Vocational and home economics; require SBE to develop curriculum for all middle, high and alternative school students.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Brown

HOUSE BILL NO. 872

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-1-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
REQUIRE THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP CURRICULA AND 2
COURSES OF STUDY TO PROMOTE VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION, 3
HOME ECONOMICS AND CHARACTER EDUCATION OBJECTIVES FOR ALL MIDDLE 4
AND HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND STUDENTS ASSIGNED TO AN ALTERNATIVE 5
SCHOOL PROGRAM; TO PRESCRIBE THE MINIMUM COMPONENTS TO BE INCLUDED 6
IN THE CURRICULUM; TO AMEND SECTIONS 37-13-92, 37-13-151, 7
37-13-181 AND 37-31-61, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN CONFORMITY 8
THERETO; TO AMEND SECTION 37-31-205, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, IN 9
CONFORMITY TO THE PROVISIONS OF THIS ACT; AND FOR RELATED 10
PURPOSES. 11
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 12
SECTION 1. Section 37-1-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 13
amended as follows: 14
37-1-3. (1) The State Board of Education shall adopt rules 15
and regulations and set standards and policies for the 16
organization, operation, management, planning, budgeting and 17
programs of the State Department of Education. 18
(a) The board is directed to identify all functions of 19
the department that contribute to or comprise a part of the state 20
system of educational accountability and to establish and maintain 21
within the department the necessary organizational structure, 22
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policies and procedures for effectively coordinating such 23
functions. Such policies and procedures shall clearly fix and 24
delineate responsibilities for various aspects of the system and 25
for overall coordination of the total system and its effective 26
management. 27
(b) The board shall establish and maintain a 28
system-wide plan of performance, policy and directions of public 29
education not otherwise provided for. 30
(c) The board shall effectively use the personnel and 31
resources of the department to enhance technical assistance to 32
school districts in instruction and management therein. 33
(d) The board shall establish and maintain a central 34
budget policy. 35
(e) The board shall establish and maintain within the 36
State Department of Education a central management capacity under 37
the direction of the State Superintendent of Public Education. 38
(f) The board, with recommendations from the 39
superintendent, shall design and maintain a five-year plan and 40
program for educational improvement that shall set forth 41
objectives for system performance and development and be the basis 42
for budget requests and legislative initiatives. 43
(2) (a) The State Board of Education shall adopt and 44
maintain a curriculum and a course of study to be used in the 45
public school districts that is designed to prepare the state's 46
children and youth to be productive, informed, creative citizens, 47
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workers and leaders, and it shall regulate all matters arising in 48
the practical administration of the school system not otherwise 49
provided for. 50
(b) Before the 1999-2000 school year, the State Board 51
of Education shall develop personal living and finances objectives 52
that focus on money management skills for individuals and families 53
for appropriate, existing courses at the secondary level. The 54
objectives must require the teaching of those skills necessary to 55
handle personal business and finances and must include instruction 56
in the following: 57
(i) Opening a bank account and assessing the 58
quality of a bank's services; 59
(ii) Balancing a checkbook; 60
(iii) Managing debt, including retail and credit 61
card debt; 62
(iv) Completing a loan application; 63
(v) The implications of an inheritance; 64
(vi) The basics of personal insurance policies; 65
(vii) Consumer rights and responsibilities; 66
(viii) Dealing with salesmen and merchants; 67
(ix) Computing state and federal income taxes; 68
(x) Local tax assessments; 69
(xi) Computing interest rates by various 70
mechanisms; 71
(xii) Understanding simple contracts; and 72
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(xiii) Contesting an incorrect billing statement. 73
(c) Before the start of the 2026-2027 school year, the 74
State Board of Education shall require the inclusion of vocational 75
and technical courses and character education courses as a 76
mandatory component of the curriculum used by local school 77
districts in providing instructions and life skills for all middle 78
and high school students and those students assigned to an 79
alternative school program. The board shall grant each school 80
district the discretion to determine at which grade level each of 81
the required course offerings shall be made available. 82
(d) Before the start of the 2026-2027 school year, the 83
State Board of Education shall develop a curriculum and a course 84
of study to promote home economics objectives that focus on the 85
knowledge, understanding and skills necessary for living as an 86
individual, as a member of a household, personal life management 87
and postsecondary education advancement for appropriate, existing 88
courses at the secondary level. The objectives must require the 89
