Mississippi House Bill 748 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Completed Legislative Action
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: Failed on February 3 2015 - 100% progression
Action: 2015-02-03 - Died In Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [HTML]

An Act To Establish The Uniform Protocol And Procedure To Be Used In Administrative Proceedings Conducted By The State Board Of Education Regarding The Accreditation Of School District Subject To Probation Or Withdrawal Of Accreditation For Deficiencies In Academic Accountability Or Lack Of Financial Resources Which Places The Educational Interests Of The Enrolled Student Population In Jeopardy; To Amend Section 37-17-5, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Revise The General Duties Of The Commission On School Accreditation With Regard To Administrative Hearings And Appeals; To Provide A Timeline By Which The Duly Authorized Independent Representative Selected By The Commission To Serve As Reviewing Officer And The School District Of Controversy Must Abide, With Regard To The Time Allotted For The Full Disclosure Of Information Discovered In An Accreditation Audit And The Time Allotted For The School District Of Controversy To Respond And Request A Hearing; To Provide That The Reviewing Officer Shall Make A Recommendation To The Commission For Resolution Of The Controversy Based On The Accreditation Audit, The Documents Provided By The Parties And The Sworn Statements Of Those Persons Representing The District And Personnel Of The Commission Who Participated In The Accreditation Audit Process; To Prescribe The Timeline By Which The Commission Is Required To Fully Disclose To The Superintendent Of Schools For The School District And The Local School Board The Findings Of The Accreditation Audit When The Commission Is Required To Make A Determination As To Withdrawal Of Accreditation Or A State Of Emergency Being Declared; To Provide For A Process By Which Either The School District Of Controversy Or The State Department Of Education May Appeal The Decision Of The State Board Of Education To The Circuit Court Of The First Judicial District Of Hinds County, Mississippi, And Subsequently To The Mississippi Supreme Court In Accordance With The Existing Laws And Rules Affecting Such Appeals; To Authorize The Immediate Withdrawal Of Accreditation Before Notice Or A Hearing Is Provided To A School District In Controversy Upon A Determination By The State Board Of Education And The Commission On School Accreditation That An Extreme Emergency Situation Exists, Or Is Imminent, In A School District That Jeopardizes The Safety, Security Or Educational Interests Of The Children Enrolled In The Schools In That District; To Provide That The Immediate Withdrawal Accreditation In Instances That An Extreme State Of Emergency Shall Result In The Imposition Of Any And All Penalties Associated With A "withdrawn Not Accredited" Status; To Prescribe The Manner By Which Notice Of Withdrawal Of Accreditation Must Be Provided To The School District Of Controversy And The Procedures To Be Followed By The School District To Request An Informal Hearing; To Amend Section 37-17-6, Mississippi Code Of 1972, To Provide That The Accreditation Audit Unit Of The Commission On School Accreditation Shall Be Solely Responsible For The Evaluation And Assessments Of Schools And School Districts' Academic Performance And Accountability For Purposes Of Determining And Assigning Annual Performance Classifications, As Determined By Achievement, Growth And Graduation Rate Or High School Completion Index; To Provide That The Audits Of All Funds And Funding Sources, Federal, State And Local Contributions, Allocated To School Districts Funds Shall Be Performed By The State Department Of Audit And Reported To The Commission On School Accreditation As A Basis For Determining Whether A District's Accreditation Status Shall Be Reviewed Or Withdrawn, Or Whether An Extreme Emergency Situation Exists; To Revise The Process By Which A School District Is Evaluated Before A State Of Emergency May Be Declared By The Governor For The District's Lack Of Financial Resources; To Provide That If During An Academic Accreditation Audit The Commission On School Accreditation Becomes Reasonably Suspicious Of A School District's Impairments Related To The Lack Of Financial Resources, It Shall First Report Such Suspicion To The State Auditor, Who Shall Conduct A Complete Probable Cause Audit Of The District's Funds And Funding Sources Within Fifteen Days Of Receiving The Report Of Suspicion, And Report All Findings To The State Board Of Education; To Prescribe The Manner By Which The State Board Of Education Shall Be Required To Publish Notice Of Revisions To Any Regulations Affecting The Public Schools Of This State Regarding Curriculum, Accreditation And Accountability Standards; To Prescribe The Minimum Specifications Of Font Type And Font Size To Used In The Notice And The Placement Of Such Notice In The Newspaper Of Publication; And For Related Purposes.

School district takeovers; revise administrative procedures provisions to provide districts reasonable response time.

Rep. Linda Whittington [D]

Date	Chamber	Action
2015-02-03	House	Died In Committee
2015-01-19	House	Referred To Education;Appropriations

Type	Source
Summary	https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/2015/pdf/history/HB/HB0748.xml
Text	https://billstatus.ls.state.ms.us/documents/2015/html/HB/0700-0799/HB0748IN.htm