The disciplinary actions of an elementary school in Mississippi have left several of its students’ parents angry and concerned. “This isn’t what we signed up for at all,” said one student’s mother, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of what the school’s administration might do to her son. “My child came to this school for a good, principled education, not to be taught how to make a mockery of those principles.”
Holly Springs Christian School in Holly Springs, Mississippi, commonly known as HSCS, boasts a curriculum centered on improving students’ relationships to “the three G’s”: God, grades, and the Golden Rule. The school, which is private and serves grades K–8, has existed since 1950 and is seen as a cornerstone of the Holly Springs community. Many local leaders, even including Mayor Sadie Woolf, attended the school as students. But the institution’s reputation has done little to curb recent criticism.
“I can’t believe the things they’re getting away with in there,” explained Ashley Stover-Walsh, one of many concerned parents. “Listen, I’m a born-and-raised Southern Baptist. I come from a Christian family and I run a Christian household, so it made sense to me to enroll my children in a Christian school. But where in the Bible does it say my baby’s going to Hell if he doesn’t pull his grades up because ‘God hates F’s?’”
“They’ve been making up Biblical nonsense to back up whatever they do,” said Vincent Dorsey, another parent, “and that might work on the kids, but it sure won’t on me.” Dorsey said that teachers at HSCS have even been teaching students fake Bible verses to justify certain disciplinary actions. “My daughter was put out of class last week. I asked her why. She told me that Proverbs says ‘Thou shalt not speak while Mrs. Brown is speaking.’ Then she wanted to know if all of her teachers’ names were in the Bible or if it was just Mrs. Brown.”
Dr. Melinda Covey, pastor of nearby St. Peter Baptist Church, finds the school’s practices to be extremely worrying. “This is nowhere near the type of Christian education that an academic institution should foster in its pupils,” said Covey. “It is not only irresponsible but also dishonest, un-Christian, and deeply dangerous for a young mind. I and other true servants of the Lord know that there is nothing holy in the ways of this school. They will require a serious reconsideration of their values before they can be rightfully called Christian.”
Many HSCS families attend St. Peter Baptist, so when Covey recently denounced the school’s practices in a sermon, the school’s administration didn’t take her words lightly. “I’ll grant that Pastor Covey is a beloved figure in our community,” said HSCS principal Scott Neugebauer, “but she couldn’t be more wrong on this topic. Holly Springs Christian School adheres very strictly to scripture, so we’re as Christian as Christians come. For example, I myself know Acts 4:9 by heart: ‘Never, under any circumstances, trust a woman pastor.’”
Featured image/photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash.