Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement Act; create.

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To: Education;
Appropriations A
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Scott

HOUSE BILL NO. 231

AN ACT TO BE KNOWN AS THE "DROPOUT PREVENTION AND STUDENT 1
RE-ENGAGEMENT ACT"; TO DECLARE THE LEGISLATIVE INTENT TO DECREASE 2
THE HIGH SCHOOL DROPOUT RATE AND INCREASE THE GRADUATION RATE; TO 3
DEFINE TERMS USED IN THIS ACT; TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-80, 4
MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO AUTHORIZE THE OFFICE OF DROPOUT 5
PREVENTION TO USE CERTAIN FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT THIS ACT; TO 6
REQUIRE THE OFFICE TO COLLABORATE WITH LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES 7
TO REDUCE THE STATEWIDE AND LOCAL STUDENT DROPOUT RATES AND TO 8
INCREASE THE STATEWIDE AND LOCAL GRADUATION AND COMPLETION RATES 9
IN THE STATE; TO REQUIRE THE OFFICE TO TAKE CERTAIN ACTIONS WITH 10
REGARD TO THE EVALUATION AND IMPLEMENTATION OF POLICIES USED BY 11
LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES IN ANALYZING DROPOUT RATES AND 12
GRADUATION AND COMPLETION RATES; TO REQUIRE THE OFFICE TO IDENTIFY 13
LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES FAILING TO MEET THEIR ESTABLISHED 14
GRADUATION AND COMPLETION RATE EXPECTATIONS; TO REQUIRE THE 15
DEPARTMENT TO PROVIDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO CERTAIN LOCAL 16
EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES; TO REQUIRE THE OFFICE TO REVIEW THE EXISTING 17
RESEARCH AND DATA AND COMPILE A REPORT OF EFFECTIVE DROPOUT 18
PREVENTION AND STUDENT ENGAGEMENT AND RE-ENGAGEMENT POLICIES AND 19
STRATEGIES IMPLEMENTED BY LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES WITHIN THIS 20
STATE AND IN OTHER STATES; TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-85, MISSISSIPPI 21
CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE THE OFFICE OF COMPULSORY SCHOOL 22
ATTENDANCE ENFORCEMENT TO ANALYZE DATA COLLECTED BY THE LOCAL 23
EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES FOR PURPOSES OF COMPILING A REPORT TO BE 24
SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD AND THE LEGISLATURE; TO REQUIRE HIGH 25
PRIORITY AND PRIORITY LOCAL EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES TO CONDUCT A 26
PRACTICES ASSESSMENT; TO REQUIRE HIGH PRIORITY LOCAL EDUCATIONAL 27
AGENCIES TO ADOPT A STUDENT GRADUATION AND COMPLETION PLAN AND 28
PRESCRIBE ITS REQUIRED COMPONENTS; TO REQUIRE LOCAL EDUCATIONAL 29
AGENCIES TO NOTIFY A STUDENT'S PARENT IF THE STUDENT DROPS OUT OF 30
SCHOOL; TO ESTABLISH THE STUDENT RE-ENGAGEMENT GRANT PROGRAM FUND 31
IN THE STATE TREASURY FOR THE PURPOSE OF PROVIDING GRANTS TO LOCAL 32
EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES FOR USE IN PROVIDING EDUCATIONAL SERVICES AND 33
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SUPPORTS TO STUDENTS AND TO PROVIDE FOR ITS FUNDING; AND FOR 34
RELATED PURPOSES. 35
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 36
SECTION 1. This act shall be known and may be cited as the 37
"Dropout Prevention and Student Re-engagement Act." 38
SECTION 2. (1) The Legislature finds and declares that: 39
(a) The State of Mississippi has placed a high priority 40
on reducing the number of student dropouts in Mississippi, 41
including establishing the goal of decreasing the high school 42
dropout rate and increasing the graduation rate for cohort classes 43
on a systematic basis to eighty-five percent (85%); 44
(b) Serious gaps continue to exist in the graduation 45
rates among ethnic and economic groups in Mississippi; 46
(c) Students with disabilities also continue to achieve 47
a significantly lower graduation rate than other student groups; 48
(d) Studies clearly show that a student's level of 49
education attainment will directly influence the student's level 50
of achievement and success throughout the rest of his or her life; 51
(e) The National Center for Education Statistics 52
reports that, in comparing employment rates and levels of 53
education attainment across the country, the unemployment rate for 54
persons who drop out of high school is nearly double the overall 55
average unemployment rate for all education levels; and 56
(f) Studies further show that students who drop out of 57
school are more likely to be involved in crime or delinquency and 58
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to lose lifelong opportunities for personal achievement, resulting 59
in economic and social costs to the state. 60
(2) The Legislature concludes that: 61
(a) It is imperative that the State Department of 62
Education's Office of Dropout Prevention provide focus, 63
coordination, research and leadership to assist local educational 64
agencies in implementing coordinated efforts to reduce the high 65
school dropout rate and increase the high school graduation and 66
completion rates and the levels of student engagement and 67
re-engagement; and 68
(b) In order to significantly reduce the statewide 69
dropout rate and increase the rates of student engagement and 70
re-engagement, the Office of Dropout Prevention must additionally 71
provide leadership in creating and facilitating systemic 72
approaches that involve intersystem collaboration between local 73
educational agencies and the Mississippi Department of Human 74
Services, state institutions of higher learning, career and 75
technical education providers, providers of adult basic education, 76
providers of general educational development (GED) programs, 77
offices of workforce development, school-based student support 78
personnel and family education programs. 79
SECTION 3. As used in this act, the following words and 80
phrases have the meanings ascribed in this section unless the 81
context clearly requires otherwise: 82
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(a) "Completion" means a student graduates from high 83
school or receives a certificate or other designation of high 84
