LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
February 9, 2015
Education-related legislation being considered by the
Mississippi Legislature
Click on bill number for latest action
View House calendar of the day here
View Senate calendar of the day here
KEY LEGISLATION
SB 2161 - Common Core National Education Standards; SBE
shall develop and implement new curriculum and
assessment standards
 Authorizes and directs the state board of education to adopt
and implement new Mississippi college and career readiness
standards for the public schools based on national and
international benchmarks with the assistance of the southern
regional education board (SREB)
 Provides that the State Board of Education and the State
Department of Education shall take no further action to implement
any Common Core Standards developed by the Common Core
State Standards initiative
 Directs the State Superintendent of Education to take
immediate action to withdraw from the Partnership for
Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC)
 Authorizes and directs the State Board of Education to adopt
a research-based formative assessment system aligned with the
Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards and to
publish a list of approved vendors
 Directs the State Board of Education with the assistance of
the SREB to make certain recommendations regarding the
implementation of standardized testing
 Prohibits State Board of Education and State Department of
Education from distributing certain student identifiable information
 Authorizes and directs the State Department of Education to
discontinue Subject Area Testing requirements (SATP2) and
PARCC student assessments on a phased-in basis
 Deletes the requirement that the State Department of
Education combine the state school accountability system with
the federal system
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage.
HB 385 - Statewide testing program; require contract with
single entity for comprehensive assessment system linked to
college and career readiness

Requires the State Board of Education to contract with a single
entity for the development and administration of a comprehensive
statewide assessment program for public school students in grades 312

Requires the statewide assessment program to be comprised of
three components, including annual standards-based assessments
linked to the entity's college and career readiness benchmarks, the
administration of a nationally recognized college entrance readiness
examination to all eleventh grade students, and a job skills
assessment system that allows students to earn a nationally
recognized career readiness certificate credentialing workplace
employability skills

Requires the statewide assessment program to be fully
implemented in all public schools in the 2016-2017 school year

Limits student assessments administered on a statewide basis to
those examinations given under the statewide assessment program
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage
ACCOUNTABILITY/ACCREDITATION
HB 156 - School accountability system; remove requirement for a
combined state-federal system and revise name of state
standards

Deletes the requirement that the State Department of Education
form a single accountability system by combining the state system
with the federal system

Conforms references to the state accountability standards with
their common name, “The Mississippi College and Career-Ready
Standards
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage.
HB 577 - School district accreditation; require compliance with
constitutional provisions and state laws as a minimum
requirement
 Requires all school districts, as a minimum requirement for
accreditation, to be in compliance with applicable provisions of the
Mississippi Constitution of 1890, the Mississippi Code of 1972
and any other state law relating to school districts
 Establishes a process for the State Department of Education
to receive and investigate complaints of alleged violations before
the matter is referred to the State Board of Education and the
Commission on School Accreditation
 Authorizes the Board and Commission to take action against
a school district, including withdrawal of accreditation, when the
district fails to remedy the violations
 Brings forward code sections that relate to the appeals
process and procedure followed by the Commission when school
districts not meeting accreditation standards fail to take corrective
action, for purposes of possible amendment
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 486 – School accreditation; impose administrative sanctions
upon districts having had their accreditation withdrawn by the
SBE
 Prescribes the nature of administrative sanctions to be
imposed upon public school districts that have their accreditation
withdrawn for failure to meet accreditations and accountability
standards
 Limits the travel of superintendents in affected school districts
to only that mandated by law or prescribed by the State
Department of Education
 Limits the travel of the members of the local school board in
affected school districts to only that mandated by law or
prescribed by the State Department of Education, and to reduce
those members' compensation by one-half
 Provides that the State Board of Education and the
Commission on School Accreditation may recommend that the
Governor declare a state of emergency in a school district if 50
percent or more of the schools in the district are designated as
failing in any one year
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
MAEP/FUNDING
HB 471 - MAEP; determine cost of using average daily
membership (ADM) in lieu of ADA with 95% threshold attendance
trigger
 Provides for the determination of the basic adequate
education program cost for each school district based on student
Average Daily Membership with certain exceptions
 Provides for student counts by the State Auditor
 Revises the definition of the terms "minimum school term" and
"average daily attendance" as such terms are used for
determining allocations to school districts under the adequate
education program
 Removes the attendance requirement that a compulsoryschool-age child who is absent more than 37% of the instructional
day must be considered absent for the entire day
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 479 - MAEP; revise definition of "at-risk pupils" for purpose of
determining the 5% adjustment to base student cost
 Revises the definition of "at-risk pupils" under the Mississippi
adequate education program for purposes of determining the 5%
adjustment to the base student cost by categorizing pupils based
on level of proficiency on state standardized assessments for
grade levels that require such assessments, or based the number
of students participating in the federal free school lunch program
for grade levels for which no state standardized assessment is
required or has been developed
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
SB 2300 - Mississippi Charter Schools Act of 2013; make
technical amendments relating to state and local funding

