MS HB1031

Establishes the Mississippi Dyslexia Therapy Scholarship for Students with Dyslexia Program providing scholarships to students in Grades 1-6 diagnosed with dyslexia to attend public schools of choice or eligible nonpublic schools offering specialized dyslexia therapy.

Requires all public school students be screened for dyslexia between spring of kindergarten and fall of Grade 1, with screening components including phonological awareness, sound symbol recognition, alphabet knowledge, decoding, encoding skills, and rapid naming.

Sets maximum scholarship amount at the Mississippi Adequate Education Program base student cost, paid in twelve equal monthly installments to participating nonpublic schools upon verification of enrollment and attendance.

Requires participating nonpublic schools to be state accredited special purpose schools maintaining a physical location in Mississippi with qualified personnel including state-licensed dyslexia therapists and administrators trained in dyslexia characteristics.

Mandates annual financial audits by the State Auditor, criminal background checks and fingerprinting for all school personnel, and annual reporting to state leadership on program accountability and any violations by participating schools; program sunsets July 1, 2016.