school completion, such as a general educational development 85
certificate. 86
(b) "Department" means the State Department of 87
Education. 88
(c) "Dropout prevention" means school and 89
community-based initiatives to promote positive social, emotional, 90
familial, and educational factors that maintain and strengthen 91
student engagement and address barriers and conditions that may 92
lead a student to drop out of school. 93
(d) "Expanded learning opportunity programs" means 94
programs that provide kindergarten through twelfth grade 95
supervised learning activities that may include, but need not be 96
limited to, after-school programs, before-school programs, summer 97
school programs, weekend programs, and extended-day and 98
extended-year programs. 99
(e) "Graduation" means a student meets the locally 100
defined requirements for a high school diploma. 101
(f) "Grant program" means the student re-engagement 102
grant program established in Section 10 of this act. 103
(g) "High priority local educational agency" means a 104
local education provider that the office identifies pursuant to 105
Section 37-13-80(11) as being most in need of technical assistance 106
and support. 107
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(h) "Local educational agency" means a school district, 108
board of cooperative services or the State Department of 109
Education. 110
(i) "Office" means the Office of Dropout Prevention 111
created within the State Department of Education under Section 112
37-13-80. 113
(j) "Parent" means the father or mother to whom a child 114
has been born, or the father or mother to whom the child has been 115
legally adopted, or the student's legal guardian or legal 116
custodian. 117
(k) "Priority local educational agency" means a local 118
educational agency that the office identifies as being in 119
significant need of technical assistance and support. 120
(l) "Board" means the State Board of Education. 121
(m) "Student engagement" means a student's sense of 122
belonging, safety and involvement in school which leads to 123
academic achievement, regular school attendance and graduation. 124
Elements of promoting student engagement include providing 125
rigorous and relevant instruction, creating positive relationships 126
with teachers and counselors, providing social and emotional 127
support services for students and their families, creating 128
partnerships with community organizations and families which 129
foster learning outside of the classroom, and cultivating regular 130
school attendance. 131
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(n) "Student graduation and completion plan" means a 132
local educational agency's plan for reducing the student dropout 133
rate and increasing the rates of student engagement, 134
re-engagement, graduation and completion. 135
(o) "Student re-engagement" means that a student 136
reenrolls in high school after dropping out before completion. 137
Student re-engagement usually results from a local education 138
agency's use of evidence or research based strategies to reach out 139
to students who have dropped out of school and to assist those 140
students in transitioning back into school and obtaining their 141
high school diplomas or otherwise completing high school. 142
(p) "Student support personnel" means a licensed or 143
certified school counselor, school psychologist, school social 144
worker, school nurse or other licensed or certified mental health 145
professional qualified under state law to provide support services 146
to children and adolescents. 147
SECTION 4. Section 37-13-80, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 148
amended as follows: 149
37-13-80. (1) There is created the Office of Dropout 150
Prevention within the State Department of Education. The office 151
shall be responsible for the administration of a statewide dropout 152
prevention program. 153
(2) The State Superintendent of Public Education shall 154
appoint a director for the Office of Dropout Prevention, who shall 155
meet all qualifications established by the State Superintendent of 156
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Public Education and the State Personnel Board. The director 157
shall be responsible for the proper administration of the Office 158
of Dropout Prevention and any other regulations or policies that 159
may be adopted by the State Board of Education. However, if for 160
any reason within the two-year period beginning July 1, 2014, a 161
new director for the Office of Dropout Prevention is employed by 162
the department, the employment of such individual shall not be 163
subject to the rules and regulations of the State Personnel Board, 164
except as otherwise provided in Section 25-9-127(4). 165
(3) Each school district shall implement a dropout 166
prevention program approved by the Office of Dropout Prevention of 167
the State Department of Education by the 2012-2013, and annually 168
thereafter, school year. 169
(4) Each local school district will be held responsible for 170
reducing and/or eliminating dropouts in the district. The local 171
school district will be responsible for the implementation of 172
dropout plans focusing on issues such as, but not limited to: 173
(a) Dropout Prevention initiatives that focus on the 174
needs of individual local education agencies; 175
(b) Establishing policies and procedures that meet the 176
needs of the districts; 177
(c) Focusing on the student-centered goals and 178
objectives that are measurable; 179
(d) Strong emphasis on reducing the retention rates in 180
grades kindergarten, first and second; 181
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(e) Targeting subgroups that need additional assistance 182
to meet graduation requirements; and 183
(f) Dropout recovery initiatives that focus on students 184
age seventeen (17) through twenty-one (21), who dropped out of 185
school. 186
(5) The Office of Dropout Prevention may provide technical 187
assistance upon written request by the local school district. The 188
