Mississippi Senate proposes $150 million for distance learning

Mississippi lawmakers passed two measures Thursday affecting schools.

The first, called the Equity in Distance Learning Act, appropriates $150 million from the $1.25 billion in federal COVID-19 relief to provide K-12 students with laptops or tablets and improve connectivity for distance learning. Passed by the Mississippi Senate, the bill is now on its way to the House.

Among the items funded by the bill are computer hardware and software, personal or centrally located hot spots, enhanced security and professional development for teachers, students and parents or guardians. Allocations to schools would be made based on average daily attendance.

The second piece of legislation is intended to end the teacher shortage by revising licensing qualifications.

Senate Bill 2511 allows college students to enter teaching programs with ACT scores of 21, a minimum pre-major GPA of 3.0 or a passing score on the Praxis Core test for teacher certification.

That bill is on its way to the governor for his signature.