Mississippi
Mississippi special education hub
Starter orientation for Mississippi families and staff. Our Texas section is deeper today. Everything here points to official Mississippi Department of Education and federal sources.
Overview
Special education in Mississippi runs on the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) plus state rules administered by the Mississippi Department of Education. Local districts deliver the services.
Mississippi uses the federal vocabulary. The team that writes the plan is the IEP team, and the plan is the IEP. Texas terms such as ARD are Texas specific and do not describe Mississippi practice, so we do not use them on these pages.
We do not publish Mississippi day counts or deadline numbers. Timelines have exceptions and they are updated by rule. Confirm anything time sensitive with Mississippi Department of Education materials and with your district in writing.
Pages in this hub
- IEP meetings in Mississippi
Who is on the team, what the meeting covers, and how parents take part.
- Asking for an evaluation
How evaluation requests usually start, and where to confirm current Mississippi timelines and forms.
- Parent rights and safeguards
An orientation to the procedural safeguards notice. It is an overview, not a replacement for the notice itself.
For parents in Mississippi
Follow the parent journey, then see For Parents. New to the vocabulary? Read the glossary terms IEP, FAPE, LRE, and procedural safeguards. National companions live in Guides.
For Mississippi schools
District and building leaders can start with For Schools, then use Mississippi Department of Education guidance and your regional support system for state specific training.
Official starting points
- Mississippi Department of Education
- IDEA (U.S. Department of Education)
- Mississippi Parent Training and Information Center: the parent training and information center for Mississippi.
- Disability Rights Mississippi: the protection and advocacy agency for Mississippi.
- Center for Parent Information and Resources
Looking for another state? See all state sections.
Not legal advice. Not medical advice.