Office of Dropout Prevention will collaborate with program offices 189
within the * * * State Department of Education to develop and 190
implement policies and initiatives to reduce the state's dropout 191
rate. 192
(6) Each school district's dropout prevention plan shall 193
address how students will transition to the home school district 194
from the juvenile detention centers. 195
(7) It is the intent of the Legislature that, through the 196
statewide dropout prevention program and the dropout prevention 197
programs implemented by each school district, the graduation rate 198
for cohort classes will be increased to not less than eighty-five 199
percent (85%) by the 2018-2019 school year. The Office of Dropout 200
Prevention shall establish graduation rate benchmarks for each 201
two-year period from the 2008-2009 school year through the 202
2018-2019 school year, which shall serve as guidelines for 203
increasing the graduation rate for cohort classes on a systematic 204
basis to eighty-five percent (85%) by the 2018-2019 school year. 205
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(8) The department shall direct any increases in the amount 206
of federal monies received by the department for programs under 207
Title I, Part A of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 208
1965, 20 USCS Section 6301 et seq., programs under the Individuals 209
with Disabilities Education Act, 20 USCS Section 1400, et seq., or 210
other federal programs to assist in funding the activities of the 211
office as specified in this act. 212
(9) The department may solicit, accept and expend gifts, 213
grants and donations from public or private entities to fund the 214
operations of the office, including the employment of personnel 215
for the office and execution of the duties and responsibilities 216
specified in this act. Notwithstanding any provision of this act 217
to the contrary, the department is not required to implement the 218
provisions of this act until such time that the department has 219
received an amount in gifts, grants and donations from public or 220
private entities which the department deems sufficient to 221
adequately fund the operations of the office. 222
(10) The office shall collaborate with local educational 223
agencies to reduce the statewide and local student dropout rates 224
and to increase the statewide and local graduation and completion 225
rates. To accomplish this purpose, the office shall assist local 226
educational agencies in: 227
(a) Analyzing student data pertaining to student 228
dropout rates, graduation rates, completion rates, mobility rates, 229
truancy rates, suspension and expulsion rates, safety or 230
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discipline incidences, and student academic growth data at the 231
state and local levels; and 232
(b) Creating and evaluating student graduation and 233
completion plans. 234
(11) To accomplish the purposes specified in subsection (10) 235
of this section, the office also shall: 236
(a) Review state policies and assist local educational 237
agencies in reviewing their policies pertaining to attendance, 238
truancy, disciplinary actions under the local educational agency's 239
code of conduct, behavioral expectations, dropout prevention, and 240
student engagement and re-engagement to identify effective 241
strategies for and barriers to reducing the student dropout rates 242
and increasing student engagement and re-engagement within the 243
state; 244
(b) Identify and recommend best practices and effective 245
strategies to reduce student dropout rates and increase student 246
engagement and re-engagement; 247
(c) Develop interagency agreements and cooperate with 248
other state and federal agencies and with private, nonprofit 249
agencies to collect and review student data, and develop and 250
recommend methods for reducing student dropout rates and 251
increasing student engagement and re-engagement. To the extent 252
possible, the office shall collaborate with, at a minimum: 253
(i) Career and technical educational agencies; 254
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(ii) General educational development service 255
providers; 256
(iii) The State Department of Health; 257
(iv) The Mississippi Department of Human Services; 258
(v) The Mississippi Department of Corrections; 259
(vi) State institutions of higher education; 260
(vii) Offices of workforce development; 261
(viii) Expanded learning opportunity and family 262
education programs; 263
(ix) Adult basic education and 264
English-as-a-second-language programs; 265
(x) Organizations that provide services for 266
pregnant and parenting teens and students with special health and 267
education needs; and 268
(xi) Private, nonprofit organizations that provide 269
services for homeless families and youth. 270
(d) Solicit public and private gifts, grants and 271
donations to assist in the implementation of this act; and 272
(e) Evaluate the effectiveness of local educational 273
agency's efforts in reducing the statewide student dropout rate 274
and increasing the statewide graduation and completion rates, and 275
report progress in implementing the provisions of this act. 276
(12) (a) The office shall collaborate with other divisions 277
within the department to identify, annually through the 278
accreditation process, those local educational agencies that do 279
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not meet their established graduation and completion rate 280
expectations. Of those local educational agencies identified, the 281
office shall use criteria adopted by rule of the board to 282
determine the following: 283
(i) Which local educational agencies are most in 284
need of improvement and assistance, which the office shall 285
recognize as high priority local educational agencies; and 286
(ii) Which local educational agencies are in 287
significant need of improvement and assistance, which the office 288
shall recognize as priority local educational agencies. 289
(b) The office shall provide technical assistance to 290
