Mississippi legislation · 2025 Regular Session
Mississippi HB1256: Qualified licensed dyslexia therapy teacher; require State Department of Education to employ and assign one to each county.
Status: Failed, February 4, 2025
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ASSIGN A QUALIFIED LICENSED DYSLEXIA THERAPY TEACHER SUPERVISOR TO EACH COUNTY; TO PRESCRIBE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF SUCH DYSLEXIA THERAPY TEACHER SUPERVISORS; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO CONDUCT A PROGRAM WITH WILLING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND/OR SCHOOLS WHICH FOCUSES ON THE USE OF DYSLEXIA DATA COACHES TO IMPROVE READING AND LITERACY AMONG STUDENTS DIAGNOSED WITH DYSLEXIA; TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM SHALL BE SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION; TO PROVIDE THAT INDIVIDUALS ASSIGNED BY THE DEPARTMENT SERVE IN THE CAPACITY AS A COUNTY DYSLEXIA THERAPY TEACHER SUPERVISOR OR DYSLEXIA DATA COACH, SHALL BE EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT, AND SHALL RESIDE IN THE COUNTY WHEREIN HE OR SHE HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO SERVE IN SAID CAPACITY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
What the bill says
An act to require the state department of education to assign a qualified licensed dyslexia therapy teacher supervisor to each county; to prescribe the responsibilities of such dyslexia therapy teacher supervisors; to require the department to conduct a program with willing school districts and/or schools which focuses on the use of dyslexia data coaches to improve reading and literacy among students diagnosed with dyslexia; to provide that the program shall be subject to appropriation…
From the introduced text:
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION TO ASSIGN A QUALIFIED LICENSED DYSLEXIA THERAPY TEACHER SUPERVISOR TO EACH COUNTY; TO PRESCRIBE THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF SUCH DYSLEXIA THERAPY TEACHER SUPERVISORS; TO REQUIRE THE DEPARTMENT TO CONDUCT A PROGRAM WITH WILLING SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND/OR SCHOOLS WHICH FOCUSES ON THE USE OF DYSLEXIA DATA COACHES TO IMPROVE READING AND LITERACY AMONG STUDENTS DIAGNOSED WITH DYSLEXIA; TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM SHALL BE SUBJECT TO APPROPRIATION; TO PROVIDE THAT INDIVIDUALS ASSIGNED BY THE DEPARTMENT SERVE IN THE CAPACITY AS A COUNTY DYSLEXIA THERAPY TEACHER SUPERVISOR OR DYSLEXIA DATA COACH, SHALL BE EMPLOYEES OF THE DEPARTMENT, AND SHALL RESIDE IN THE COUNTY WHEREIN HE OR SHE HAS BEEN ASSIGNED TO SERVE IN SAID CAPACITY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: SECTION 1. The State Department of Education shall: (a) Select schools in each county most in need for dyslexia therapy intervention and create criteria for selection for participation based on number and percentages of students scoring in the lowest two (2) achievement levels on state-adopted yearly reading assessments, screening that results in a diagnosis of dyslexia, and other relevant data; (b) Assign a qualified licensed dyslexia therapy teacher in a supervisory position within each county to be responsible for the implementation of: (i) The …