JACKSON, Miss — A new law will require the Mississippi Department of Education to set a computer science curriculum for K-12 schools by the 2024-25 academic year.
Republican Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 633 on Wednesday, and it will become law July 1.
A Mississippi-based telecommunications and technology company, C Spire, pushed for the new law. The company says Mississippi employers have unfilled jobs because they need more people trained in computing and information technology.
The C Spire Foundation announced in January that it was committing $1 million to help Mississippi school districts start computer science classes.
Meanwhile, Arkansas' governor signed into law legislation to require that high school students take a computer science course before graduating.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson on Tuesday signed the measure, which was part of his legislative agenda for this year's session.
The requirement begins with the entering ninth grade class of the 2022-2023 school year. A task force recommended the requirement last year.
A 2015 measure Hutchinson signed into law required every public high school to offer computer science.
