The Mississippi legislature has allocated millions of federal dollars to private schools for coronavirus relief efforts. The bills that set aside this money go into effect on July 1st, and would allow private institutions to receive up to $100 thousand. Joann Mickens, Executive Director at Parents for Public Schools, says the organization has partnered with the ACLU because they believe this funding violates the state constitution.
“All schools in Mississippi are routinely underfunded, many of them have poor infrastructure,” says Mickens. “So to divert money, taxpayer dollars from public schools to private schools, we believe it’s not the thing to do.”
Mickens says this lawsuit does not aim to prevent people from choosing if their child will go to a private institution but to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated properly.
Private schools in the state are not held to the same accountability standards as public schools, and are not required to educate every child. Nancy Loome is President of the Parents Campaign. While her organization is not involved in the case, she says tax dollars should not be diverted to private schools.
Loome says “Decades ago, that’s how we operated in Mississippi, but it isn’t the way we operate now. And I think there is broad realization that the only way Mississippi will meet her full potential is for every single Mississippi child to have access to a good, quality education.”
Unless the courts intervene, funding will be distributed when the state spending bills go into effect on July 1st. Officials with the Mississippi Attorney General’s office declined to comment.