teaching of those skills essential to family and consumer science 90
and must include instruction in the following: 91
(i) Cooking, including food safety, preparation 92
and preservation and the nutritional benefits of a balanced meal; 93
(ii) Child development that provides instruction 94
as to how to correctly respond to children at each stage; 95
(iii) Education and community awareness; 96
(iv) Home management and design; 97
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(v) Sewing and textiles; 98
(vi) Budgeting and economics; and 99
(vii) Health and hygiene. 100
(3) The State Board of Education shall have authority to 101
expend any available federal funds, or any other funds expressly 102
designated, to pay training, educational expenses, salary 103
incentives and salary supplements to licensed teachers employed in 104
local school districts or schools administered by the State Board 105
of Education. Such incentive payments shall not be considered 106
part of a school district's local supplement, nor shall the 107
incentives be considered part of the local supplement paid to an 108
individual teacher for the purposes of Section 37-19-7(1). 109
(4) The State Board of Education shall through its actions 110
seek to implement the policies set forth in Section 37-1-2. 111
SECTION 2. Section 37-13-92, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 112
amended as follows: 113
37-13-92. (1) Beginning with the school year 2004-2005, the 114
school boards of all school districts shall establish, maintain 115
and operate, in connection with the regular programs of the school 116
district, an alternative school program or behavior modification 117
program as defined by the State Board of Education for, but not 118
limited to, the following categories of compulsory-school-age 119
students: 120
(a) Any compulsory-school-age child who has been 121
suspended for more than ten (10) days or expelled from school, 122
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except for any student expelled for possession of a weapon or 123
other felonious conduct; 124
(b) Any compulsory-school-age child referred to such 125
alternative school based upon a documented need for placement in 126
the alternative school program by the parent, legal guardian or 127
custodian of such child due to disciplinary problems; 128
(c) Any compulsory-school-age child referred to such 129
alternative school program by the dispositive order of a 130
chancellor or youth court judge, with the consent of the 131
superintendent of the child's school district; 132
(d) Any compulsory-school-age child whose presence in 133
the classroom, in the determination of the school superintendent 134
or principal, is a disruption to the educational environment of 135
the school or a detriment to the interest and welfare of the 136
students and teachers of such class as a whole; and 137
(e) No school district is required to place a child 138
returning from out-of-home placement in the mental health, 139
juvenile justice or foster care system in alternative school. 140
Placement of a child in the alternative school shall be done 141
consistently, and for students identified under the Individuals 142
with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), shall adhere to the 143
requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education 144
Improvement Act of 2004. If a school district chooses to place a 145
child in alternative school the district will make an individual 146
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assessment and evaluation of that child in the following time 147
periods: 148
(i) Five (5) days for a child transitioning from a 149
group home, mental health care system, and/or the custody of the 150
Department of Human Services, Division of Youth and Family 151
Services; 152
(ii) Ten (10) days for a child transitioning from 153
a dispositional placement order by a youth court pursuant to 154
Section 43-21-605; and 155
(iii) An individualized assessment for youth 156
transitioning from out-of-home placement to the alternative school 157
shall include: 158
1. A strength needs assessment. 159
2. A determination of the child's academic 160
strengths and deficiencies. 161
3. A proposed plan for transitioning the 162
child to a regular education placement at the earliest possible 163
date. 164
(2) The principal or program administrator of any such 165
alternative school program shall require verification from the 166
appropriate guidance counselor of any such child referred to the 167
alternative school program regarding the suitability of such child 168
for attendance at the alternative school program. Before a 169
student may be removed to an alternative school education program, 170
the superintendent of the student's school district must determine 171
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that the written and distributed disciplinary policy of the local 172
district is being followed. The policy shall include standards 173
for: 174
(a) The removal of a student to an alternative 175
education program that will include a process of educational 176
review to develop the student's individual instruction plan and 177
the evaluation at regular intervals of the student's educational 178
progress; the process shall include classroom teachers and/or 179
other appropriate professional personnel, as defined in the 180
district policy, to ensure a continuing educational program for 181
the removed student; 182
