Communications and Government Relations

July 21, 2015

WHO: Frances Smith-Kemp, former Heidelberg Elementary School teacher

WHAT: Administrative hearing before the Commission on Teacher and Administrator Education, Certification and Licensure and Development. Due to smoke and water damage in the Central High School Building, the MDE is moving the hearing. The MDE is seeking to revoke Smith-Kemp’s teaching license for affecting the validity of state assessments.

WHEN: July 27-29, 9 a.m.

July 22, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. – The Central High School Building will remain closed for the next four to six days as the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration continues to survey damage caused by the Jackson Marriot fire. For safety reasons, MDE employees may not enter the building.

July 28, 2015

JACKSON, Miss – Clarksdale Municipal School District teacher Frances Smith-Kemp surrendered her teaching license today and agreed to cooperate with the Mississippi Department of Education in its ongoing investigation into testing irregularities in the Clarksdale Municipal School District.

July 30, 2015

JACKSON, Miss – Midway through the 90-day Mississippi College- and Career-Ready Standards (MCCRS) Feedback Forum, 91.8% of commenters have indicated their approval of the state’s academic standards.

The Mississippi Department of Education launched the MCCRS Feedback Forum on June 15 to encourage stakeholders to read the standards and either submit comments in support of the standards or provide specific, actionable feedback on any standards of concern. The forum will remain open through Sept. 15.

August 4, 2015

JACKSON, Miss – Due to the damage caused by the Jackson Marriott fire, the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration has directed the Mississippi Department of Education to temporarily relocate all staff who work in the Central High School Building. The move is necessary because it will take several months to complete the extensive repairs needed to the building.

August 5, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. – More than half of the 4-year-old pre-kindergarten students in the Early Learning Collaboratives (ELCs) met or exceeded the expected performance level for kindergarten readiness, according to results from the first year of assessments.

August 12, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) announced today that 235 families have qualified for an Education Scholarship Account (ESA) that will provide funding to parents of students with disabilities who want to withdraw from public school to seek educational services elsewhere.

Applications will continue to be accepted and reviewed for eligibility until the annual enrollment limit of 434 is reached. Parents of students with disabilities are encouraged to apply. As of August 12, 199 scholarships are still available.

August 18, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Board of Education will have its monthly meeting at 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 20 at the South Pointe Business Park in Clinton. The Mississippi Department of Education temporarily moved from the Central High School Building following a fire behind the Jackson Marriott.

August 21, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. – The Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) released today the complete response to the PEER Committee report on the accountability standards for the system that evaluates school and district performance, including the qualifications of the MDE Technical Advisory Committee. The response can be found here.

August 24, 2015

JACKSON, Miss. – Books in the Barbershop promotes reading by creating book stations at barbershops and training barbers to engage young readers. The family, school and community initiative launched in June 2015 in Jackson, Miss. The Jackson Council Parent Teacher Association coordinates the program with support from Jackson Public Schools, the City of Jackson and a host of community organizations.