Mississippi 2023 Regular Session

Mississippi House Bill HB1457

Introduced

1/16/23

Refer

1/16/23

Failed

1/31/23

Caption

School attendance; require for children unable to score a 21 or higher on the ACT until the child reaches 18 years of age.

Impact

The implications of HB 1457 on state education laws are significant. It alters the existing compulsory school attendance law by incorporating an academic assessment requirement prior to students being able to drop out. By compelling students to take the ACT before leaving school, the law aims to encourage educational completion and potentially improve overall student performance levels. Additionally, penalties will be imposed on parents of students who fail to comply with attendance mandates after improperly dropping out. This could lead to increased oversight of student attendance and performance across the state.

Summary

House Bill 1457 aims to enforce stricter regulations for school attendance among children under eighteen years old in Mississippi. Specifically, the bill mandates that a child who wishes to drop out of school must first take the ACT test. If the child fails to achieve a minimum score of 21, or 18 if they attended a failing school, they will remain subject to the compulsory school attendance laws until they turn eighteen years of age. This requirement places the responsibility on school attendance officers to ensure compliance and mandates that parents must adhere to these regulations under specified conditions.

Contention

There are several points of contention regarding HB 1457. Critics of the bill argue that it may unfairly penalize students from lower-performing schools who might struggle to meet the ACT score threshold. This could disproportionately affect students in economically disadvantaged areas, raising concerns over equity in educational opportunities. Furthermore, opponents may contend that the expanded powers given to school attendance officers and the involvement of law enforcement in attendance issues represent an overreach of authority that may not address the underlying issues of education and dropout rates effectively.