The mission of the MS Department of Education (MDE) Office of Compliance is to develop and sustain a strong and consistent culture of statutory, regulatory, and ethical compliance throughout the agency. The Office of Compliance ensures the integrity of agency contracts; conducts program office reviews to ensure compliance with agency policies and procedures as well as applicable state and federal laws and regulations; detects, addresses, and reports allegations of misconduct; monitors the timely completion of corrective action plans resulting from internal, state, and/or federal audits; and ensures employees have the resources and training necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations. The Compliance Officer serves as the agency’s Internal Control Administrator working with executive leadership and management to identify and mitigate risks identified by Internal Audit that could impact the internal control system. The Compliance Officer reports directly to the MDE Chief Operations Officer (COO).
As public servants, there is a responsibility to the citizens of this state to conduct business with integrity, honesty, and accountability. Section 11 of the MDE Employee Policy and Procedures Manual describes the ethical obligation of all MDE employees.