MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE

2001 Regular Session

To: Education

By: Representative Reeves

AN ACT TO REQUIRE ALL INSTRUCTION, TEXTBOOKS AND TEACHING MATERIALS IN THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO BE DELIVERED TO STUDENTS IN THE STANDARD ENGLISH LANGUAGE; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) (a) The Legislature finds and declares that the English language is the national public language of the United States of America and the official language of the State of Mississippi. In addition, the Legislature finds and declares that the English language is spoken by the vast majority of Mississippi residents and is the leading world language for science, technology and international business, thereby being the language of economic opportunity. The Legislature further finds and declares that the public schools of the state have an obligation to provide the children of Mississippi, regardless of their ethnicity or national origins, with the skills necessary to become productive members of our society: of those skills, literacy in the English language is among the most important.

(b) It is the intent of the Legislature that all children in Mississippi public schools shall be taught the English language by, among other means, being taught in English.

(2) In order to enable all public school children to become proficient in speaking, reading and writing the English language,

all public school instruction, textbooks and teaching materials must be delivered to students in the standard English language. Exempted from the requirements of this subsection are: (a) foreign language courses that have the specific objective of teaching students a language other than the English language; and (b) English language learner instruction that provides students who do not speak English or whose native language is not English with a transition to the English language while giving students the opportunity to learn utilizing any available and appropriate resources.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2001.