Provides that state fund payments are based on accurate
enrollment projections, to clarify the calculation and distribution of the
local ad valorem tax portion of the charter school per pupil funding and
to provide that the State Department of Education may withhold that
amount from the adequate education program payments to the school
district in which the student resides and pay the amount directly to the
charter school

Clarifies the use of monies remaining in the accounts of a legal
entity operating a charter school
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage
HB 482 - School district budget; require State Board of Ed to
adopt rules and regulations for examining fiscal stability of
ending balances

Requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules and
regulations prescribing the method by which school district ending
fund balances are examined

Removes the requirement imposed upon school districts whose
ending fund balance in the maintenance fund is equal to or less than
7% to file a plan to reduce costs in the district

Removes the components required to be included in the reduction
of costs plan previously required to be submitted by certain school
districts
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 489 - Teacher/Classroom supply procurement cards; increase
allocation percentage for teachers in first three years of
educational service

Increases the procurement card percentage by 50% for teachers
in the first three years of educational service
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 947 - Vocational education; provide additional funding to
school districts demonstrating needed enhancements

Establishes a program in the State Department of Education to
make funding available to school districts for the purpose of enhancing
vocational education programs in the public school system

Specifies certain information that must be included in a school
district's application for an allocation of funds under the program

Requires the State Board of Education to adopt rules and
regulations governing the application process

Requires the legislature to make an appropriation in support of the
program for the 2016 fiscal year
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
ASSESSMENT
HB 665 – End-of-course subject area tests; prohibit mandatory
passing scores as requirement for graduation
 Prohibits the State Board of Education from requiring students
to achieve a passing score on end-of-course tests administered
under the Subject Area Testing Program as a requirement for
graduation
 Prohibits local school districts from using the end-of-course
tests to determine if students have mastered minimum academic
skills required for graduation
 Brings forward code section that requires the State
Department of Education to provide an instructional program for
all courses in the end-of-course testing program, for purposes of
possible amendment
 Brings forward code section that requires school districts to
offer a career track program, for purposes of possible amendment
 Brings forward code section that authorizes school districts to
establish a high school equivalency diploma option program, for
purposes of possible amendment
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 745 - Literacy-Based Promotion Act; clarify Good Cause
Exemptions applicable to disabled students
 Clarifies the Good Cause Exemption under the LiteracyBased Grade Promotion Act applicable to students who have an
IEP or section 504 plan and were previously retained in lower
grades
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 474 - Universal reading screener; require development and
use of for students in Kindergarten and Grades 1-3

Requires the development and implementation of a universal
reading screener to be used for public school students in kindergarten
and grades 1 through 3

Authorizes local school boards to approve the use of additional
reading assessments for that population of students
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 484 - Reading screening assessment; require MS Reading
Panel to make one screener available for required use in Grades
K-3

Provides that one screening assessment should be available to all
schools for required use in grades k-3 as a component of a school
district's reading intervention programs to identify reading deficiencies
and determine progress
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
SB 2258 - Cheating on statewide test; financial responsibilities of
local school district, licensure sanctions and criminal penalties
 Empowers the State Board of Education to compel
attendance, administer oaths, take depositions and issue
subpoenas
 Exempts certain investigative records of the State Department of
Education from the Mississippi Public Records Act
 Would add additional grounds for disciplinary action against a
licensed teacher
 Would prescribe certain powers and responsibilities of the State
Department of Education in cases of alleged statewide testing
irregularities
 Would also prescribe criminal penalties for any person submitting
a false certification regarding a statewide test
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage.
APPOINTED SUPERINTENDENTS
SB 2303 - Selection of county superintendent of education;
change from elective to appointive method in certain counties
 Would change the manner of selecting the county
superintendent of education in certain counties from the elective
method to the appointive method.
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015.
DISTRICTS
HB 46 – Student transfer; prohibit boards in districts rated as "D"
or "F" from denying to better performing district
 Prohibits local school boards in districts with an accountability
rating grade of "D" or "F" from denying student requests to
transfer to a better performing adjacent district upon receipt of a
written petition by the parent, legal guardian or individual in loco
parentis of the student requesting the transfer
 Prescribes the components to be included in the release
petition
 Requires the receiving school district to verify the
accountability rating grade of the transferring school district before
accepting any student, and upon a determination that the
transferring district has a poor accountability rating, shall receive
the student and make a request of the transferring district for per
pupil expenditures allotted the student
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
SB 2558 - State takeover of school districts; provide for a new
school board returning to local selection on phased-in basis

