NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release: July 18, 2018
JACKSON, Miss. – The Commission on School Accreditation determined today that an extreme emergency exists in the Noxubee County School District (NCSD) that jeopardizes the safety, security, and educational interests of the children enrolled in the schools in the district. As a result, the Mississippi State Board of Education will consider on July 19 whether to ask Gov. Phil Bryant to declare a state of emergency in the district.
The NCSD is in violation of 26 of the 32 accreditation standards that all Mississippi public school districts are required to meet. The violations are documented in the On-Site Investigative Audit of NCSD, which the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE) conducted after the district reported severe financial issues. The MDE conducted the full investigative audit of all six schools in NCSD from June 25 - July 3, 2018. The MDE conducted the full investigative audit because historically, districts that have faced serious financial issues have also had numerous accreditation violations.
The Commission on School Accreditation determined an emergency exists because NCSD has serious violations of federal and state law and accreditation standards, serious concerns regarding financial resources, inappropriate standards of governance, and a continued pattern of poor academic performance.
The regularly scheduled Board meeting will begin at 10 a.m. July 19 in the Fourth Floor Board Room of the Central High School Building, 359 N. West St., Jackson. The Board will follow the same format as the Commission in allowing NCSD and the Mississippi Department of Education to address the Board prior to the Board’s determination.View the Board meeting agenda here.
On-Site Investigative Audit Report - Noxubee County School District
Note: The meeting will be live streamed
Media Contact:
Patrice Guilfoyle, APR
Director of Communications
601-359-3706
Jean Cook, APR
Communications Specialist
601-359-3519