“I want my children to be well educated students, but more importantly to keep their lives as stable as possible without having to be consumed with everything ‘socially distant related.’ I truly believe that homeschooling will keep my children's mental health safest.
“We made the decision to homeschool because I am opposed to children being in a ‘masked’ environment, along with the uncertainty of random school closings paired with disrupted virtual and in-person schooling.
“I’ve had fleeting thoughts of homeschooling in the past, but only during middle school years, not during this time of elementary studies.
“Fortunately, I am a work from home mom, and I believe the monies that would've been spent for school supplies/clothing/random fundraisers etc. throughout the year should hopefully balance itself out."
Julia Overfield
Pass Christian, Mississippi
“We never considered homeschooling because I believed we received a quality educational experience up until this point in our district. But I don't believe our public school district's new policies during this pandemic will yield any meaningful academic advancement for its students in the foreseeable future.
“The adjusted school, bus, class, and bell times, strict mask and social distancing mandates, daily wellness screenings, polycarbonate barriers, simultaneous virtual and traditional teaching, and cancelation and major changes to many courses, sports and clubs will be a huge distraction to the teachers, staff, and students.
“The state's Department of Education is prioritizing military-style policy enforcement based on haphazard political opinions instead of a quality educational experience for our youth. Teachers and staff will be preoccupied with reporting sneezes and coughs and jumping through COVID hoops handed down by the state and district leaders instead of academic progress.
“Not to mention, the first time a child tests positive, entire classrooms and/or teachers will be forced to quarantine for long periods of time. I would be surprised if any class can complete a single lesson before the first quarantine. The school experience this year is sure to be a miserable one.
“I can’t afford to leave the workforce, but I may have to adjust my work hours and offset lost wages and the cost of homeschooling and tutors by canceling some services and cutting back on discretionary spending.
“I hope to meet or exceed our academic goals this year in a relaxed setting that allows us to maintain focus on studies and retain some freedoms of youth by avoiding the hyper-vigilant ‘virus policing’ theme of the public school systems this year.
“We may only homeschool temporarily. Time will tell.”
Jamie Mitchell
Olive Branch, Mississippi
“We decided to homeschool this year because my children and myself have asthma, and my mother is immune suppressed. We do not want to bring COVID into our home.
“I considered homeschooling in the past when the school denied me help with my son. That’s one of my concerns. That I will not have the resources to teach my child with learning disabilities.
“To make this change, we are having to cut back on things we enjoy on the weekends to pay for homeschooling. But in the end, I just want my children to be safe and healthy and to learn at the appropriate grade level.”
Kayla Manning
Moss Point, Mississippi
"I never considered homeschooling previously, but decided to this year because I do not wish to send my children to school if they are required to wear a face covering for seven hours plus a day.
"It is simply too hot in south Mississippi. The school buses are not air conditioned. When a child is constantly thinking about when, if, how they are required to wear a face covering, they are not focused on their schoolwork.
"It’s too much of a distraction, even if I did believe that masks really would make a difference. My boys are highly intelligent and I’m confident that they will have no problem passing the placement test next school year and transitioning back to public school. My main concern is that I won’t be able to help them if they struggle with a particular area of instruction.
"But thankfully I’ve been blessed to have a job that allows me to work remotely, making it easier to homeschool.
"In doing this, I'm looking forward to having the chance to bond with my boys in a way that I’ve never been able to before. I want to take control of the things they learn and I want to have as much hands-on learning and take as many field trips as possible.
"This is a special chance for them to learn exactly the way they want to learn."
Kaleigh Vicknair
Long Beach, Mississippi
The order mandating masks in public places has been extended for two more weeks and expanded to an additional 10 counties.
Gov. Tate Reeves signed the updated executive order yesterday. The face mask requirement is now in place in the following counties: Bolivar, Claiborne, Covington, Desoto, Forrest, Grenada, Harrison, Hinds, Humphreys, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Panola, Quitman, Rankin, Sharkey, Simpson, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Tate, Walthall, Washington, and Wayne counties.
Under the order, all retail businesses are required to mandate that all employees and customers wear a mask. For people in public, everyone must wear a mask when in a public setting. Additionally, groups are now limited to no more than 10 indoors and no more than 20 outdoors.
Those who violate the order could face a fine of up to $500 and/ or six months in jail. State, county, and local law enforce, as well as government entities, may enforce the order.
The new order expires on August 3 unless it is extended prior to that time.
School districts are slowly outlining their plans to reopen this fall.
While data shows children are at a far greater risk of death from the influenza than COVID-19, many schools are hesitant to reopen full-time this fall. What do you think?
“My name is Danielle Russell and my business in Craveable Creations.
“You could say I got started when I was 8 years old. My mom and dad were both Navy, so I wasn’t raised by a traditional mom. She didn’t cook much, and she hated it when she did. But my aunt loved to cook, and I loved being with her learning. After she taught me how to make pancakes, I fell in love with cooking everything. I especially love old timey recipes.
“Fast Forward to 20015, a friend of mine asked me to make mini pies for her wedding and I did – 300 mini pies of all sort for the grooms table. After that I researched what I could do from home and found out about the cottage food guidelines. To be honest I do not like having my hands tied by such restrictions.
