MS HB454

Exempts the State Department of Education from State Personnel Board procedures for two years beginning July 1, 2014, allowing the department to make personnel actions without standard civil service protections, though school attendance officers are explicitly excluded from this exemption.

Requires the State Department of Education to designate six consecutive weeks in summer when school attendance officers shall not be required to work, changing from the previous two-week requirement.

Changes the birthday cutoff date for kindergarten and first-grade enrollment from August 1 to September 1, affecting which children are classified as compulsory-school-age.

Authorizes local school boards to adopt policies addressing sexual abuse of children, known as "Erin's Law Awareness," as part of comprehensive school safety plans, with optional components including teacher training, parent education, and age-appropriate student curriculum.

Amends conforming provisions in multiple code sections regarding personnel at the State Department of Education, Division of Vocational and Technical Education, Office of Dropout Prevention, and Schools for the Blind and Deaf to align with the two-year State Personnel Board exemption period.