Narrative:

The Mississippi Community College Board, in its capacity as the coordinating Board of the Mississippi Community and Junior Colleges, strongly urges each of the colleges to comply fully with federal and state nondiscrimination laws and executive orders which constitute the legal mandate for equal employment opportunity. The Board also strongly urges each community and junior college to ensure no one shall be excluded from participating in, be denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination in any program or activity of the college on the grounds of race, sex, age, color, creed, national origin, religion, disability or any other protected group. The Board itself further adheres to the principle of equal educational and employment opportunity as mandated by each of these statutes.

The Office of Adult Education (OAE) will ensure to the fullest extent possible equitable access to, participation in and appropriate educational opportunities for all federally funded local adult education programs to include faculty, staff and students with special needs.  Activities, programs and services will be accessible to all teachers, students and other program beneficiaries with special needs allowing them to participate fully in the projects.  The OAE does not discriminate on the basis of age, color, religion, creed, disability, marital status, veteran status, socio-economic status, national origin, race, gender or sexual orientation in its education and research programs or its services and activities. It provides reasonable and appropriate accommodations to meet the learning and evaluation needs of a diverse group of students, faculty, community members and other participants.

All funded AEFLA programs are required to submit a GEPA plan as part of the application process for the WIOA Competition.  The OAE will monitor each local program on the plan submitted as part of the application.

Professional development is offered in face-to-face, virtual, and/or online hybrid formats in order to be accessible to all AE faculty and staff. OAE staff will check PowerPoint slides and presentations to ensure they are accessible for individuals with disabilities as well as provide training on equity in the classroom.

All adult education staff, statewide, were trained on:

• Equity in the Classroom by AIR –Spring 2022
• Dyslexia in the Classroom
• Teaching the Anxious and Depressed
• Trauma Informed Care

All webinars were recorded and placed in our Skill UP Webinar Canvas course for teachers who were unable to attend the webinars. Professional development will continue to be provided on equity, disabilities, and special needs in adult education.