School attendance officers; require training for IDEA and � 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.

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To: Education
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Hickman

SENATE BILL NO. 2488

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-13-107, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, 1
TO REQUIRE THAT EVERY SCHOOL ATTENDANCE OFFICER ATTEND AND 2
COMPLETE A COMPREHENSIVE LEGAL TRAINING FOR THE INDIVIDUALS WITH 3
DISABILITIES IN EDUCATION ACT (IDEA) AND § 504 OF THE 4
REHABILITATION ACT OF 1973, SPONSORED BY THE OFFICE OF SPECIAL 5
EDUCATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION; AND FOR 6
RELATED PURPOSES. 7
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 8
SECTION 1. Section 37-13-107, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 9
amended as follows: 10
37-13-107. (1) Every school attendance officer shall be 11
required annually to attend and complete a comprehensive course of 12
training and education which is provided or approved by the Office 13
of Compulsory School Attendance Enforcement of the State 14
Department of Education. Additionally, every school attendance 15
officer shall be required to attend and complete a comprehensive 16
legal training for the Individuals with Disabilities in Education 17
Act (IDEA) and § 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, sponsored 18
by the Office of Special Education of the Mississippi Department 19
of Education. This training should enable school attendance 20
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officers to understand the legal rights of children with 21
disabilities under the IDEA or § 504. This training shall also 22
educate school attendance officers of the proper policies, 23
procedures and requirements for reporting a child with a potential 24
disability to the school district, so that the district can 25
properly locate, identify and possibly evaluate that child in 26
compliance with its child-find duty based on federal and state 27
IDEA 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
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ST: School attendance officers; require
training for IDEA and § 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