Provides that in circumstances where the state has taken over a
school district the State Board of Education may appoint a new local
school board with the membership to be returned to local selection on
a phased-in basis
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
SB 2691 - School district consolidation; require in Holmes
County and Durant
 Provides that in the Holmes County and Durant Municipal
Separate School Districts there shall be an administrative
consolidation into one school district to be designated as the
Holmes County School District effective July 1, 2016
 Provides for the composition of the Board of Education to
administratively consolidate any school district that does not
voluntarily follow the consolidation order
 Abolishes the former school districts following the
administrative consolidation and provides for the transfer of
school district assets and liabilities
 Provides for the execution of teacher and school district
employee contracts and the preparation of a school district budget
in the new school district
 Directs the State Board of Education to promulgate
regulations to implement such administrative consolidation
 Provides a two-year waiver from accountability and state
assessment requirements for the new student population
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015.
HB 572 - School district consolidation; establish Commission on
Holmes-Durant Consolidated School District structure
 Establishes a commission on Holmes-Durant consolidated
school district structure to make recommendations to the 2016
Regular Session of the Legislature regarding the method for
consolidating the county into one school district with one local
school board
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 861 - Districts of Innovation; authorize State Board of
Education to approve creation of in local school districts
 Authorizes the State Board of Education to approve the
creation of Districts of Innovation
 Defines certain terms related to " Districts of Innovation”
 Provides that the number of Districts of Innovation approved
shall not exceed five districts per year
 Limits the initial approval and subsequent renewals of
Districts of Innovation to five-year periods
 Directs the Board to promulgate administrative rules and
regulations to prescribe the conditions and procedures to be used
by local school boards to be approved as a District of Innovation
 Specifies the criteria to be addressed by the administrative
regulations
 Prescribes the requirements for a district to be a District of
Innovation applicant
 Prescribes the statutory requirements with which Schools of
Innovation within Districts of Innovation must comply
 Identifies areas in which Districts of Innovation may request
approval of practices that are different than current statutory
requirements
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
SB 2191 - Public School Districts of Innovation; authorize State
Board of Education to approve creation of in local school
districts
 Authorizes the State Board of Education to approve the
creation of Public School Districts of Innovation
 Defines certain terms related to " Public School Districts of
Innovation”
 Provides that the number of districts of innovation approved
shall not exceed five districts per year
 Limits the initial approval and subsequent renewals of
Districts of Innovation to five-year periods
 Directs the Board to promulgate administrative rules and
regulations to prescribe the conditions and procedures to be used
by local school boards to be approved as a District of Innovation
 Specifies the criteria to be addressed by the administrative
regulations
 Prescribes the requirements for a district to be a District of
Innovation applicant
 Prescribes the statutory requirements with which schools of
innovation within District of Innovation must comply
 Identifies areas in which District of Innovation may request
approval of practices that are different than current statutory
requirements
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
CHARTER SCHOOLS
HB 859 - Charter schools; revise provisions relating to payments
from local school districts and end-of-year balances
 Requires payments by the state to a charter school over the
term of the charter to be based on enrollment projections set forth
in the charter contract
 Revises the method for determining the amount of local
education per pupil funding that a school district in which a charter
school is located must pay to the charter school and to modify the
timeframe for the making of those payments
 Requires the State Department of Education to withhold
adequate education program funds from a school district failing to
make timely payments to a charter school and to transfer those
funds directly to the charter school;
 Requires monies remaining in the charter school's account at
the end of a budget year to remain in the accounts of the legal
entity operating the charter school for use in the operation of
charter schools under the legal entity's management authority in
subsequent budget years
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage
NEW START SCHOOLS
HB 469 - New Start School Program; revise provisions relating to
the administration

Provides that the New Start School option shall apply only to
schools that have been determined by the State Department of
Education to be failing for a minimum of two consecutive years