each high priority local educational agency and to each priority 291
local educational agency as provided in this act. 292
(13) In addition to the assistance specified in this 293
section, the office shall provide technical assistance in the 294
areas of dropout prevention and student engagement and 295
re-engagement to the high priority local educational agencies and, 296
to the extent practicable within existing resources, to priority 297
local educational agencies. Technical assistance may include, but 298
need not be limited to, the following: 299
(a) Training in implementing identified, effective, 300
research-based strategies for dropout prevention and student 301
engagement and re-engagement; 302
(b) Assistance in estimating the cost of implementing 303
the identified strategies in the schools operated or approved by 304
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the high priority or priority local educational agency and 305
analyzing the cost-effectiveness of the strategies; and 306
(c) Identification and recommendation of effective 307
approaches applied by other Mississippi local educational agencies 308
which may be situated similarly to the high priority or priority 309
local educational agency. 310
SECTION 5. (1) On or before December 31, 2026, and each 311
year thereafter, the Office of Dropout Prevention shall review the 312
existing research and data from this state and other states and 313
compile a report of effective dropout prevention and student 314
engagement and re-engagement policies and strategies implemented 315
by local educational agencies within this state and in other 316
states. The office may use the findings and recommendations in 317
the report to provide technical assistance to high priority and 318
priority local educational agencies, to assist high priority and 319
priority local educational agencies in creating student graduation 320
and completion plans, and to recommend to the State Board of 321
Education and the Legislature state policies concerning dropout 322
prevention and student engagement and re-engagement. High 323
priority and priority local education providers may use the report 324
to review their policies, to formulate new policies and 325
strategies, and to create and evaluate their student graduation 326
and completion plans. 327
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(2) In preparing the report of effective policies and 328
strategies, the office, at a minimum, shall consult, share 329
information, and coordinate efforts with: 330
(a) The Governor's office; 331
(b) Local educational agencies within Mississippi which 332
have maintained low student dropout rates and high rates of 333
student engagement and re-engagement in previous years; 334
(c) State and national experts in dropout rate 335
reduction and student engagement and re-engagement strategies who 336
are knowledgeable about successful policies and practices from 337
other states and local governments in other states; and 338
(d) Federal government officials who administer dropout 339
rate reduction and student engagement and re-engagement 340
initiatives and programs. 341
(3) The office periodically shall review and revise the 342
report of effective policies and strategies as necessary to 343
maintain the report's relevance and applicability. The office 344
shall post the initial report of effective strategies and later 345
revisions on the department's website. 346
SECTION 6. Section 37-13-85, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 347
amended as follows: 348
37-13-85. The Office of Compulsory School Attendance 349
Enforcement shall have the following powers and duties, in 350
addition to all others imposed or granted by law: 351
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(a) To establish any policies or guidelines concerning 352
the employment of school attendance officers which serve to 353
effectuate a uniform system of enforcement under the Mississippi 354
Compulsory School Attendance Law throughout the state, and to 355
designate the number of school attendance officers which shall be 356
employed to serve in each school district area; 357
(b) To supervise and assist school attendance officer 358
supervisors in the performance of their duties; 359
(c) To establish minimum standards for enrollment and 360
attendance for the state and each individual school district, and 361
to monitor the success of the state and districts in achieving the 362
required levels of performance; 363
(d) To provide to school districts failing to meet the 364
established standards for enrollment and attendance assistance in 365
reducing absenteeism or the dropout rates in those districts; 366
(e) To establish any qualifications, in addition to 367
those required under Section 37-13-89, for school attendance 368
officers as the office deems necessary to further the purposes of 369
the Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law; 370
(f) To develop and implement a system under which 371
school districts are required to maintain accurate records that 372
document enrollment and attendance in such a manner that the 373
records reflect all changes in enrollment and attendance, and to 374
require school attendance officers to submit information 375
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concerning public school attendance on a monthly basis to the 376
office; 377
(g) To prepare the form of the certificate of 378
enrollment required under the Mississippi Compulsory School 379
Attendance Law and to furnish a sufficient number of the 380
certificates of enrollment to each school attendance officer in 381
the state; 382
(h) To provide to the State Board of Education 383
statistical information concerning absenteeism, dropouts and other 384
attendance-related problems as requested by the State Board of 385
Education; 386
(i) To provide for the certification of school 387
attendance officers; 388
(j) To provide for a course of training and education 389
for school attendance officers, and to require successful 390