(b) The duration of alternative placement; and 183
(c) The notification of parents or guardians, and their 184
appropriate inclusion in the removal and evaluation process, as 185
defined in the district policy. Nothing in this paragraph should 186
be defined in a manner to circumvent the principal's or the 187
superintendent's authority to remove a student to alternative 188
education. 189
(3) The local school board or the superintendent shall 190
provide for the continuing education of a student who has been 191
removed to an alternative school program. 192
(4) A school district, in its discretion, may provide a 193
program of High School Equivalency Diploma preparatory instruction 194
in the alternative school program. However, any High School 195
Equivalency Diploma preparation program offered in an alternative 196
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school program must be administered in compliance with the rules 197
and regulations established for such programs under Sections 198
37-35-1 through 37-35-11 and by the Mississippi Community College 199
Board. The school district may administer the High School 200
Equivalency Diploma Testing Program under the policies and 201
guidelines of the Testing Service of the American Council on 202
Education in the alternative school program or may authorize the 203
test to be administered through the community/junior college 204
district in which the alternative school is situated. 205
(5) Any such alternative school program operated under the 206
authority of this section shall meet all appropriate accreditation 207
requirements of the State Department of Education. 208
(6) The alternative school program may be held within such 209
school district or may be operated by two (2) or more adjacent 210
school districts, pursuant to a contract approved by the State 211
Board of Education. When two (2) or more school districts 212
contract to operate an alternative school program, the school 213
board of a district designated to be the lead district shall serve 214
as the governing board of the alternative school program. 215
Transportation for students attending the alternative school 216
program shall be the responsibility of the local school district. 217
The expense of establishing, maintaining and operating such 218
alternative school program may be paid from funds contributed or 219
otherwise made available to the school district for such purpose 220
or from local district maintenance funds. 221
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(7) The State Board of Education shall promulgate minimum 222
guidelines for alternative school programs. The guidelines shall 223
require, at a minimum, the formulation of an individual 224
instruction plan for each student referred to the alternative 225
school program and, upon a determination that it is in a student's 226
best interest for that student to receive High School Equivalency 227
Diploma preparatory instruction, that the local school board 228
assign the student to a High School Equivalency Diploma 229
preparatory program established under subsection (4) of this 230
section. The minimum guidelines for alternative school programs 231
shall also require the following components: 232
(a) Clear guidelines and procedures for placement of 233
students into alternative education programs which at a minimum 234
shall prescribe due process procedures for disciplinary and High 235
School Equivalency Diploma placement; 236
(b) Clear and consistent goals for students and 237
parents; 238
(c) Curricula addressing cultural and learning style 239
differences; 240
(d) Direct supervision of all activities on a closed 241
campus; 242
(e) Attendance requirements that allow for educational 243
and workforce development opportunities; 244
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(f) Selection of program from options provided by the 245
local school district, Division of Youth Services or the youth 246
court, including transfer to a community-based alternative school; 247
(g) Continual monitoring and evaluation and formalized 248
passage from one (1) step or program to another; 249
(h) A motivated and culturally diverse staff; 250
(i) Counseling for parents and students; 251
(j) Administrative and community support for the 252
program; * * * 253
(k) Clear procedures for annual alternative school 254
program review and evaluation * * *; and 255
(l) Grade-appropriate curricula for vocational and 256
technical courses, home economics and character education 257
instruction. 258
(8) On request of a school district, the State Department of 259
Education shall provide the district informational material on 260
developing an alternative school program that takes into 261
consideration size, wealth and existing facilities in determining 262
a program best suited to a district. 263
(9) Any compulsory-school-age child who becomes involved in 264
any criminal or violent behavior shall be removed from such 265
alternative school program and, if probable cause exists, a case 266
shall be referred to the youth court. 267
(10) The State Board of Education shall promulgate 268
guidelines for alternative school programs which provide broad 269
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authority to school boards of local school districts to establish 270
alternative education programs to meet the specific needs of the 271
school district. 272
(11) Each school district having an alternative school 273
program shall submit a report by July 31 of each calendar year to 274
