Parents group suing state for public money going to private schools

HINDS COUNTY, Miss. (WCBI) – A Mississippi parents’ group is suing the State to stop public money from going to private schools.

Parents for Public Schools Incorporated has filed a lawsuit in Hinds County Chancery Court to challenge Senate Bills 27-80 and 30-64, which were signed into law in April and go into effect July first.

According to the suit, 27-80 instructs the Department of Finance and Administration to oversee a program that would give payouts of up to $100,000 to private schools for infrastructure projects. SB 30-64 sets aside $10 million to fund those payouts.

Parents for Public Schools says the laws violate Section 208 of the Mississippi Constitution, which forbids appropriating public money to “any school that at the time of receiving such appropriation is not conducted as a free school.”

The American Civil Liberties Union, Mississippi Center for Justice, and Democracy Forward are providing legal help in the suit.