(1) This section shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Future Innovators Act.”
(2) Beginning with the entering ninth-grade class of 2029-2030, a public high school student shall, before graduation, be required to earn one (1) unit of credit in a high school computer science course, or one (1) unit of credit in an industry-aligned career and technical education (CTE) with embedded computer science course providing instruction in the foundations of computer science. Either credit unit must be approved by the State Board of Education. This computer science requirement shall not increase the number of state-required credits for graduation.
(3) For a traditional diploma, each credit earned for State Board of Education approved computer science course or CTE with embedded computer science course shall meet state graduation requirements for computer science and requirements met for one (1) of the following Mississippi High School Graduation Requirements:(a) One (1) credit in mathematics (excluding Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II requirements); or(b) One (1) credit in science (excluding biology and one (1) physical science requirement).
(a) One (1) credit in mathematics (excluding Algebra I, Geometry and Algebra II requirements); or
(b) One (1) credit in science (excluding biology and one (1) physical science requirement).
(4) The computer science course or courses fulfilling this graduation requirement must include instruction on the fundamental concepts of emerging computer science technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), including an understanding of what AI is, how it works, and its impact on society.