“I sell baked goods and custom snacks. I have a very eclectic clientele. I have been blessed to be a small part in several weddings, birthday parties – the most recent was for a 99-year young gentleman in our community. I have participated in baby showers, snack foods for football parties. I even had the privilege of making cinnamon rolls for former First Lady Deborah Bryant.
“Because of this business, we’re able to prepare for retirement. I am 46 years old and I have worked in a hospital laboratory as a Med Tech my entire adult life. I was so excited to see the ability to advertise cottage food products online. And the increase income of $35,000 will also be a big help!”
Danielle Russell
Craveable Creations
Newton, Mississippi
New legislation will expand Mississippi’s sales cap for cottage operators to $35,000. Previously, cottage food operators were capped at $20,000.
That was the third lowest in the country. Mississippi is now above the national average – for state’s that have a cap. Twenty-seven states have no limitation on what cottage food operators can earn. Which makes sense because all this cap does is restrict an entrepreneur’s ability to earn an income, which then contributes to the tax base.
Several years ago, Mississippi brought home bakers into the light with the passage of the state’s cottage food law. This allows individuals to sell certain allowable products that they make at home. They can sell the products in various settings, such as farmers’ markets, without a government inspection or a professional kitchen. And there is no license required or government fees to pay to begin.
Opponents of cottage food operators, largely the established restaurant or bakery industries, will point to the fact that these operators aren’t regulated by the state. But there has not been evidence to suggest that the lack of comprehensive regulations pose a threat to public health as some indicate. Consumers know what they are purchasing, where they are purchasing it from, and that it does not come from a government-inspected kitchen. They willingly accept the so-called risk.
Today’s technology makes it easy to find high-quality food, read reviews from happy (or unhappy) customers, and make knowledgeable decisions. Online reviews and apps are doing the job of a government inspector.
In reality, the current limitations just serve to limit competition for established businesses. By eliminating restrictions in Mississippi, we can give consumers new options, grow the economy, and encourage entrepreneurship.
As we outlined in High Road to Freedom, providing more freedom to cottage food operators, particularly in the new economy, is a good thing. This is a step in the right direction for a path to food freedom in Mississippi.
Schools should be reopened at the normal time this August. If they can’t or won’t, parents should get their money back and be allowed to use it to find new educational options for their children.
Mississippi schools closed in March right after Spring Break, and students have been out of school since that time.
As we approach the traditional first days of school, various schools are reporting various return strategies for reopening. Some are offering a hybrid model where students come two or three days a week, some full time, and some offering full distance learning to students who would prefer that. Some schools are requiring kids to wear masks all day, some aren’t. Some are ending recess. Some are shutting down the cafeteria.
Like most things with government education, it generally depends on where you live.
The state Board of Education released an outline earlier this summer, which covered strategies for how schools should approach reopening, whichever path they followed. After all, it will be up to each district to decide on what reopening looks like.
Federal money coming to schools
In response to the pandemic, various pots of federal money are coming to schools in Mississippi.
As part of the CARES Act, schools are receiving about $170 million. This is money that can be used on various services, including training and professional development, cleaning supplies, technology, mental health services, etc.
Also, as part of the $1.25 billion in stimulus funds that went to the state, the legislature will be sending $150 million for schools to purchase computers for students. By this point, government schools should have money to ensure schools are clean and students have the necessary technology to learn.
Health risks small for children
It is well established that children are much less likely than adults to become severely ill or require hospitalization because of coronavirus. Those under 20 are half as likely to contract the illness in the first place and they are likely to be either asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.
The American Academy of Pediatrics issued a statement “strongly advocating that all policy considerations for the coming school year should start with a goal of having students physically present in school” and urging “policies to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within schools must be balanced with the known harms to children, adolescents, families, and the community by keeping children at home.”
Further, in countries that reopened this spring, there has been no evidence of increase community spread of the virus.
We can then make online learning, something the we have long advocated and something the state has long resisted, available to students with serious health conditions or who live in households where family members have health problems that put them in high-risk categories.
All schools should be fully reopened
Homeschooling is a great option for families who want to homeschool. It is not a good option to try government-forced homeschooling and expect single-parents or those where both parents work to exit the workforce to educate their children.
A June report found only one in three school districts required teachers to deliver instruction during the lockdown and other data suggests students have already lost ground academically.
Given what we know about coronavirus and the subsequent failure of government schools to provide a credible distance education during the lockdown, all schools should be reopened for full-time, in-person instruction for the majority of Mississippi school children.
If schools don’t reopen…
If schools are not reopened for full-time, in person instruction, money should be returned to the customer. After all, if a store closes because of the pandemic, they no longer receive money from customers they are no longer serving.
This is how education should work. We fund students. By directing the tax dollars allocated for that student to the family, they would be able to pursue the best education option for their child. That may be a private school. Or it may be a series of tutors, online resources, or a combination of services.
There is a group in Mississippi saying schools shouldn’t open until there are zero active cases in their specific county. While that would certainly be detrimental to children, if government schools aren’t providing a service, they shouldn’t get paid.