HB1161: Mississippi Autism Scholarship Program Act; establish.

Legislative Summary

An Act To Establish The Mississippi Autism Scholarship Program For Students Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder; To Define Certain Terms Used In This Act; To Provide For Student Eligibility Requirements For Receipt Of A Scholarship And Restricting Eligibility Therefor; To Provide For The Term Of The Scholarship; To Stipulate The Obligations Of Parents Or Legal Guardians, Students And Schools And School Districts; To Prescribe The Duties Of The Department Of Education And The State Board Of Education Regarding The Administration Of The Scholarship Program; To Provide The Department Of Education With The Authority To Verify The Eligibility Of Nonpublic Schools And To Establish The Process For Notifications Of Violations; To Authorize The State Board Of Education To Deny, Suspend Or Revoke A School's Participation In The Scholarship Program And The Procedures Taken With Respect Therefor; To Require That All Compulsory–school–age Children Be Screened For Autism Spectrum Disorder During The Period Between The Spring Of Kindergarten And The Fall Of Grade 1 And Other Appropriate Times As Deemed Necessary In The Public Schools Of This State; To Establish The Procedures To Be Followed In Screening And Evaluation Of Students For Autism Spectrum Disorder And Related Disorders And Prescribing Who Shall Administer The Screening And Evaluation; To Require That School Diagnosticians Receive Additional Training In The Evaluation And Diagnosis Of Autism Spectrum Disorder; To Require The Department Of Education To Submit An Annual Report To The Legislature Summarizing Student Performance, Student Assessments, Funding And Any Recommended Changes; To Prescribe Appropriate Qualifications For Administrative And Instructional Personnel; To Require The State Department Of Education To Serve As The Local Educational Agency For Those Schools; To Require The State To Pay Directly To The School Any Federal Or State Aid Attributable To A Student With A Disability Attending The School; To Require The School To Comply With The Annual Audit And Budget Submission Requirements Prescribed By Law In Title 37, Mississippi Code Of 1972; And For Related Purposes.