Senate Bill 2160

(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 37-16-15, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT A HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA MAY BE GRANTED TO STUDENTS WHO WITHDREW FROM SCHOOL BEFORE GRADUATION AND LATER ACHIEVED THE REASONABLY COMPARABLE REQUIREMENTS THAT EXISTED AT THE TIME THAT THE STUDENT WOULD HAVE GRADUATED; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. Section 37-16-15, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:

37-16-15. (1) Any person who has withdrawn from high school before graduation may be granted a diploma from the Mississippi public high school that the person last attended if the person has:

(a) Completed all requisite graduation course work requirements and has achieved * * *~~the equivalent requirements~~ a passing score on an assessment reasonably comparable to the respective assessments that would qualify the person for high school graduation * * *~~that~~ as such assessments existed at the time that the student would have graduated; and

(b) Made a request to the public high school district that the person last attended in Mississippi that includes relevant transcripts of course work completed.

(2) The State Department of Education is authorized to determine and/or develop any reasonably comparable assessment to be administered to persons seeking to obtain a diploma from the last Mississippi public high school of attendance under the authority granted under subsection (1) of this section.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2016.