Requires the State Superintendent of Public Education, or his/her
designee, to select and contract the principal of the New Start School
and determine the terms of the employment contract

Requires the newly employed principal to select and recommend
employees for hire at the New Start School subject to approval of the
State Superintendent

Requires the superintendent of the school district in which the
New Start School is located to enter into contracts with persons
approved as teachers upon the request of the State Superintendent

Requires the local school district to fund operations at any New
Start School within the district on a per pupil basis and at a level
sufficient to readily improve performance in the school

Authorizes the State Superintendent of Public Education, or
his/her designee, to determine sufficiency of funding and to establish a
per pupil amount if district funding is determined to be insufficient

Allows the State Board of Education to contract with one or more
persons or private entities with experience in improving school
performance to assist in implementing and administering any part of
the New Start School program

Requires the local school district to pay all actual and necessary
costs related to implementing and administering the New Start School
program within the district

Permits the State Board of Education to override any decision of
the local school board or local superintendent of education concerning
the management and operation of a failing school

Authorizes the State Board of Education to escrow any portion or
all state funds except constitutionally mandated funds allocated to the
school district, until appropriate corrective actions are taken or the
needs of students warrant the release of funds
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
SB 2695 - “Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs”
program to establish ESAs for certain students
 Establishes “The Equal Opportunity for Students with Special
Needs Act”
 Creates a five-year pilot program for the purpose of
establishing education scholarship accounts (ESAS) for parents
of eligible students with special needs on a phased0in basis
 Prescribes the criteria for determining eligibility for
participation in the program funds
 Provides for the funding of each student’s ESA
 Stipulates the obligations of parents or legal guardians,
students and schools to become and remain eligible for
participation
 Prescribes the duties of the Department of Education
regarding the administration of the funds
 Provides for the issuance of ESA procurement cards
 Requires the PEER committee to prepare a biannual report
assessment evaluation beginning in 2019 and every two years
thereafter
 Provides for the administrative, financial and academic
accountability standards to be adhered to by participating schools
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage and shall stand repealed as of June 30, 2020.
HB 394 – The Equal Opportunity for Students with Special Needs
Act; create to establish ESAs for certain students
 Creates a pilot program for the equal opportunity for students
with special needs act for the purpose of establishing education
scholarship accounts (ESA) for parents of eligible students with
special needs on a phased-in basis
 Prescribes the criteria for determining eligibility for
participation in the program and receipt of program funds; to
provide for the funding of each student's ESA
 Stipulates the obligations of parents or legal guardians,
students and schools to become and remain eligible for
participation
 Prescribes the duties of the department of education
regarding the administration of the funds
 Provides for the issuance of ESA procurement cards
 Requires PEER to prepare a biannual report on the
sufficiency of funding for ESAs and student performance and
assessment evaluation beginning in 2018 and every two years
thereafter
 Provides for the administrative, financial and academic
accountability standards to be adhered to by participating schools
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after passage
STUDENT SERVICES
HB 227 - MS Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with
Dyslexia Program; revise eligibility through Grade 12
 Expands the eligibility for the Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy
Scholarship for students with dyslexia program to include
students in grades 1-12
 Requires school districts to conduct subsequent dyslexia
screening of all students in the Spring of grade 6 and the Fall of
grade 7 to determine occurrences and severity of dyslexia among
students
 Includes additional components to be used for the subsequent
screening
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 488 - MS Dyslexia Forgivable Loan Program; revise post
education employment requirements for recipients
 Revises the post education employment requirements for
recipients of scholarships under the Mississippi Dyslexia
Education Forgivable Loan Program to include teachers of
dyslexia therapy in eligible nonpublic special purpose schools as
defined and described in the dyslexia therapy scholarship for
students with dyslexia program
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 1385 - Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with
Dyslexia Program; delete repealer
 Provides for the repeal of the dyslexia therapy scholarship for
students with dyslexia program
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
CURRICULUM
HB 395 - Public school curriculum; require all school boards to
establish for schools within local school district

Requires the school board of each local school district to adopt
the curriculum to be taught in the schools in that district

Requires a school district’s curriculum to be consistent with the
Mississippi Curriculum Frameworks, which shall be considered a
guide for school districts and to be aligned with the state assessment
standards

Requires a school district’s curriculum to be approved annually by
the state department of education in order to ensure compliance with
state requirements and standards

