Jackson Free Press

Yesterday, Gov. Haley Barbour put his signature on Senate Bill 2628, also known as the Children First Act of 2009.

The bill was born out of recommendations made by a legislative task force that met during 2008, and was co-chaired by House Education Chairman Cecil Brown and Senate Education Chairman Videt Carmichael, according to a release.

"Even the smallest decisions that are made in a school district can impact the educational experience that our boys and girls have in the classroom," said State Superintendent Dr. Hank Bounds. "This new law will give us the confidence that our leaders are making the right choices that always put children first."

Under the bill, Mississippi will be able to remove superintendents and school board members, and take over failing school districts more easily. It will give the state school board the power to request that the governor declare a "state of emergency" for schools they rate as "failing" for two or more consecutive years. Those districts will be placed into state conservatorship.

Another section of the bill establishes the Mississippi Recovery District within the Mississippi Department of Education to "provide leadership, management and oversight to districts that are subject to state conservatorship." The bill mandates that appointed conservators create a detailed corrective plan within 45 days to move schools out of the district.

The bill also requires school children in grades 7 through 12 to maintain a 2.0 average on a 4 point scale to participate in extracurricular activities. Schools can suspend students whose grade average falls below 2.0 from such activities until they pull up their grades again.

Among other changes mandated by the bill, school districts must produce an annual report and audit their finances annually.