As schools throughout the country closed, attacks on homeschooling grew louder and more organized.

Why are we seeing these attacks? Do they have any credence? And what should those who believe in education freedom do?

Corey DeAngelis with the Reason Foundation joined us to talk about these attacks, and why everything that homeschooling opponents are saying is incorrect.

"I am a hearing aid specialist and my company, I fear, is one to be 'left out' of relief funds! 

"I'm a sole proprietor, schedule C filer, no employees, take draws when I can. I filed for Economic Injury Disaster Loan assistance on April 6, confirmed and issued a number expecting funds to my account within three days as stated in the offer, made three worthless information phone calls, and finally received an email from the Small Business Administration that they are processing my request May 6.

"My company is a hearing aid sales, fitting, testing and service company so naturally we've had no face to face customers in two months. No income either, living on receivables and paying absolute must bills with no hope of reducing my payables. So now I'm receiving 90 day notices.

"Normally, February through May are my largest sales months. May is National Better Hearing Month. However, sales normally average over half my gross for entire year with the coming months of June through August being the worst.

"So how can any of this help me? I am all in with what I can contribute to my own business and have no income to make a draw. My personal finances have been tapped dry over the last five years since I started and I can not borrow anymore."

Bonnie Sisk
Hearing Solutions LLC
Hernando, Mississippi

After much anticipation – and, for some, consternation – the U.S. Department of Education has finally issued a new rule aimed at reforming Title IX regulations regarding sexual harassment complaints.

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos announced the new rule here. According to a press release issued by the Department, the new regulation does the following:

• Defines sexual harassment to include sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking, as unlawful discrimination on the basis of sex.
• Provides a consistent, legally sound framework on which survivors, the accused, and schools can rely.
• Restores fairness on college and university campuses by upholding all students’ right to written notice of allegations, the right to an advisor, and the right to submit, cross-examine, and challenge evidence at a live hearing.
• Requires schools to select one of two standards of evidence, the preponderance of the evidence standard or the clear and convincing evidence standard – and to apply the selected standard evenly to proceedings for all students and employees, including faculty.
• Requires schools to offer an equal right of appeal for both parties to a Title IX proceeding.  
• Protects students and faculty by prohibiting schools from using Title IX in a manner that deprives students and faculty of rights guaranteed by the First Amendment.

Past Title IX revisions – most infamously, a 2011 “Dear Colleague” letter – have arguably circumvented the federal rulemaking process demanded by the Administrative Procedure Act.  

As articulated in an April 24, 2020 letter that I sent to the Department, however, the revision of the new rule strictly followed the proper process and provides for a transparent and fair implementation of Title IX. Attempts at delaying publication of the new rule, I argued, “would not only reinforce bad Title IX policy, it would also bring into question the legitimacy of the federal rulemaking process itself.”

By contrast, Title IX revisions advanced under the Obama (2011) and Clinton (2001) administrations evaded the formal rulemaking process, fueling ambiguity and inviting attempts at the state level to codify federal policies. The 2011 guidance, in particular, has been criticized for depriving the accused of due process and free speech rights. Here in Mississippi, the House has repeatedly passed legislation inspired by the Obama-era Dear Colleague letter. The latest iteration, passed in March 2020, is HB 158. This bill is double referred in the Senate. It is sponsored by House Judiciary A Chair Angela Cockerham.

Previous versions of the “Sexual Assault Response for College Students Act,” such as that passed by the House in 2017, included several problematic policies that mirrored the now-displaced federal guidance. These include: using a very low standard of evidence (preponderance) without proper procedural safeguards; limiting cross-examination of the accuser; and allowing institutions to restrict access to an attorney by the accused. 

Now that the federal guidance has been finalized, Mississippi has an opportunity to revisit this issue in 2021 by passing legislation that would codify the new federal rule.

In the meantime, schools need time to digest and implement the new guidance.

Saying for the second time that he is only allowing Jackson businesses to reopen because of an earlier order from Gov. Tate Reeves opening the state, Jackson Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba announced today that Jackson businesses can reopen Saturday, not Friday as originally stated. 

And he may again close businesses if cases surge. 

Among the regulations, the same social distancing orders that are in place statewide will also be in place in Jackson, along with the same sanitary guidelines.

But Lumumba is adding a curfew to the city, something that has been popular with a few other mayors across the state. In Jackson, all bars and restaurants must close by 10 p.m. and everyone must be home by 11 p.m. They can then leave their house at 5 a.m. the next morning. 

And all residents will be required to wear a mask when in public. 

“We were issued a citation for reopening our gym on Monday, April 27.

“Our gym was ordered to close by government order on April 3. At the time we had only anticipated a two-week shutdown. But when that order expired, the governor announced he was continuing the shelter in place order and was only opening retail businesses. 

“We then announced on Facebook that despite the governors orders we were opening April 27 anyway. We opened and were met with law enforcement officers and were issued a citation. 

“We asked the amount of the citation, but the officials were unable to give us a direct order.

“During our 37 days of forced shut down we had to cancel 93 memberships and suspend 13. All but five were coronavirus related cancellations and suspensions.”