Requires the curriculum committee appointed by the State Board
of Education to recommend changes that should be made to the state
curriculum guidelines
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015.
SB 2185 - CPR/AED; require to be taught as instructional
component of physical or health education curriculum
 Would clarify that proper administration of cardiopulmonary
resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an automated external
defibrillator (AED) shall be included as an instructional component
of the physical or health education curriculum.
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage.
EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
SB 2329 - Tim Tebow Act; authorize interscholastic
extracurricular activity participation of students enrolled in
homeschools
 Authorizes interscholastic extracurricular activity participation
of students enrolled in homeschools; to define "homeschool" and
"interscholastic extracurricular activity”
 Identifies the conditions under which a student enrolled in a
homeschool may participate in interscholastic extracurricular
activities
 Prohibits discrimination against homeschool student selection
or participation in such activities
 Specifies waiting period for participation when a student
transfers from a public school to a homeschool
 Provides that participation in extracurricular activity is a
privilege and not a right
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 454 – MHSAA and local school boards; authorize to stipulate
that participation in extracurricular activities is a privilege, not a
right
 Requires each local school district to encourage and support
student participation in extracurricular and co-curricular activities
without compromising the integrity and purpose of the educational
program
 Requires each local school district to adopt a policy providing
the opportunity for students to participate in such activities is a
privilege, not a right
 Prohibits discrimination in allowing student participation based
on certain characteristics
 Prescribes the requirements for determining eligibility for
participation
 Removes any restriction on a student's participation in
extracurricular and co-curricular activities due the student's
inability to pay fees associated with the activity
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after passage
EMPLOYMENT/SALARIES
HB 35 - School administrators; prohibit districts from hiring as
consultant if last employed by a failing district
 Prohibits school districts from hiring as a consultant any
education administrator whose last full-time education job in
Mississippi, within the preceding two years, was with a school
district designated an "F" school district under the state
accreditation system
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 949 - Licensed school employees; allow use of personal leave
near holiday is summoned by court
 Allows a licensed school employee to use personal leave on
the first and last day of a school term and the day before and after
a holiday if the employee is summoned to appear for jury duty or
as a witness in court on those days
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 582 - Assistant teachers; increase base salary by $1,000

Increases the base salaries of assistant teachers by the amount of
$1,000 beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, to a total of
$13,500 dollars in addition to the 1% increase to the base salary
established for assistant teachers for each 1% that the sine die
general fund revenue estimate growth exceeds five percent
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
SB 2302 - Salary supplement for National Board Certified
teachers who teach in critical teacher shortage or subject areas:
authorize
 Authorizes and provides for the salary supplement for
National Board Certified Teachers employed in a public school
district located in a geographic area of the state designated as a
critical teacher shortage area by the State Board of Education or
who teach in a critical subject area as determined by the State
Board of Education.
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015.
HB 659 - Teacher's Assistant Education Certification Scholars
Program; create to provide assistance to individuals pursuing
teacher licensure
 Create the Teacher's Assistant Education Certification
Scholars Program administered by the Board of Trustees of State
Institutions of Higher Learning
 Limits the annual amount of the scholarship a qualifying
recipient may receive to $5,000
 Establishes the criteria to determine a scholar's eligibility for
receipt of a scholarship under the program
 Prescribes the responsibilities owed to the state upon
completion of the program
 Allows certain program participants to receive an annual
supplement of $6,000 up to a maximum of five years for teaching
a school rated as "D" or "F"
 Prescribes the manner by which scholarship recipients are
required to repay the amounts provided under the program in the
event of failure to perform certain obligations
 Authorizes the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of
Higher Learning to promulgate rules necessary to administer the
program
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 455 - MS Employer-Assisted Housing Teacher Program; bring
forward
 Brings forward the Mississippi employer-assisted housing
teacher program code for the purpose of possible amendments
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
COUNCILS/TASK FORCES/COMMISSIONS
SB 2692 - Council on Education Technology; reestablish and
define responsibilities
 Reestablishes the Council on Education Technology and
prescribes its membership. Prescribes the responsibilities of the
council.
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015.
HB 646 - Task Force on the Future of Gifted Education in
Mississippi; create to study
 Creates the Task Force on the Future of Gifted Education in
Mississippi, for the purpose of studying the infrastructure of
Mississippi's gifted education opportunities and making
recommendations with regard to improving access to students
who demonstrate exemplary academic performance
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its
passage
HB 464 – Education Commission of the States; authorize the
entrance of the State of Mississippi into the Compact for
Education
 Provides for the membership of the Education Commission of
the States and prescribes the power and duties pertaining thereto
 Establishes the committees of the Commission and providing
for the funding of the Commission
 Requires the Commission shall file a copy of its bylaws and
any amendments thereto with the Secretary of State
 Establishes the Mississippi Education Council
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
SAFETY/PROTECTION
SB 2332 - School Resource Officers; require uniform statewide
training program

