Mississippi Advisory Opinions January 19, 1996: AGO 96-0014 (January 19, 1996)

Advisory Opinion Text

Honorable Jim Hood

District Attorney, Third Circuit District

Post Office Box 1487

Oxford, Mississippi 38655

Re: Section 37-13-91

Dear Mr. Hood:

Attorney General Mike Moore has received your letter of request and has assigned it to me for research and reply. Your letter states:

Please provide me an Attorney General's Opinion giving an interpretation to MS Code Annotated Section 37-13-91(g)(Supp. 1991), specifically the language stating “a school attendance officer shall possess a college degree with a major in behavioral science or a related field.” Would a B.A. degree in Education and or a B.P.A. degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Sociology and Psychology qualify a candidate for the position as school attendance officer.

In response, the Mississippi Code of 1972 offers no definition for the terms “behavioral science or a related field, ” for the purposes of determining the qualifications of a school attendance officer, however, Webster's Collegiate Dictionary defines “behavioral science” as “a science (as psychology, sociology, or anthropology) that deals with human action and seeks to generalize about human behavior in society.” As you know, this office cannot make a factual determination and we therefore decline to specify exactly what majors would qualify as a “behavioral science or related field.”

If this office can be of any further assistance, please let us know.

Very truly yours,

Mike Moore, Attorney General.

David K. Scott, Special Assistant Attorney General.