completion of the course as a prerequisite to certification by the 391
office as school attendance officers; 392
(k) To adopt any guidelines or policies the office 393
deems necessary to effectuate an orderly transition from the 394
supervision of school attendance officers by district attorneys to 395
the supervision by the school attendance officer supervisors; 396
(l) Beginning on July 1, 1998, to require school 397
attendance officer supervisors to employ persons employed by 398
district attorneys before July 1, 1998, as school attendance 399
officers without requiring such persons to submit an application 400
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or interview for employment with the State Department of 401
Education; 402
(m) To adopt policies or guidelines linking the duties 403
of school attendance officers to the appropriate courts, law 404
enforcement agencies and community service providers; * * * 405
(n) To adopt any other policies or guidelines that the 406
office deems necessary for the enforcement of the Mississippi 407
Compulsory School Attendance Law; however, the policies or 408
guidelines shall not add to or contradict with the requirements of 409
Section 37-13-91 * * *; and 410
(p) To annually analyze data collected by the 411
department from local educational agencies throughout the state 412
concerning student attendance and the implementation of school 413
attendance policies and practices, and to assess the overall 414
incidence, causes and effects of student dropout, engagement and 415
re-engagement in Mississippi. Before February 15, 2027, and each 416
year thereafter, the office shall provide local educational 417
agencies, the State Board of Education, the Education Committees 418
of the Mississippi Senate and the House of Representatives or any 419
successor committees, and the Governor's office with the 420
assessment and any recommended strategies to address student 421
dropout, engagement and re-engagement in Mississippi. The Office 422
of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement may combine this 423
assessment and recommendation with the report required by the 424
Office of Dropout Prevention under Section 37-13-80. 425
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SECTION 7. (1) (a) Each high priority and priority local 426
educational agency shall conduct a practices assessment as 427
described in subsection (2) of this section. Each high priority 428
and priority local educational agency's practices assessment must 429
consider community partnerships with state and local government 430
agencies and community-based organizations and current practices 431
and policies as they relate to different types of dropout students 432
or students at risk of dropping out. 433
(b) Each high priority local educational agency shall 434
complete its initial practices assessment no later than June 30, 435
2027. Each priority local educational agency shall complete its 436
Initial practices assessment no later than June 30, 2028. 437
Following completion of the initial practices assessment, each 438
high priority and priority local educational agency shall review 439
and update the practices assessment in accordance with timelines 440
adopted by rule of the State Board of Education. 441
(c) Each local educational agency that is not a high 442
priority or priority local educational agency may conduct a 443
practices assessment and periodically review and update the 444
practices assessment. A local educational agency that chooses to 445
conduct a practices assessment under this paragraph must comply 446
with the provisions of subsection (4) of this section. 447
(2) Each practices assessment, at a minimum, must address 448
the high priority or priority local educational agency's: 449
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(a) Attendance and truancy reporting and enforcement 450
policies and definitions; 451
(b) Risk factors and remedies applicable to students 452
who are failing one or more courses, have experienced traumatic 453
life events, or have lost academic interest or motivation, as well 454
as students whose presence or actions are perceived to be 455
detrimental to other students; 456
(c) Interaction with the judicial system in enforcing 457
the Mississippi Compulsory School Attendance Law; 458
(d) Interaction with the juvenile justice system in: 459
(i) Assisting in administering juvenile diversion 460
programs and coordinating supports for all students transitioning 461
out of the juvenile justice system to aid in the continuation of 462
those students' education, especially for those students involved 463
in the juvenile justice system as a result of school-related 464
violations of the local educational agency's code of conduct or 465
crimes committed on school property; and 466
(ii) Coordinating with juvenile probation officers 467
regarding school-related conditions of probation; 468
(e) Coordination with the Mississippi Department of 469
Human Services and other youth services providers; 470
(f) Grading policies; 471
(g) Policies for grade repetition and remediation; 472
(h) Course completion requirements and policies; and 473
(i) Policies and practices relating to: 474
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(i) The use of individual career and academic 475
plans; 476
(ii) Ethnicity, language and cultural barriers 477
between students' homes and school; 478
(iii) English-language acquisition; 479
(iv) Student acquisition of behavioral, social and 480
emotional skills; 481
(v) Students' health care needs; 482
(vi) Alternative and flexible educational 483
strategies; 484
(vii) Family involvement and family support 485
services; 486
(viii) Expanded learning opportunity programs; 487
(ix) Staff development in implementing 488
evidence-based strategies; 489
(x) Innovations to address barriers to school 490
engagement and success; 491
(xi) Outreach services to re-engage students who 492
drop out of school; and 493
(xii) Review and analysis of data regarding 494
dropout rates, graduation rates, school completion rates, truancy 495
