Title 37, Education

The provisions of this article are severable. If any part of this article is declared invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the part which remains.

(a) 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 b…

(a) Prepaid Tuition Contract. — As used in this article, the following terms have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) Prepaid Tuition Contract. — A contract entered into between the Board of Directors of the College Sa…

(1) The board of directors shall consist of thirteen (13) members as follows:(a) Nine (9) voting members as follows: the State Treasurer; the Commissioner of Higher Education, or his designee; the Executive Director of the Community and Junior College Board, or his designee; the …

(a) In addition to the powers granted by any other provision of this article, the board of directors shall have the powers necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes and provisions of this article, the purposes and objectives of the trust fund and the powers delegated by a…

This article shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Affordable College Savings Program.”

(a) The following are the purposes of this article:(a) To provide a program of savings trust agreements to apply distributions toward qualified higher education expenses at eligible educational institutions, as defined in Section 529 of the Internal Revenue Code, as amended, or o…

(a) As used in this article, the following words and phrases have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “MACS Program” means the Mississippi Affordable College Savings Program established under this article.(b) “MACS Trust Fund” …

(a) In addition to those powers granted to the board by Sections 37-155-1 through 37-155-27 and any other provisions of this article, the board shall have the powers necessary or convenient to carry out the purposes and provisions of this article, the purposes and objectives of t…

(1) The board shall make savings trust agreements available to the public, under which account owners or other payors may make contributions on behalf of qualified beneficiaries. Contributions and investment earnings on the contributions may be used for any qualified higher educa…

(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 mon…

(1) All property and income of the MACS Trust Fund, as an instrumentality of the state, is exempt from all taxation by the state and by its political subdivisions. (2) Any contributor or payor to a MACS Program account may deduct from their Mississippi taxable income any contribu…

(1) The board has authority to establish a comprehensive investment plan for the purposes of this article, to invest any funds of the MACS Trust Fund in any instrument, obligation, security or property that constitutes legal investments for public funds in the state, and to name …

(1) The board shall furnish, without charge, to each account owner an annual statement of the following:(a) The amount contributed by the account owner under the savings trust agreement;(b) The annual earnings and accumulated earnings on the savings trust account; and(c) Any othe…

(a) This article is not a promise or guarantee that the beneficiary will be:(a) Admitted to any institution of higher education;(b) Admitted to a particular institution of higher education after admission;(c) Allowed to continue enrollment at an institution of higher education; o…

Nothing in this article or in any savings trust agreement entered into pursuant to this article shall be construed as a promise or guarantee by the state or any agency or instrumentality of the state that either qualified higher education expenses in general or any specific quali…

Notwithstanding any state law to the contrary, no monies on deposit in either the MACS or MPACT Programs shall be considered an asset of the parent, guardian or student for purposes of determining an individual’s eligibility for a need-based grant, need-based scholarship or need-…

The provisions of this article are severable. If any part of this article is declared invalid or unconstitutional, such declaration shall not affect the parts of this article which remain.

Sections 37-159-1 through 37-159-19 shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Act of 1998.”

(1) There is established the Mississippi Employer-Assisted Housing Teacher Program, which shall be a special home loan program for eligible licensed teachers who render service to the state in a geographical area of the state where there exists a critical shortage of teachers, as…

(1) There is established a pilot program to provide for the construction of rental housing units for teachers in the West Tallahatchie School District, which pilot program shall be administered by the State Department of Education. The department may contract with one or more pub…

There is established in the State Treasury a special fund to be designated the “Mississippi Critical Teacher Shortage Fund,” into which shall be deposited those funds appropriated by the Legislature, and any other funds that may be made available, for the purpose of implementing …

Sections 37-159-1 through 37-159-17 shall stand repealed on July 1, 2027.

