Bill Text: MS HB1022 | 2024 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: "African-American Male Success Academy"; require State Dept. of Ed. to establish to cultivate diversity of social skills and academic success.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Failed) 2024-03-05 - Died In Committee [HB1022 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2024-HB1022-Introduced.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2024 Regular Session
To: Education; Appropriations A
By: Representative Scott
House Bill 1022
AN ACT TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF STATE INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT THE "AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE SUCCESS ACADEMY" FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KINDERGARTEN THROUGH GRADE 8; TO PROVIDE THAT THE ACADEMY SHALL ASSIST PRACTITIONERS, TEACHERS AND SCHOOL LEADERS TO RECOGNIZE TO UNDERSTAND AND CULTIVATE THE DIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SKILLS AND SCHOOL SUCCESS OF YOUNG AFRICAN-AMERICAN MALE STUDENTS IN THE EARLY GRADES THROUGH A CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE AND STRENGTHS-BASED APPROACH TO INSTRUCTION; TO REQUIRE THE ACADEMY TO BE STRUCTURED AS A ONE SEMESTER COURSE OF INSTRUCTION THAT IS AGE AND GRADE APPROPRIATE FOR PARTICIPATING STUDENTS IN THE APPLICABLE GRADES; TO PRESCRIBE THE MINIMUM INSTRUCTIONAL COMPONENTS REQUIRED TO BE TAUGHT IN THE ACADEMY; TO REQUIRE PARTICIPATING STUDENTS TO COMPLETE A SERIES OF TASKS DESIGNED TO ENHANCE THEIR ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL ABILITIES; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
WHEREAS, studies have shown that youth imprisonment correlates to a host of negative consequences both while incarcerated and after incarceration as they eventually attempt to reenter society; and
WHEREAS, since fiscal year 2007, African-American youths have accounted for nearly 85% of all youth prison admissions in Mississippi, a racial disparity that continues to persist despite the decline of prison admissions for people under age 18; and
WHEREAS, according to November 2021 data from the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), 1,181 people incarcerated in Mississippi prisons were arrested and detained before age 18, which represents roughly 1 out of every 14 incarcerations; and
WHEREAS, the average sentence for youth MDOC admissions over the last five fiscal years is 8.6 years, with various kinds of burglary as the most common offense; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the inappropriateness of juvenile long-term sentencing, the state must also account for the financial cost of extended incarceration, averaging a daily cost of $50.63 which, in annual totality of $18,480.00, exceeds the annual in-state tuition cost at Ole Miss and Mississippi State University combined, which is estimated at $18,044.00; and
WHEREAS, incarcerating youth has been proven to have many consequences, including an increased likelihood of recidivism after release, exacerbation of mental illnesses, and less success with educational achievement and gainful employment; and
WHEREAS, youth incarcerated in adult prisons are twice as likely to be beaten by prison staff, five times more likely to be sexually assaulted and 36 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to youths detained in more age-appropriate environments; and
WHEREAS, the 68 people in Mississippi who were arrested as juveniles and have served at least 20 years in prison costs the state in excess of $1.2 million each year of incarcerating, which such costs could be realized as savings to be reinvested into anti-recidivism efforts such as job training, educational courses and support counseling if the state acted to expand parole eligibility for this small portion of the prison population; and
WHEREAS, it is the intent of the Mississippi Legislature to promote successful educational, civic and quality of life outcomes for its citizens, regardless of ethnicity or gender, by recognizing and taking the necessary steps to make sound policy decisions to eradicate the grave disparities that exist within health, educational, correctional and judicial systems: NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. (1) Beginning with the 2024-2025 school year, the State Department of Education, in conjunction with the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning and the Department of Human Services shall establish and implement a program known as the "African-American Male Success Academy" for public school students in kindergarten through Grade 8. In addition to assisting practitioners, teachers and school leaders to recognize, understand, and cultivate the diversity of social skills and school success of young African-American male students in the early grades, the academy shall illustrate, through a culturally responsive and strengths-based approach to instruction, what is lost when this demographic of students is prevented from free participation in boyhood without the demands placed upon them to attend to adult and peer interactions and attitudes.
(2) The academy established under subsection (1) of this section shall be structured for one (1) semester of instruction that is age and grade appropriate for students in kindergarten through Grade 8. The lecture-based portions of instruction in the academy must be conducted by culturally competent instructors with adequate certification in cognitive and social-emotional development and behaviors who are licensed by the State Department of Education or who teach those subject areas at the collegiate level.
(3) The African-American Male Success Academy must include, but not be limited to, the following instructional components:
(a) An orientation, which the parents are encouraged to attend;
(b) Classes in social studies that affirm the experiences of adolescent African-American males, which incorporate books, visuals and other materials that reflect the richness of the histories, lives and points of view of African-American men and their contributions to shaping social change through their advocacy and personal sacrifices made for the causes of social justice and equity;
(c) African-American literature and artistic expression;
(d) Instructional interaction with authority figures in the home, school and community, including:
(i) Caregivers;
(ii) Educators;
(iii) School administrators;
(iv) Law enforcement officers; and
(v) First responders;
(e) Presentations from community partners;
(f) Access to mental health professional for evaluations and assistance in response to traumatic events;
(g) Instruction that avoids the effects of unconscious biases by honoring and valuing the cultural and personal identities of all children;
(h) Strengths-based approaches to readiness for life, academic and career success; and
(i) For students in middle school grades, additional components shall consist of:
(i) Facilitation of social interaction with peers and goal orientation to college completion;
(ii) Positive youth development grounded in an ethic of care and love; and
(iii) Create a pathway to college entrance through early exposure to academic and career options, faculty mentoring and integration into college life.
(4) Students participating in the academy must complete a series of tasks designed to enhance their ability to overcome traditional barriers to academic achievement, to develop racial pride and self-awareness and develop scholar identity-view of self as intellectual.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2024.