rates, the number of students who are habitually truant, 496
suspension rates and expulsion rates. 497
(3) The Office of Dropout Prevention shall provide technical 498
assistance to high priority local educational agencies to assist 499
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them in completing their practices assessments. The office may 500
provide technical assistance to priority local educational 501
agencies as allowable, subject to an appropriation of funds for 502
the administration of this act. In addition, at the request of a 503
high priority or priority local educational agency and to the 504
extent practicable within available resources, the office shall 505
provide a template, which includes any student data that is 506
pertinent to the high priority or priority local educational 507
agency and to which the office has access, to assist the high 508
priority or priority local educational agency in preparing its 509
practices assessment. 510
(4) Upon completing its practices assessment or any updates 511
to the assessment, each high priority and priority local 512
educational agency shall transmit the assessment to the department 513
for publication on the Internet. 514
SECTION 8. (1) (a) Based on the completed practices 515
assessment, each high priority local educational agency shall 516
adopt a student graduation and completion plan for the schools 517
operated or approved by the high priority local educational 518
agency. Each priority local educational agency shall adopt a 519
student graduation and completion plan not later than October 1, 520
2026. Following adoption of the initial student graduation and 521
completion plan, each high priority and priority local education 522
provider shall review and update the student graduation and 523
completion plan in accordance with timelines adopted by rule of 524
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the State Board of Education. In setting the dates for adoption 525
of the initial student graduation and completion plans and the 526
timelines for reviewing and updating the student graduation and 527
completion plans, the board shall ensure that the dates are 528
consistent with the dates by which each local educational agency 529
is required to adopt the plan required by its accreditation 530
category or its annual performance review. 531
(b) Each local educational agency that is not a high 532
priority or priority local educational agency may adopt a student 533
graduation and completion plan and periodically 534
review and update the plan. A local educational agency that 535
chooses to adopt a student graduation and completion plan under 536
this paragraph (b) must comply with the provisions of subsection 537
(6) of this section. 538
(2) Each high priority and priority local educational 539
agency's student graduation and completion plan shall include, at 540
a minimum, the following: 541
(a) The percentage by which the high priority or 542
priority local educational agency anticipates reducing the student 543
truancy rate and dropout rate and the timeline for achieving the 544
reductions; 545
(b) The percentage by which the high priority or 546
priority local educational agency anticipates increasing the 547
student attendance, graduation and completion rates and the 548
timeline for achieving the increases; 549
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(c) Other objectives that the high priority or priority 550
local educational agency identifies that are designed to result in 551
improved dropout prevention, improved student attendance, and 552
improved student engagement and re-engagement within the schools 553
operated or approved by the high priority or priority local 554
educational agency; 555
(d) The manner in which the high priority or priority 556
local educational agency measures success in achieving the goals 557
and objectives of the student graduation and completion plan; 558
(e) The manner in which school staff and parents will 559
work together to address the risk factors and remedies for 560
students; and 561
(f) A description of the supports that the high 562
priority or priority local educational agency will provide to a 563
student who leaves a public school before graduation or 564
completion, which, at a minimum, must include an explanation of 565
the educational alternatives available to the student to assist 566
him or her in re-engaging in school and other information to 567
assist with his or her transition into other educational settings, 568
including, but not limited to, an adult basic education, general 569
educational development or English-as-a-second-language program, 570
or the workforce development or job training. 571
(3) In designing its student graduation and completion plan, 572
each high priority or priority local educational agency is 573
encouraged to: 574
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(a) Include a variety of innovative dropout reduction 575
efforts in the plan, including new schools and programs that 576
provide educational environments that are specifically designed to 577
promote student re-engagement, including policies and programs 578
that create alternative pathways to high school graduation; and 579
(b) Review existing supports and resources that the 580
high priority or priority local educational agency may leverage to 581
support implementation of the plan, including, but not limited to, 582
any federal monies available under the Safe and Drug-free Schools 583
and Communities Act, 20 USCS Section 7101 et seq. 584
(4) Each high priority or priority local educational agency, 585
in adopting its student graduation and completion plan, also shall 586
adopt a process to annually review and evaluate the effectiveness 587
of the plan. Each high priority or priority local educational 588
agency that is a school district shall include its practices 589
assessment and its student graduation and completion plan with the 590
plan the school district is required to adopt based on its 591
