports that are designed to remediate the identified area of reading deficiency which the school district plans to provide the student, as outlined in the student's individual reading plan;

(d) That if the student's reading deficiency is not remediated before the end of the student's Third-Grade year, the student will not be promoted to Fourth Grade unless a good cause exemption specified under Section 37-177-11 is met;

(e) Strategies for parents and guardians to use in helping the student to succeed in reading proficiency; and

(f) That while the state annual accountability assessment for reading in Third Grade is the initial determinant, it is not the sole determiner of promotion and that approved alternative standardized assessments are available to assist the school district in knowing when a child is reading at or above grade level and ready for promotion to the next grade.
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-31-67 — MS Code / Title 37 / Chapter 15 / Section 31-67
Miss. Code Ann. § 37-31-67
Status: in_force

Sections 37-31-61 through 37-31-65 are in addition to and supplementary to existing school laws, and shall not be construed to repeal any laws now in existence governing any of the public schools of this state or the operation thereof.