Mississippi Code 1972 (2023) › Title 37 - EDUCATION (§§ 37-NEW-001 — 37-NEW01-004) › Chapter 185 - GRANT PROGRAMS FOR INDEPENDENT PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (§§ 37-185-1 — 37-185-31) › Section 37-185-3 - Definitions

As used in Sections
37-185-1
through
37-185-9
, the following terms shall have the meanings ascribed unless the context otherwise requires:
(a)
"COVID-19" means the Coronavirus Disease 2019.
(b)
"CARES Act" means the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
(c)
"Eligible independent school" means any private or nonpublic school operating within the State of Mississippi that:
(i)
Is a member of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) and located in the State of Mississippi; or
(ii)
Is accredited by a state, regional or national accrediting organization; and
(iii)
Is not subject to the purview of authority of the State Board of Education.
"Eligible independent school" includes independent universities that are accredited by a state, regional or national accrediting organization and are not subject to the purview of authority of the State Institutions of Higher Learning.
(d)
"Interruption in learning" means disruption of regular educational instruction in a school facility resulting from required or voluntary closure related to COVID-19.
(e)
"Public health measure" means any action reasonably taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the educational setting.
(f)
"Eligible expense" means a cost incurred by an independent school for public health measures or due to interruption in learning from March 1, 2020 through December 30, 2020. Such eligible expenses may consist of:
(i)
Training and professional development of local school staff regarding measures to decrease the spread of COVID-19 and familiarity with technology programs and devices to facilitate distance learning;
(ii)
Purchasing facility sanitization supplies and other expenses of disinfection of the independent school's facilities to mitigate or respond to COVID-19;
(iii)
Purchasing technology programs and equipment for the expansion of internet connectivity and broadband access within the school facility to be used by school administrators, faculty and staff to facilitate online distance learning;
(iv)
Purchasing necessary equipment and accommodations and providing adequate services for students with disabilities;
(v)
Purchasing medical supplies and personal protection equipment (PPE);
(vi)
Developing infrastructure necessary at the community or junior colleges to increase capacity in workforce development or skills training classes for students who are unemployed, underemployed or seeking new employment as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19; or
(vii)
Medical expenses incurred by the independent school to treat or dispense COVID-19, including COVID-19 testing and serological testing, emergency medical response and transportation, and telemedicine expenses related to COVID-19.
No cost will be considered an eligible expense if found to be ineligible under the guidelines, guidance, rules, regulations and/or other criteria, as may be amended from time to time, of the United States Department of the Treasury regarding the use of monies from the Coronavirus Relief Fund established by the CARES Act.
(g)
"MDA" means the Mississippi Development Authority.
(h)
"Grant" means an award by the MDA to an independent school to cover eligible expenses in accordance with Sections
37-185-1
through
37-185-9
.
(i)
"Program" means the Independent Schools' COVID-19 Assistance Grant Program established in Sections
37-185-1
through
37-185-9
.
Added by Laws, 2020, ch. 489, HB 1793,§ 8, (became law without the Governor's signature on July 9, 2020).