Gov. Haley Barbour on Wednesday will sign a bill designed to improve school accountability.

The so-called “Children’s First Act of 2009” will become law as soon as it gets the governor’s signature.

Among other things, it will allow the state Board of Education to ask the governor to declare a state of emergency in any school district that fails to meet state standards for two consecutive years.

The bill also says students who participate in extracurricular activities must have at least a 2.0 grade-point average on a 4-point scale.

The bill is Senate Bill 2628.