MS HB446

Increases the minimum required hours of actual teaching in public schools from 5 hours to 5.5 hours per school day, affecting both the school day definition and compulsory attendance law

Changes the enrollment cutoff date for kindergarten and first grade from September 1 to August 1, requiring children to reach age 5 (kindergarten) or age 6 (first grade) on or before August 1 to enroll that school year

Authorizes school districts to store permanent records of graduates in electronic digital format rather than requiring physical fire-resistant storage

Removes the prohibition on courses required for subject area testing being eligible for dual credit, expanding dual enrollment opportunities for high school students taking college courses

Requires school districts to submit teacher counts to the State Department of Education by September 1 each year and mandates timely distribution of Education Enhancement Fund procurement cards to eligible teachers at the beginning of each school year