MS HB1177

Creates the Joint Legislative and Paraprofessional Education and Mental Health Study Committee to study and recommend policies for improving student outcomes and educational opportunities for students with serious emotional and behavioral disorders.

Committee membership includes representatives from school districts, State Department of Education, Department of Mental Health, teachers, parent organizations, and mental health centers, with House and Senate committee chairs serving as co-chairs.

Committee tasked with collecting data on out-of-school suspensions, alternative school placements, and corporal punishment; reviewing Medicaid payments for school mental health services; and evaluating dropout rates for students with mental health issues.

Committee shall submit report to Governor and Legislature by January 1, 2013, and dissolve upon filing of report.

Amends Chapter 484, Laws of 2010 to add Commissioner of Higher Education and Executive Director of State Board for Community and Junior Colleges to the Task Force to Study Strategies for Solving Teacher Shortage in Mississippi, and extends task force dissolution date to 2013.