No Background Checks, No Proof of Education: ProPublica and Private Schools
3 hours ago
- Reporters from ProPublica and local partners successfully established private schools in Arkansas, West Virginia, and North Carolina with minimal effort and no teaching or administrative experience.
- In Arkansas, the process required only filling out a form online, paying $45, and buying an American flag; no background checks or qualifications were needed.
- In West Virginia, a private school application required a fire marshal inspection, but the reporters bypassed this by registering as a microschool, which has no oversight.
- In North Carolina, the application required fire and sanitation inspections, and a snag arose when school-specific inspections were needed, but the reporters stopped to avoid using public resources.
- The experiment highlights the lax regulations and proliferation of private and microschools, often funded by public voucher programs, raising concerns about oversight and accountability.