The State Board of Education shall prescribe rules and regulations which, subject to available appropriations, allow for reimbursement to the state licensed teachers, from both in state and out of state, who enter into a contract for employment in a school district situated withi…

The school board of any school district situated within a geographical area of the state where there exists a critical shortage of teachers, as designated by the State Board of Education, in its discretion, may reimburse persons who interview for employment as a licensed teacher …

(1) There is established the University Assisted Teacher Recruitment and Retention Grant Program within the State Department of Education. The purposes of the program shall be to attract additional qualified teachers to those geographical areas of the state where there exists a c…

(1) This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Teach for America Act.” (2) The following are the purposes of this chapter:(a) To increase the number of highly accomplished recent college graduates teaching in school districts in geographical areas of the state which are…

(a) As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Grantee” means the Mississippi office of Teach For America, Inc., known as “Teach For America Delta.”(b) “High need school d…

(1) The State Superintendent of Public Education may award annually a grant or grants to Teach For America Delta for the purpose of recruiting to Mississippi outstanding new teachers who commit to teach no less than two (2) years in an underserved community in the state. Each yea…

(a) Before December 1 of each year, the grantee shall submit a written report to the State Superintendent of Public Education on the status of Teach For America Delta. The report must include no less than the following:(a) Data on the Teach For America teachers under contract and…

(1) This act [Laws of 2006, Chapter 504] shall be known and may be referred to as the “Mississippi Education Reform Act of 2006.” (2) The Legislature finds and determines that the quality and accountability of public education and its effect upon the social, cultural and economic…

(1) The Legislature finds and declares the following:(a) Meeting the educational needs of children in our state’s schools is of the greatest importance to the future welfare of the State of Mississippi;(b) Closing the achievement gap between high-performing students, including th…

(1) There is established a commission to be known as the “Lifelong Learning Commission.” (2) The commission shall consist of four (4) members, who shall serve ex officio, as follows:(a) The Governor of the State of Mississippi, who shall serve as chairman;(b) The State Superinten…

The State Board of Education shall develop a wellness curriculum for use by each school district and the board shall establish rules and regulations to be followed by the districts whereby the districts shall implement the curriculum. Such wellness curriculum shall include educat…

(1) The Legislature finds that:(a) Advanced skills training at any age that leads to an individual’s postsecondary attainment is vital for Mississippi’s economic growth and directly contributes to a higher quality of life for its citizens.(b) An effective strategy for increasing …

The Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee is created to study, make recommendations and develop a strategic plan on how best to educate and train students with autism or ASD to maximize their potential productivity with the workforce. The committee shall meet at least six (6) tim…

(a) Members of the advisory committee shall be composed of the following:(a) Five (5) persons who are the parents of children with autism or ASD, with one (1) such person to be appointed by the Governor, two (2) to be appointed by the Lieutenant Governor, and two (2) to be appoin…

(1) The advisory committee shall:(a) Review the recommendations of the Caring for Individuals with Autism Task Force of 2007;(b) Evaluate, study and identify any and all current relevant information and make legislative recommendations regarding the development and implementation…

(1) The Legislature finds the following:(a) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released studies documenting:(i) Overweight and obese children experience the same risk factors that are associated with heart disease in adults, including high blood pressure, high cho…

(a) As used in this chapter, the following words and phrases have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:(a) “Recreation” means any indoor or outdoor game or activity, either organized or unorganized, undertaken for exercise, relaxati…

(1) The school board of a school district may adopt a policy allowing the public use of indoor or outdoor school property during nonschool hours for purposes of recreation or sport. The school district must ensure that this use of school facilities by the public does not interfer…

(1) School districts are encouraged strongly to enter into shared use agreements with community organizations and local governmental agencies. (2) Local government entities are expressly authorized to enter into such shared use agreements and/or expend public funds and/or to use …

(a) 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) “Department” means the State Department of Education.(c) “Dyslexia” mean…

(a) A parent or legal guardian who applies for a Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship is exercising his or her parental option to place his or her child in a nonpublic school. Each participating parent or legal guardian and student shall adhere to the following:(a) The parent…

(1) The maximum scholarship granted per eligible student with dyslexia shall be an amount equivalent to the student base amount under the total funding formula provided in Sections 37-151-200 through 37-151-215. (2) (a) The nonpublic school under this program shall report to the …

(1) (a) Each local school district shall adopt a policy to ensure that students will be screened by a screener approved by the State Board of Education in the spring of kindergarten and the fall of Grade 1. The component of the screening must include:(i) Phonological awareness an…