7 Miss. Code. R. 163-4.0-4.2
The State Board of Education will designate staff in the Mississippi Department of Education to conduct field audits of nonpublic schools to determine compliance with accreditation requirements and standards. The results of all on-site audits will be compiled in a report and noted in each school's current accreditation records. If deficiencies are found in meeting accreditation standards or state and federal laws, the chief school administrator is notified in writing and given thirty (30) days from the receipt of notification to provide a written response. The report of findings is filed in the current accreditation records in the Office of District Accreditation.
On-site accreditation audits of nonpublic schools will be scheduled on a five-year cycle and will be conducted by a team of trained evaluators under the supervision of a Mississippi Department of Education auditor or other designated staff. Staff from the Office of Special Education will determine compliance with state and federal special education regulations at no cost to the nonpublic school.
The initial accreditation audit of a nonpublic school not previously on record with the Mississippi Department of Education must be conducted by a designated committee before an accreditation status is assigned. The purpose of the initial on-site visit is two-fold:
A newly applying nonpublic school not previously on record with the State Board of Education must be fully operational at the time of the site visit. Each nonpublic school voluntarily seeking initial accreditation must have conducted a program of educational services for a period of at least one (1) calendar year prior to the date of proposed State Board of Education accreditation. (See exemption for state agency schools in Nonpublic School Accreditation Policy 1.3.) Sufficient data necessary to substantiate compliance with all accreditation requirements and standards must be available.
A percentage of schools providing summer school and extended year programs may be audited annually to verify information contained in the annual Summer School/Extended Year Report.
An investigative evaluation is conducted in response to a formal complaint. All formal complaints made against a school must be submitted to the Office of District Accreditation in writing and bear the signature of the individual(s) filing the complaint. When a written complaint is received that contains allegations of noncompliance with accreditation requirements, MDE staff will contact the school officials and provide assistance to resolve the compliant. If the compliant is not resolved, the school administrator will be notified in writing of the nature of the complaint and informed that the school is subject to an unannounced audit to investigate the allegations. Upon completion of the investigative audit, a written report is sent to the complainant, chief school administrator, and designee of the local governing body.
When audits or evaluations of other state or federal programs reveal verified noncompliance with state or federal program regulations, the incidents of noncompliance are filed with the Office of District Accreditation and placed on the district's Accreditation Record.
7 Miss. Code. R. 163-4.0-4.2