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HB1246 • 2026

School attendance officers; require to receive training on IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-107, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE OFFICERS TO COMPLETE A COMPREHENSIVE LEGAL TRAINING FOR PURPOSES OF IDEA AND SECTION 504 OF THE REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 TO UNDERSTAND THE LEGAL RIGHTS AND PROVIDE PROPER INTERACTION AND REPORTING PROCEDURES FOR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Children Education
Did Not Pass

The latest official action shows that this bill did not move forward in that session.

Sponsor
Crawford
Last action
2026-02-03
Official status
Dead
Effective date
July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

The bill did not pass, so there are uncertainties about its implementation and specific details of the training requirements.

Training for School Attendance Officers on Disability Laws

This bill requires school attendance officers to complete training about the rights of children with disabilities under federal laws.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires school attendance officers to take a comprehensive legal training course about IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.
  • Ensures that this training helps officers understand how to interact properly with students who have disabilities.
  • Makes sure officers know how to report children who might have disabilities so schools can help them.

Who It Names or Affects

  • School attendance officers in Mississippi

Terms To Know

IDEA
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which is a federal law that helps children with disabilities get the education they need.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act
A part of a federal law that stops discrimination against people with disabilities and ensures they have equal access to programs like schools.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill did not pass in its session.
  • It is unclear how many school attendance officers will need this training if the bill were to be passed.
  • Details about the specific content of the training are not provided in the summary.
  • There is no mention of yearly training requirements.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    02/03 (H) Died In Committee

  2. 2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System

    01/19 (H) Referred To Education

Official Summary Text

School attendance officers; require to receive training on IDEA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
H. B. No. 1246 *HR26/R1021* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR26/R1021
PAGE 1 (DJ\KW)

To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Crawford

HOUSE BILL NO. 1246

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-107, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO REQUIRE SCHOOL ATTENDANCE OFFICERS TO COMPLETE A COMPREHENSIVE 2
LEGAL TRAINING FOR PURPOSES OF IDEA AND SECTION 504 OF THE 3
REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973 TO UNDERSTAND THE LEGAL RIGHTS AND 4
PROVIDE PROPER INTERACTION AND REPORTING PROCEDURES FOR CHILDREN 5
WITH DISABILITIES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 6
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 7
SECTION 1. Section 37-13-107, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 8
amended as follows: 9
37-13-107. (1) Every school attendance officer shall be 10
required annually to attend and complete a comprehensive course of 11
training and education which is provided or approved by the Office 12
of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement of the State 13
Department of Education. Additionally, every school attendance 14
officer shall be required to attend and complete a comprehensive 15
legal training for the Individuals with Disabilities in Education 16
Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 17
which shall be sponsored by the Office of Special Education of the 18
Mississippi Department of Education. This training shall enable 19
school attendance officers to understand the legal rights of 20
H. B. No. 1246 *HR26/R1021* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1021
PAGE 2 (DJ\KW)

children with disabilities under IDEA or Section 504 of the 21
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This training shall also educate 22
school attendance officers of the proper policies, procedures and 23
requirements for reporting a child with a potential disability to 24
the school district so that the district can properly locate, 25
identify and possibly evaluate that child in compliance with its 26
legal duty of child find based on federal and state IDEA 27
regulations. Attendance shall be required beginning with the 28
first training seminar conducted after the school attendance 29
officer is employed as a school attendance officer. 30
(2) The Office of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement 31
shall provide or approve a course of training and education for 32
school attendance officers of the state. The course shall consist 33
of at least twelve (12) hours of training per year. The content 34
of the course of training and when and where it is to be conducted 35
shall be approved by the office. A certificate of completion 36
shall be furnished by the State Department of Education to those 37
school attendance officers who complete the course. Each 38
certificate shall be made a permanent record of the school 39
attendance officer supervisor's office where the school attendance 40
officer is employed. 41
(3) Upon the failure of any person employed as a school 42
attendance officer to receive the certificate of completion from 43
the State Department of Education within the first year of his 44
employment, the person shall not be allowed to carry out any of 45
H. B. No. 1246 *HR26/R1021* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1021
PAGE 3 (DJ\KW)
ST: School attendance officers; require to
receive training on IDEA and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
the duties of a school attendance officer and shall not be 46
entitled to compensation for the period of time during which the 47
certificate has not been obtained. 48
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 49
and after July 1, 2026. 50