Title 37, Education

The board of trustees of any such agricultural high school borrowing money pursuant to the authority granted in Section 37-27-69, is hereby authorized and empowered to fix, maintain and collect fees, rentals and other charges to be paid by students, faculty members and others usi…

Sections 37-27-69 through 37-27-73 shall be construed as cumulative and no restriction, limitation or prohibition of the general laws shall operate to curtail the authority or prescribe the procedure by which the purposes of said sections shall be effected.

The board of supervisors of any county wherein there is located an agricultural high school not located upon the campus of a junior college may, in its discretion, purchase a bus for the use and benefit of said agricultural high school to be used in connection with various school…

(1) The State Board of Education shall review and develop a report relating to the need for a separate board of trustees and separate administrative office for the Coahoma Agricultural High School, the Forrest Agricultural High School and the Hinds Agricultural High School and sh…

(1) Effective July 1, 2014, the Hinds Agriculture High School shall be closed. Upon closure, all real property titled to or used by Hinds Agricultural High School will become the property of the Hinds Community College District. (2) All personal property used by the Hinds Agricul…

When an agricultural high school is abolished under the provisions of Section 37-27-79, then it shall be the duty of the board of supervisors or boards of supervisors, to advertise the sale of and to sell all of the property of such school to the highest bidders for cash. The pro…

The board of trustees of any agricultural high school in the state, which on account of loss or destruction of school property by fire, storm, or other like unforeseen disaster, can no longer be maintained and operated successfully, is, with the approval of the board of superviso…

The board of trustees of any such school as is discontinued, as provided in Section 37-27-83, is further authorized with the approval of the board of supervisors to reconvey to the original grantors thereof, or their heirs, any lands which may have been donated to the trustees of…

In the event any such school is permanently discontinued, as provided for in Section 37-27-83, the board of trustees of such school and the board of supervisors of the county in which such school is located, are further authorized to transfer to the county common school fund of t…

All funds placed to the credit of the county common school fund, under the provisions of Sections 37-27-83, 37-27-87, shall be distributed in the same manner as is provided for the distribution of the county common school funds, and shall be used for the support and maintenance o…

In case the county board of education of two or more counties shall so decide, two or more counties may unite in establishing a joint agricultural high school, joint agricultural high school-junior college or two schools. The county boards of education of the two or more counties…

Any agricultural high school in this state, which has not been operated and maintained as an agricultural high school for four years last past, which does not own sufficient buildings in which to operate and maintain an agricultural high school, and which owes legal, valid and ou…

(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…

(1) In the event the State Board of Education does not approve the application of the Board of Trustees of the Coahoma Agricultural High School to establish an Early College High School, effective July 1, 2018, the Coahoma Agricultural High School shall be closed. Upon closure, a…

This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the “Mississippi Charter Schools Act of 2013.”

(1) To cover the costs of overseeing charter schools in accordance with this chapter, the authorizer shall receive three percent (3%) of annual per-pupil allocations received by a charter school from state and local funds for each charter school it authorizes. (2) The authorizer …

(1) Upon request, the State Department of Education shall assist the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board with implementing the authorizer’s decisions by providing such technical assistance and information as may be necessary for the implementation of this chapter. (2) Bef…

(1) To solicit, encourage and guide the development of quality charter school applications, the authorizer shall issue and publicize a request for proposals before September 1 of each year; however, during 2013, the authorizer shall issue and publicize a request for proposals bef…

(1) The following are the purposes of a charter application:(a) To present the proposed charter school’s academic and operational vision and plans;(b) To demonstrate the applicant’s capacities to execute the proposed vision and plans; and(c) To provide the authorizer a clear basi…

(1) In reviewing and evaluating charter applications, the authorizer shall employ procedures, practices and criteria consistent with nationally recognized principles and standards for quality charter authorizing. The application review process must include thorough evaluation of …

(1) The authorizer shall grant an initial charter to each qualified applicant for a term of five (5) operating years. The term of the charter shall commence on the charter school’s first day of operation. An approved charter school may delay its opening for one (1) school year in…

