School curriculum; require comprehensive Mississippi History course for all public school students in Grade 9.

Plain English Breakdown

The exact content and scope of what would be covered in the course are not detailed beyond the emphasis on specific time periods.

Mississippi History Course Requirement for Grade 9

This bill requires all public school students in Mississippi to take a comprehensive history course about the state's past from grade 9.

What This Bill Does

• Requires all ninth-grade students in Mississippi public schools to study a full Mississippi history course.
• The course must cover Mississippi’s history from when it was first discovered and colonized until today, with an emphasis on significant political, social, economic, and cultural issues of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that have impacted diverse ethnic and racial populations.

Who It Names or Affects

• All public school students in grade 9 in Mississippi
• School districts and teachers who must include this course in their curriculum

Terms To Know

Comprehensive Course

A complete or thorough course that covers all important aspects of a subject.

Ethnic and Racial Populations

Groups of people who share cultural backgrounds, traditions, or physical characteristics.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill did not pass in the current session.
• It would have taken effect on July 1, 2026, but since it didn't pass, this date is no longer relevant.

Official Summary Text

School curriculum; require comprehensive Mississippi History course for all public school students in Grade 9.

Current Bill Text

H. B. No. 243 *HR31/R370* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR31/R370
PAGE 1 (DJ\JAB)
ST: School curriculum; require comprehensive
Mississippi History course for all public school
students in Grade 9.
To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Clark

HOUSE BILL NO. 243

AN ACT TO REQUIRE A COMPREHENSIVE COURSE IN MISSISSIPPI 1
HISTORY TO BE TAUGHT TO ALL STUDENTS IN GRADE 9 IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS; 2
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 3
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 4
SECTION 1. In addition to the curriculum otherwise required 5
by law or the State Board of Education to be taught in the public 6
schools of this state, a comprehensive course in Mississippi 7
History is required for all students in Grade 9. The Mississippi 8
History course must provide students with an examination of the 9
history of the State of Mississippi from the age of discovery and 10
colonization to the present, with particular emphasis on the 11
significant political, social, economic and cultural issues of the 12
nineteenth and twentieth centuries, which have impacted the 13
diverse ethnic and racial populations of the state. 14
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 15
and after July 1, 2026. 16