Parklane Academy

Parklane Academy is a private K-12 Protestant school located in McComb, Mississippi. It was founded in 1970 as a segregation academy. Parklane Academy is a member of the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS). As of 2023, the elementary school principal is Linda Love, the high school principal is Jill Jackson, and the superintendent is Jack Henderson.

This article is about the school in Mississippi, USA. For the school in West Yorkshire, England, see Park Lane Academy.
Parklane Academy
Address
1115 Parklane Rd

McComb
,
Mississippi
39648

United States
Coordinates31°14′4″N 90°28′29″W
Information
TypePrivate
MottoExcellence In Christian Education
Established1970
GradesK-12th
Color(s)Red, White, Blue
AthleticsFootball, Basketball, Baseball, Track, Soccer, Fast Pitch Softball, Tennis, Swim Team, Golf
Athletics conferenceMAIS
MascotPioneers
Websitewww.parklaneacademy.net

History

The school was founded in 1970 in reaction to the desegregation of the McComb, Mississippi public schooling system (McComb School District).[1] Originally new students were required to have the sponsorship of two families whose children attended the academy and no black students were invited.[2] Asked about the lack of African-American students in 1994 Kathy Miller, administrative assistant at Parklane, told the Austin American-Statesman that "[w]e have a couple of black students. Well, we have a couple of students named Black."[3]

By 2002 Parklane had tax-exempt status and therefore, according to school official Billy Swindle, followed a required non-discrimination policy.[2] In a city that was 58.40% African-American as of the 2000 census,[4] no African-American children had attended Parklane Academy as of 2005.[5] However, according to Swindle, "Parklane does have some Asian pupils [in 2002]" noted that "its annual tuition of $2,600 could be an impediment."[2]

Athletics

In 2001 The Mississippi Private School Association (MPSA) allowed member schools to participate in athletic matches against public schools. The Mississippi High School Athletic Association requires that their member schools only play schools which meet accreditation standards set by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). Sixty nine of the MPSA's member schools, among them Parklane Academy, failed to meet SACS standards at that time. A Parklane School administrator stated that "Parklane has no plans to compete against public schools in athletics. In my opinion, not many of the private schools will. It's strictly a choice between the two schools involved. It's an autonomy question. Each school has to decide on their own."[6]

Notable alumni

References
  1. "The Last Stand of Massive Resistance: Mississippi Public School Integration, 1970". Archived from the original on 2010-09-12. Retrieved 2009-07-18.
  2. Jodi Enda (December 24, 2002). "Racist past still haunts Miss. town - Supposedly, segregation is dead. Its vestiges live". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  3. Clark, Robin (July 10, 1994). "Town's racial divide subtler, but still deep, 30 years later". Austin American-Statesman. p. C8. "We're just one big happy family here," said Kathy Miller, a gray-haired woman with a voice as sweet as honeysuckle. One big happy "white" family, that is. Miller is the administrative as-sistant at Parklane Academy, McComb's first private school. Parklane was opened in 1970, the same year that Mississippi public schools were finally integrated, 16 years after Brown vs. Board of Education. Parklane now has 1,025 students, almost a third as many as the city schools, though Parklane draws many students from the rural areas outside McComb. Asked about the racial makeup of the school, Miller said, "We have a couple of black students." Then she added with a giggle, "Well, we have a couple of students named Black." In fact, there is only one black person on Parklane's sprawling campus — a janitor.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  5. Parklane Academy Students by Race - privateschoolsreport.com
  6. "Swindle: Parklane will not play against public schools". Enterprise-Journal (McComb, MS). June 26, 2001. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
  7. Watkins, Billy (2003-07-14). "Shuttle manager's task: get NASA back into space". Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  8. "William W. (Bill) Parsons". Kennedy Biographies. NASA. 2007-01-05. Retrieved 2007-12-20.
  9. Beth Peters (1 July 1999). True Brit: The Story of Singing Sensation Britney Spears. Random House Digital, Inc. pp. 11–12. ISBN 978-0-345-43687-0. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  10. Michelle Medlock Adams (1 August 2005). Jamie Lynn Spears. Mitchell Lane Publishers. ISBN 978-1-58415-395-5. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
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