(1) A charter school must be open to:(a) Any student residing in the geographical boundaries of the school district in which the charter school is located; and(b) Any student who resides in the geographical boundaries of a school district that was rated “C,” “D” or “F” at the tim…

If a student previously enrolled in a charter school enrolls in another public school in this state, the student’s new school must accept credits earned by the student in courses or instructional programs at the charter school in a uniform and consistent manner and according to t…

A school district must provide or publicize to parents and the general public information about charter schools as an enrollment option within the district to the same extent and through the same means that the district provides and publicizes information about noncharter public …

(1) The performance provisions within a charter contract must be based on a performance framework that clearly sets forth the academic and operational performance indicators, measures and metrics that will guide the authorizer’s evaluations of the charter school. The performance …

(1) The Legislature finds and declares that the general purposes of the state’s charter schools are as follows:(a) To improve student learning by creating high-quality schools with high standards for student performance;(b) To close achievement gaps between high-performing and lo…

(1) The authorizer shall monitor annually the performance and legal compliance of each charter school it oversees, including collecting and analyzing data to support the school’s evaluation according to the charter contract. The authorizer may conduct or require oversight activit…

(1) A charter may be renewed for successive five-year terms of duration. The authorizer may grant renewal with specific conditions for necessary improvements to a charter school and may lessen the renewal term based on the performance, demonstrated capacities and particular circu…

(1) Before implementing a charter school closure decision, the authorizer must develop a charter school closure protocol to ensure timely notification to parents, orderly transition of students and student records to new schools, and proper disposition of school funds, property a…

(1) Before October 1 of each year, beginning in the year that the state has had at least one (1) charter school operating for a full school year, the Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board shall issue to the Governor, Legislature, State Board of Education and the public an a…

(1) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, to the extent that any provision of this chapter is inconsistent with any other state or local law, rule or regulation, the provisions of this chapter govern and are controlling. (2) A charter school and any education serv…

(a) A charter school may exercise those powers necessary for carrying out the terms of its charter contract, including the following powers:(a) To receive and disburse funds authorized by law for school purposes;(b) To secure appropriate insurance and to enter into contracts and …

(1) A charter school may not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, disability, national origin or any other category that would be unlawful if done by a noncharter public school. (2) A charter school may not engage in any sectarian practices in …

(1) Charter schools are subject to the same civil rights, health and safety requirements applicable to noncharter public schools in the state, except as otherwise specifically provided in this chapter. (2) Charter schools are subject to the student assessment and accountability r…

(1) (a) Charter schools must comply with applicable federal laws, rules and regulations regarding the qualification of teachers and other instructional staff. No more than twenty-five percent (25%) of teachers in a charter school may be exempt from state teacher licensure require…

(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 othe…

(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) “Applicant” means any person or group that develops and submits an application for a charter school to the authorizer.(b) “Ap…

A charter school is eligible to participate in state-sponsored or district-sponsored athletic and academic interscholastic leagues, competitions, awards, scholarships and recognition programs for students, educators, administrators and schools to the same extent as noncharter pub…

(1) Each charter school shall certify annually to the State Department of Education its student enrollment, net enrollment and student participation in federal programs. (2) Each charter school shall certify annually to the school board of the school district in which the charter…

(1) (a) The State Department of Education shall make payments to charter schools for each student in net enrollment at the charter school, as determined under Section 37-151-207, equal to the state share of total funding formula payments for each student, as determined under Sect…

(1) A charter school must adhere to generally accepted accounting principles. (2) A charter school shall have its financial records audited annually, at the end of each fiscal year, either by the State Auditor or by a certified public accountant approved by the State Auditor. How…

(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 constru…

(1) A charter school has a right of first refusal to purchase or lease at or below fair market value a closed public school facility or property or unused portions of a closed public school facility or property in the school district in which the charter school is located if the …

(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 dut…

(1) The authorizer is responsible for exercising, in accordance with this chapter, the following powers and duties:(a) Developing chartering policies and maintaining practices consistent with nationally recognized principles and standards for quality charter authorizing in all ma…

(1) The creation, establishment, maintenance and operation of community colleges is authorized. Community colleges may admit students if they have earned one (1) unit less than the number of units required for high school graduation established by State Board of Education policy …