House Bill 194

AN ACT TO CREATE THE "VOLUNTEER AND PARENTS INCENTIVE PROGRAM ACT"; TO DEFINE CERTAIN TERMS; TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP THE VOLUNTEER AND PARENTS INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO PROVIDE VOLUNTEER MENTORS TO AT-RISK STUDENTS IN QUALIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICTS; TO AUTHORIZE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO PROMULGATE RULES AND REGULATIONS TO CARRY OUT THE PROGRAM; TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO DEVELOP AND PUBLISH "THE PARENTS' BILL OF RIGHTS" TO INFORM PARENTS OF A CHILD WITH AN INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PROGRAM OF THEIR STATE AND FEDERAL RIGHTS; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

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

SECTION 1. (1) This section shall be known and may be cited as the "Volunteer and Parents Incentive Program Act." The State Department of Education shall implement and administer the provisions of this section.

(2) For purposes of this section, the following words and phrases have the meanings ascribed in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

(a) "At-risk student" means:

(i) A student who is still compulsory-school-age but whose continued education is in jeopardy because the student is experiencing academic deficits, including, but not limited to:

1. Being one or more years behind their age or grade level in mathematics or reading skills through Grade 8 or three (3) or more credits behind in the number of credits toward graduation from Grade 9 through Grade 12;

2. Having low scores on tests of academic achievement and scholastic aptitude;

3. Having low grades and academic deficiencies;

4. Having a history of failure and being held back in school;

5. Having language problems or being from a non-English speaking home; or

6. Not having access to appropriate educational programs.

(ii) A student also may be considered "at-risk" if the student has any of the following:

1. A parent or sibling who dropped out of school;

2. A history of numerous family relocations;

3. Poor social adjustment or deviant social behavior;

4. Employment of more than twenty (20) hours per week while school is in session;

5. Prior experience as a victim of racial or ethnic prejudice;

6. Low self-esteem and expectations of teachers, parents and the community;

7. A poorly educated mother or father;

8. Children of their own;

9. A deprived environment that slows economic and social development;

10. A fatherless home;

11. Prior experience as the victim of personal or family abuse, including substance abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse;

(b) "Department" means the State Department of Education;

(d) "Qualifying public school" means a school located in Mississippi that:

(i) Is located in a school district that has been classified by the State Board of Education as underperforming;

(ii) Is located in a school district that has low cost housing, high unemployment and high food stamp use; or

(iii) Has a student population of more than fifty percent (50%) at-risk students.

(3) The State Department of Education shall develop the Volunteer and Parents Incentive Program, the purpose of which is to solicit parents of public school students and community volunteers to mentor students identified as being at-risk at qualifying public schools. Through the program, a trained parent or community volunteer may be paired with an individual student identified as at-risk to serve as a mentor and positive influence to that student. The department shall provide appropriate training to persons invited to participate in the program.

(4) The State Department of Education shall promulgate rules and regulations to implement this section.

SECTION 2. (1) Before January 1, 2013, the State Department of Education shall develop and produce a publication entitled "The Parents' Bill of Rights," which shall be designed to inform parents of children with an individualized education program of their educational rights under federal and state law. The content of the publication may not confer any right or rights beyond those conferred by federal or state law and must state that it is for informational purposes only. The department shall post a copy of this publication on its website. The publication must contain the department's contact information.

(2) The publication must contain, but need not be limited to, the following general information presented in a clear and concise manner, and the department shall ensure the content is consistent with legal interpretations of existing federal and state law and provides equitable treatment of all disability groups and interests:

(a) The right of parents to attend individualized education program meetings and represent their child's interests;

(b) The right of parents to have an advocate or expert present at an individualized education program meeting;

(c) The right of parents to receive a copy of the child's evaluation and to disagree with its results and request one (1) independent educational evaluation at public expense;

(d) The right of parents to provide a written report from outside sources as part of the evaluation process;

(e) The right of parents to examine all school records pertaining to the child and to be provided a copy of the individualized education program;

(f) The right of parents to disagree with the decision of the school district and the individualized education program team and to pursue complaint procedures, including a child complaint filed with the State Department of Education, state-paid

mediation and other due process rights;

(g) The right of parents of a child with an individualized education program to participate in reviews of such program, participate in any decision to change any aspects of the individualized education program and meet with school officials whenever a change occurs in their child's education program or classroom placement;

(h) The right of a child to be placed in the least restrictive environment and to be placed in a general education classroom to the greatest extent appropriate;

(i) The right of parents with limited English language

proficiency to request an accommodation to provide effective

communications; and

(j) The right of parents to have a free appropriate public education for their child with an individualized education program designed to meet their child's unique needs, which may include, but need not be limited to, special education and related services such as assistive technology devices and services, transportation, speech pathology services, audiology services, interpreting services, psychological services (including behavioral interventions), physical therapy, occupational therapy, recreation (including therapeutic recreation), early identification and assessment of disabilities in children, counseling services (including rehabilitation counseling), orientation and mobility services, school health services, school nurse services, social work services, parent counseling and training and medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes.

(3) Each school district shall provide the parent or parents of a child a copy of this publication upon determining that a student qualifies for an individualized education program and at any time the school district is required under state or federal law to provide the parent or parents with notice of procedural safeguards.

(4) The State Department of Education shall review and revise the content of the publication as necessary to ensure the content accurately summarizes current federal and state law. The department shall promulgate rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this section, including, but not limited to, the manner in which the publication described in this section must be distributed.

SECTION 3. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2012.