accreditation level. 592
(5) The Office of Dropout Prevention shall provide technical 593
assistance to high priority local educational agencies to assist 594
them in completing their student graduation and completion plans. 595
The office may provide technical assistance to priority local 596
educational agencies as allowable, subject to the availability of 597
funds. 598
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(6) Upon adopting its student graduation and completion plan 599
or any updates to the plan, each high priority or priority local 600
educational agency shall transmit the plan to the department for 601
publication on the Internet. 602
(7) (a) Beginning in the 2027-2028 academic year, and each 603
year thereafter, the office shall evaluate each high priority 604
local education agency's student graduation and completion plan as 605
part of the accreditation review process. The office shall 606
evaluate the components of each student graduation and completion 607
plan, the high priority local educational agency's implementation 608
of the plan, and the results achieved. In evaluating the student 609
graduation and completion plans, the office shall ensure that the 610
high priority local educational agency applies best practices and 611
strategies and employs rigorous ongoing program evaluation and 612
oversight in implementing the plan. On completion of the 613
evaluation, the office may provide recommendations to the high 614
priority local educational agency concerning improvements in the 615
plan design and implementation. 616
(b) The office may evaluate, as described in paragraph 617
(a) of this subsection, the student graduation and completion 618
plans of priority local educational agencies, subject to the 619
availability of funds. 620
SECTION 9. (1) Each local educational agency shall adopt 621
and implement policies and procedures under which the local 622
educational agency or the public school in which the student was 623
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enrolled shall notify a student's parent if the student drops out 624
of school, even if the student is not subject to the compulsory 625
attendance requirement specified in Section 37-13-91. The local 626
educational agency shall develop the policies and procedures with 627
the goal of encouraging the student to re-enroll in school and of 628
conveying to the student's parent the long-term ramifications to 629
the student dropping out of school. 630
(2) The policies and procedures must specify, at a minimum, 631
the time frames by which the local educational agency or the 632
public school in which the student was enrolled must notify the 633
student and his or her parent and must require the personnel at 634
the public school to attempt to meet in person with the student 635
and his or her parent. 636
(3) The notice must include, at a minimum, written 637
notification of the student's dropout status and an explanation of 638
the educational alternatives available to the student to assist 639
him or her in re-engaging in school. 640
SECTION 10. (1) (a) There is established in the State 641
Treasury a fund to be known as the "Student Re-engagement Grant 642
Program Fund" for the purpose of providing grants to local 643
educational agencies for use in providing educational services and 644
supports to students to maintain student engagement and support 645
student re-engagement in high school. The fund will be comprised 646
of funds appropriated by the Legislature and grants or donations 647
from private or public sources. The State Board of Education 648
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shall award student re-engagement grants to local educational 649
agencies from funds appropriated to the fund. 650
(b) The office may expend up to three percent (3%) of 651
the monies annually appropriated to the fund to offset the costs 652
incurred in administering this section and in evaluating and 653
providing technical assistance to local educational agencies that 654
receive grants under this section. 655
(c) Any monies in the fund not expended for the purpose 656
of this section may be invested by the State Treasurer as provided 657
by law. All interest and income derived from the investment and 658
deposit of monies in the fund must be credited to the fund. Any 659
unexpended and unencumbered monies remaining in the fund at the 660
end of a fiscal year must remain in the fund and may not lapse 661
into the State General Fund. 662
(2) The board shall adopt rules for implementing the grant 663
program, which must include, at a minimum, the following: 664
(a) Timelines and procedures by which a local 665
educational agency may apply for a grant; 666
(b) The information to be included on grant 667
applications, including: 668
(i) The local educational agency's plan for 669
providing educational services, including social and emotional 670
support services; 671
(ii) A description of the services to be provided; 672
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(iii) The estimated cost of providing the 673
services; 674
(iv) The criteria the local educational agency 675
will apply to measure the effectiveness of the services provided; 676
and 677
(v) A description of the local educational 678
agency's policies and practices related to: 679
1. Course completion and credit recovery; 680
2. Attendance and behavior improvements; 681
3. Alternative and flexible learning 682
strategies; 683
4. Safe and welcoming school environments; 684
5. Student social and emotional supports; 685
6. Family engagement and family support 686
strategies; 687
7. Staff development; 688
8. Innovations to address barriers to school 689
engagement and success; and 690
9. Transference of student records to and 691
receipt of student records from other local educational agencies. 692
(3) Each local educational agency that seeks to receive a 693
grant under the provisions of this section shall submit an 694
application to the department in accordance with the rules adopted 695
