Statutory and case law since 1953 have created a firm basis for personnel policy in Mississippi public school districts. House Bill No. 11 (1953) prescribed methods for the selection and employment of professional staff and conditions for their suspension and dismissal, establishing rights of proper notice and due process. Standards for notification and procedures for hearings and appeal are codified in the School Employment Procedures Act of 1977, which supersedes the Mississippi Fair Employment Practices Act of 1974. Litigation pursuant to these laws (represented here by a list of 19 decisions from 1969 to 1981) has limited the powers of superintendents, curbed discriminatory employment practices, and required strict adherence to statutory due process. Although the courts have provided school employees substantial protection from arbitrary dismissal, they have left the discretionary powers of school boards largely intact. Perhaps for this reason, the Mississippi Association of Educators has proposed changes in the law; its pressure is likely to succeed in the near future. (MCG)