Requires that all school resource officers complete a uniform
statewide training prior to being permitted to serve in a school

Authorizes the expenditure of Mississippi Community Oriented
Policing services in schools (MCOPS) grant funds for the required
training
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 573 - Student bullying and harassing behavior; revise
provision regarding
 Revises the definition of bullying and harassing behavior by
adding additional conduct that constitutes such behavior
 Prescribes the responsibilities of the State Department of
Education regarding the development of policies for the
prevention of bullying and harassing behavior
 Prescribes additional responsibilities required of local school
districts regarding the development of policies for the prevention
of bullying and harassing behavior
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 586 - Child abuse; clarify mandatory reporting by school
officials

Prohibits any person required to report child abuse, child sexual
abuse or neglect from delegating the required duty to another person
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
SB 2295 - Arrest of students on school property; provide for
collection of data
 Provides for the collection of data related to the arrest of
students on school property
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
TRANSPORTATION
HB 1050 - School buses; repeal law requiring to be driven less
than certain speeds
 Repeals the code that requires school buses to be driven less
than certain speeds; and for related purposes
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 452 - Compressed Natural Gas School Bus Purchase Grants
Program; require State Dept. of Ed. to establish

Requires the State Department of Education to establish a
compressed natural gas school bus grant pilot program to provide
school districts in the program with grant funds to purchase four
school buses per district fueled with compressed natural gas and
related fueling infrastructure

Provides the amount of such grants
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
OTHER
HB 130 – School attendance; authorize exemptions from
vaccinations for medical reasons or conscientious beliefs for
 Authorizes parents or guardians of school-age children to
obtain certificates of exemption from vaccinations for medical
reasons or for conscientious beliefs in order for the child to attend
school
 Provides that in order to claim an exemption from a required
vaccination for medical reasons, the child's parent or guardian
must present a statement from the child's physician stating that
the required vaccine is medically contraindicated or poses a
significant risk to the health and well-being of the child or any
member of the child's household
 Provides that in order to obtain an exemption from a required
vaccination for conscientious beliefs, the child's parent or
guardian must complete an affidavit on an exemption form
provided by the state department of health
 Provides that the exemption form for conscientious beliefs
must contain a statement indicating that the parent or guardian
understands the benefits and risks of vaccinations and the
benefits and risks of not being vaccinated, and must contain a
section where the parent or guardian can list the specific
vaccination or vaccinations for which the exemption applies
 Provides that exemptions from vaccinations for medical
reasons or for conscientious beliefs will be valid for one year
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 774 – Parental Involvement and Accountability Act; create
 Encourages parental involvement and accountability in the
public schools
 Provides the purpose for which information and tools shall be
provided to parents of students in kindergarten through grade 12
 Sets standards for parental accountability and specifying
causes for student underachievement
 Provides principles on which parental involvement is based
 Provides strategies to improve student achievement through
required shared information between teachers, schools and
parents
 Requires teachers to assign a parental involvement grade on
student report cards
 Requires the local school boards to adopt an appeals process
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 662 – Surplus school property; authorize districts to sell
computers to students of issue upon student's high school
graduation
 Authorizes the board of trustees of local public school districts
to sell computers and peripheral equipment to students to whom
such devices and equipment have been issued during the course
of an academic school year
 Provides that the sale may only be made to students in grade
12 who have satisfied all graduation requirements
 Establishes the cost to be assessed for the sale of such
devices and equipment to qualifying students based on
verification of acceptance into a Mississippi college or university
 Stipulates that all sales are final and without warranty of
merchantability
 Provides for the distribution of proceeds received from the
sale
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
HB 653 – Public schools; require brief moment of quiet reflection
at start of school day
 Requires local school boards to authorize a moment of quiet
reflection at the start of each school day
This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1,
2015
Office of Communications and Legislative Services
P.O. Box 771 | Jackson, MS | 39205-0771
Tel 601-359-3515 | Fax 601-359-3033
www.mde.k12.ms.us
Twitter: @MissDeptEd