by the board. The department shall review the grant applications 696
received and recommend grant recipients and grant amounts to the 697
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state board. The board shall annually award grants through the 698
grant program based on the department's recommendations. 699
(4) (a) On or before February 15, 2027, and each year 700
thereafter, the department shall evaluate the student 701
re-engagement services provided by each local educational agency 702
that received a grant under the provisions of this section in the 703
preceding fiscal year; however, the department need not provide an 704
evaluation for any fiscal year in which grants were not awarded. 705
The department shall review: 706
(i) The outcomes and effectiveness of the services 707
provided, as measured by the demonstrated degree of student 708
re-engagement; 709
(ii) The academic growth of students who received 710
services as a result of the grant, to the extent the information 711
is available; 712
(iii) The reduction in the dropout rate; and 713
(iv) The increase in the graduation and completion 714
rates for the grant recipients' schools. 715
(b) The department shall report the evaluation results 716
to the Education Committees of the Mississippi Senate and House of 717
Representatives, or any successor committees, in conjunction with 718
the reports submitted under Sections 37-13-80 and 37-13-85. 719
SECTION 11. (1) The State Board of Education shall 720
promulgate any rules and regulations as may be deemed necessary to 721
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implement the provisions of this act. The rules of the board 722
shall address the following: 723
(a) The rules required under Section 37-13-80 to 724
establish criteria for identifying high priority and priority 725
local educational agencies; 726
(b) The rules required under Section 10 of this act for 727
the Student Re-engagement Grant Program; and 728
(c) Rules to define and calculate the following rates:729
(i) The student dropout rate; 730
(ii) The graduation rate; 731
(iii) The completion rate; 732
(iv) The student re-engagement rate; 733
(v) The truancy rate; 734
(vi) The student mobility rate; 735
(vii) The student suspension rate; and 736
(viii) The student expulsion rate. 737
(2) To the extent that the board, as of July 1, 2026, has 738
already promulgated any of the rules and regulations specified in 739
subsection (1) of this section, the board shall review the rules 740
and regulations and determine whether they should be revised based 741
on this act. 742
SECTION 12. (1) On or before February 15, 2027, and each 743
year thereafter, the Office of Dropout Prevention shall submit to 744
the State Board of Education, the Education Committees of the 745
Mississippi Senate and House of Representatives, or any successor 746
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committees, and to the Governor, a report making state policy 747
findings and recommendations to reduce the student dropout rate 748
and increase the student graduation and completion rates. In 749
preparing the findings and recommendations, the office 750
shall: 751
(a) Consider which state statutes and rules may be 752
amended to provide incentives and support for and remove barriers 753
to reducing the student dropout rate and increasing the student 754
graduation and completion rates, including, but not limited to, 755
statutes and rules pertaining to funding for local educational 756
agencies' operating costs, funding for categorical programs, and 757
truancy; 758
(b) Consider research-based dropout prevention and 759
student engagement and re-engagement strategies; and 760
(c) Determine the amount of state monies spent on 761
reducing the dropout rates in schools operated or approved by 762
local educational agencies in the preceding fiscal year and 763
determine the effects of those expenditures. 764
(2) Beginning with the report submitted under this section, 765
the office shall add to the report a summary of the actions taken 766
by local educational agencies statewide to reduce the student 767
dropout rate and increase the graduation and completion rates and 768
the progress made in achieving these goals. The summary must 769
include: 770
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(a) A summary and evaluation of the student graduation 771
and completion plans adopted by the local educational agencies; 772
(b) A list of the local educational agencies whose 773
schools have experienced the greatest decrease in student dropout 774
rates and the greatest increase in student graduation and 775
completion rates in the state in the preceding academic year; 776
(c) An identification of local educational agencies and 777
public schools that are achieving the goals and objectives 778
specified in their student graduation and completion plans and 779
those that are not achieving their goals and objectives; 780
(d) An explanation of the actions taken and strategies 781
implemented by the local educational agencies with the highest 782
student dropout rates to reduce those rates and by the local 783
educational agencies with the lowest student graduation and 784
completion rates to increase those rates; 785
(e) An identification of the local educational agencies 786
that have demonstrated the greatest improvement in reducing their 787
student dropout rates and increasing their student graduation and 788
completion rates and descriptions of the actions taken and 789
strategies implemented by the local educational agencies operating 790
or approving these schools to achieve these improvements; and 791
(f) An evaluation of the overall progress across the 792
state in meeting the goals specified in Section 1 of this act for 793
reducing the student dropout rate and increasing the student 794
graduation and completion rates. 795
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ST: Dropout Prevention and Student Re-
engagement Act; create.
SECTION 13. This act shall take effect and be in force from 796
and after July 1, 2026. 797