Ryan Bramlett and Wesley Bray
300 Fitness
Pontotoc, Mississippi

Gov. Tate Reeves announced today that salons, barber shops, and gyms in Mississippi will be able to reopen after being closed for over a month. 

In revising and extending the current safer-at-home, these businesses will be able to open under strict sanitary and social distancing guidelines. 

“I cannot allow our small business to fold and families to be destroyed because of a government order,” Reeves said today. 

The new order will be extended until Monday, May 25. 

While some businesses remain closed, most noticeably barbers and salons, a good chunk of the economy in Mississippi either never shut down or is in the process of reopening. But at the end of the day, it is the individual who will make the decision on when they are comfortable moving around.

Not an order from state or local governments. 

All Americans are traveling more than a month ago according to Apple’s Mobility Charts, which aggregates data from Apple maps. And Mississippians are traveling more than the average American. 

Mississippians began to greatly limit travel toward the end of March, down almost 60 percent at one point from a January baseline. Yet over the past weekend, the numbers were above the baseline and have floated up and down over the last week. Right now, travel is down 15 percent from the baseline. 

After Mississippians voluntarily distanced themselves for a certain period of time, they then voluntarily made the decision that it was safe to be out and about based on the personal risks surrounding each individual and their family.  

And that is why we see these numbers fluctuate, based on personal stories, circumstances, and where you live. 

Louisiana, which has one of the highest rates of positive coronavirus cases and deaths in the country, saw a decline that was greater than Mississippi and for a longer period of time. And the data reflects the impact. Travel in Louisiana is down 42 percent from the January baseline, with numbers 20 to 50 percent below the baseline over the past week. 

So, a state where the pandemic has had a much larger toll on the citizens sees fewer people traveling. Yes, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards has taken a much more draconian push to shut down businesses than Gov. Tate Reeves in Mississippi, but it also shows the effect of personal responsibility and individual choices. 

It’s almost as if we can make the best decisions for ourselves.

We see that even within Louisiana. Much like the pandemic hasn’t impacted every state or region of the country the same, it hasn't impacted every part of Louisiana the same. So while travel is down over 40 percent in Louisiana, it is down almost 70 percent in New Orleans, a city that was among the hardest hit in the country.

Over the past month or so, the decline has been 60 to 80 percent in New Orleans. It’s starting to break some, but not in any large numbers. Again, these are choices individuals are making based on their perceived well-being. 

Some economies may open sooner than others, but the economy will truly open when Americans decide they are ready for that to happen. And that will vary among cities, states, and industries.

We never quit going to Walmart or Home Depot. But will Mississippians be back at restaurants on Thursday? We don’t know, but the market will decide if restaurants are really open. Just like restaurants will need to decide if they can be open at half capacity with a host of new regulations.

Even in a state of emergency, the market doesn't lie.

“I, personally, closed my salon on March 21, 2020.

“Today, salons are at an almost total loss of revenue and stylists at a complete loss of income. Our ability to provide for ourselves and our families has been stripped from us. This is our livelihood. It is more than “essential” to us and our families. It is our lifeline and it has been severed. 

“Most of us have not received unemployment benefits, stimulus checks, SBA, or PPP loans. Those of us who have received any of these, have found that assistance to be a fraction of our usual income, needless, to say nothing near what may be required to sustain our households.

“The beauty industry, especially in the south, is predominantly female driven. Seventeen percent of our family households in Mississippi are mothers and their children with no second income producer in the home. This stand still is beyond debilitating. It is complete devastation for many. Our bills are piling up, our pantries are running dry, and our hands are tied behind our backs, with no definite end in sight and no real help on the way. We cannot re-open our businesses, we cannot offer services in our homes, we cannot go into others’ homes, we cannot sell our services online.  

“The long-term ramifications are serious. If we become so desperate to feed our children, to pay our electricity, or obtain any other necessities, and we choose to go against current orders, we risk not only being fined, but, could permanently lose our license. No one wants that. We just want the right to work, to pursue our livelihoods, to provide for ourselves. There is no logical reason, with proper measures taken, we should be denied that opportunity any longer. We have not even had the chance to propose solutions. The Board of Cosmetology has not advocated for us. They have only relayed how we will have our hands slapped or permanently tied if we do not comply.    

“While the virus may be invisible, the effects are becoming increasingly, painfully, visible. We are suffering.” 

Lindsay Cash
Vamp The Salon
Jackson, Mississippi

Gov. Tate Reeves updated his safer-at-home order today, opening new parts of the Mississippi economy, as well as parks and recreation. 

Dining halls can reopen in restaurants and bars at 50 percent capacity. They must also screen customers and employees upon entering, and all employees must wear masks. Bars that do not serve food must remain closed. 

The gathering limitation for outdoor activities has increased from 10 to 20, while it remains at 10 for indoor activities.

"This is a start," Reeves said. "We’ll continue to evaluate and move up from here."

Reeves also spoke on barber shops and salons, saying they have spent more time on this topic than any other over the past two weeks. But, at this point they are not able to reopen. 

"We’ll get there but I can’t do that today," Reeves added. "I want you to get back to work but I can't put the people of our state at unreasonable risks."

The order goes into effect Thursday and will remain in place until Monday, May 11.