the State Department of Education describing the results of its 275
annual alternative school program review and evaluation undertaken 276
pursuant to subsection (7)(k). The report shall include a 277
detailed account of any actions taken by the school district 278
during the previous year to comply with substantive guidelines 279
promulgated by the State Board of Education under subsection 280
(7)(a) through (j). In the report to be implemented under this 281
section, the State Department of Education shall prescribe the 282
appropriate measures on school districts that fail to file the 283
annual report. The report should be made available online via the 284
department's website to ensure transparency, accountability and 285
efficiency. 286
SECTION 3. Section 37-13-151, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 287
amended as follows: 288
37-13-151. Before * * * August 1, 2026, all local school 289
districts shall provide programs of education in home economics, 290
in Grade 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 or 12, which include course work in 291
responsible parenting and family living skills. These programs 292
shall contain instruction to prepare students to understand 293
children's physical, mental, emotional and social growth and 294
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development as well as to assume responsibility for their care and 295
guidance, with emphasis on nutrition, emotional health and 296
physical health. All such programs shall be * * * aligned with 297
the curriculum and course of study for home economics developed by 298
the State Board of Education * * *. 299
SECTION 4. Section 37-13-181, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 300
amended as follows: 301
37-13-181. The local school boards of the public school 302
districts, in their discretion, may develop and implement, at the 303
beginning of the 1999-2000 school year, a comprehensive program 304
for character education in Grades K-12 and alternative school 305
programs. The definition of the character traits chosen by the 306
school district for implementation shall reflect and be in keeping 307
with both the spirit and the letter of the following founding 308
documents: the Mississippi Constitution of 1890; the Constitution 309
of the United States of America; the Declaration of Independence; 310
and state and federal law. A public school or alternative school 311
program may not define or teach character or character traits in 312
any manner that might promote or encourage students to participate 313
in conduct that would violate any state or federal law. 314
SECTION 5. Section 37-31-61, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 315
amended as follows: 316
37-31-61. The State Board of Education is hereby authorized 317
and empowered to establish and conduct schools, classes or 318
courses, for preparing, equipping and training citizens of the 319
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State of Mississippi for employment in gainful vocational and 320
technical occupations which do not terminate in a bachelors 321
degree, in conjunction with any public school, agricultural high 322
school or community/junior college, which shall be required for 323
all middle and high school students. 324
The trustees of such school districts, as classified and 325
defined by law, including those already having this authority, and 326
the trustees of agricultural high schools and community/junior 327
colleges may, with the consent in writing of the State Board of 328
Education, establish and conduct such schools, classes or courses, 329
under the provisions herein stated and under the general 330
supervision of the board. 331
SECTION 6. Section 37-31-205, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 332
amended as follows: 333
37-31-205. (1) The State Board of Education shall have the 334
authority to: 335
(a) Expend funds received either by appropriation or 336
directly from federal or private sources; 337
(b) Channel funds to secondary schools, community and 338
junior colleges and regional vocational-technical facilities 339
according to priorities set by the board; 340
(c) Allocate funds on an annual budgetary basis; 341
(d) Set standards for and approve all vocational and 342
technical education programs in the public school system and 343
community and junior colleges or other agencies or institutions 344
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which receive state funds and federal funds for such purposes, 345
including, but not limited to, the following vocational and 346
technical education programs: agriculture, trade and 347
industry, * * * consumer * * * education, distributive education, 348
business and office, health, industrial arts, guidance services, 349
technical education, cooperative education, and all other 350
specialized training not requiring a bachelor's degree, with the 351
exception of programs of nursing education regulated under the 352
provisions of Section 37-129-1. The State Board of Education 353
shall authorize local school boards, within such school board's 354
discretion, to offer distributive education as a one-hour or 355
two-hour block course. There shall be no reduction of payments 356
from state funding for distributive education due to the selection 357
of either the one-hour or two-hour course offering; 358
(e) Set and publish licensure standards for vocational 359
and technical education personnel. The State Board of Education 360
