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Lawmakers press sponsor on how MDE would detect and report enrollment fraud
Summary
Committee members asked whether the Mississippi Department of Education or receiving districts would need to identify students enrolled in violation and questioned what data would trigger mandatory notification to law enforcement under proposed language.
Senator Hill questioned the mechanics behind enforcement and the role of tax and enrollment data in identifying students enrolled out of district lines. He asked whether a receiving district's permission process would make an enrollment lawful and whether MDE would be responsible for identifying violations statewide.
Hill asked: "So if a school is willing to allow a student to come into another district ... that parent would not be breaking the law. Correct?" Members pressed Rhodes on the mandatory-notification language in lines 106–108 that would require the department and school district to notify law enforcement of any student enrolled in violation; Rhodes acknowledged uncertainty and indicated willingness to remove or revisit that provision.
Committee members flagged the practical problem of requiring MDE to notify law enforcement without a clear mechanism for how MDE would discover localized violations, and the sponsor agreed to consider revisions and legal vetting.