shall recognize a vocational and technical education teacher's 361
work when school is not in session which is in the teacher's 362
particular field of instruction as a means for the teacher to 363
fulfill the requirements for renewal of the teacher's license. 364
The board shall establish, by rules and regulations, the 365
documentation of such work which must be submitted to the board 366
and the number of actual working hours required to fulfill renewal 367
requirements. If a vocational and technical education teacher who 368
does not have a bachelor's degree takes classes in fulfillment of 369
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licensure renewal requirements, such classes must be in 370
furtherance of a bachelor's degree; 371
(f) Require data and information on program performance 372
from those programs receiving state funds; 373
(g) Expend funds to expand career information; 374
(h) Supervise and maintain the Division of Vocational 375
and Technical Education and to utilize, to the greatest extent 376
possible, the division as the administrative unit of the board 377
responsible for coordinating programs and services with local 378
institutions; 379
(i) Utilize appropriate staff of the State Department 380
of Education to perform services for the vocational student 381
organizations, including, but not limited to, procurement, 382
accounting services, tax services and banking services. The 383
department may also procure and pay for annual audits of the 384
vocational student organizations using vocational funds or other 385
available funds of the State Department of Education. It is the 386
intent of this provision that any related costs be paid with 387
vocational funds appropriated by the Legislature; 388
(j) Promulgate such rules and regulations necessary to 389
carry out the provisions of this chapter in accordance with 390
Section 25-43-1 et seq.; 391
(k) Set standards and approve all vocational and 392
technical education equipment and facilities purchased and/or 393
leased with state and federal vocational funds; 394
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(l) Encourage provisions for lifelong learning and 395
changing personal career preferences and advancement of vocational 396
and technical education students through articulated programs 397
between high schools and community and junior colleges; 398
(m) Encourage the establishment of new linkages with 399
business and industry which will provide for a better 400
understanding of essential labor market concepts; 401
(n) Periodically review the funding and reporting 402
processes required of local school districts by the board or 403
division with the aim of simplifying or eliminating inefficient 404
practices and procedures; 405
(o) Assist in the development of high technology 406
programs and resource centers to support current and projected 407
industrial needs; 408
(p) Assist in the development of a technical assistance 409
program for business and industry which will provide for 410
industrial training and services, including the transfer of 411
information relative to new applications and advancements in 412
technology; and 413
(q) Enter into contracts and agreements with the 414
Mississippi Community College Board for conditions under which 415
vocational and technical education programs in community and 416
junior colleges shall receive state and federal funds which flow 417
through the State Board of Education for such purposes. 418
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(2) It is the intent of the Legislature that no vocational 419
and technical education course or program existing on June 30, 420
1982, shall be eliminated by the State Board of Education under 421
the authority vested in paragraph (d) of subsection (1) of this 422
section prior to June 30, 1985. It is further the intent of the 423
Legislature that no vocational and technical education teacher or 424
other personnel employed on June 30, 1983, shall be discharged due 425
to licensure standards promulgated by the board under paragraph 426
(e) of subsection (1) of this section, if any such teacher or 427
personnel shall have complied with any newly published licensure 428
standards by June 30, 1985. Nothing contained in this section 429
shall be construed to abrogate or affect in any manner the 430
authority of local public school districts or community and junior 431
colleges to eliminate vocational and technical education courses 432
or programs or to discharge any vocational and technical education 433
teacher or other personnel. 434
(3) The State Board of Education and the Mississippi 435
Community College Board may provide that every vocational and 436
technical education course or program in Mississippi may integrate 437
academic and vocational-technical education through coherent 438
sequences of courses, so that students in such programs achieve 439
both academic and occupational competencies. The boards may 440
expend federal funds available from the 1990 Perkins Act, or other 441
available federal funds, for the alignment of vocational-technical 442
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ST: Vocational and home economics; require SBE
to develop curriculum for all middle, high and
alternative school students.
programs with academic programs through the accreditation process 443
and the teacher licensure process. 444
SECTION 7. This act shall take effect and be in force from 445
and after July 1, 2026. 446