Midsouth Association of Independent Schools

Not to be confused with Southern Association of Colleges and Schools or Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.

The Midsouth Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) is a consortium of schools in Mississippi, Tennessee, Louisiana and Arkansas. It is responsible for accreditation of its member private schools as well as governing athletic competition for its member schools. It was founded in 1968 by a group of segregation academies.

The association also operates two other organizations, the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Educational Association and the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools Coaches Association.

History

Then named the Mississippi Private School Association, it was founded in 1968 as an accrediting agency for segregation academies.[1][2] Many of those schools no longer exist, while others have minorities enrolled and are accredited by other bodies such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

1987 marked the first time a Black student played on any MPSA boys' sports team, and in 2000 Christ Missionary and Industrial College High School became the first Black school to be granted membership.[3] The first MPSA sanctioned football game involving an all-black school took place in 2000.[4]

In July 2009, the organization changed its name to the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools,[5] and in 2019 changed it again to the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools to reflect the inclusion of schools in Arkansas, Alabama, Louisiana, and Tennessee.[6] In 1992, the Louisiana Independent School Association, also created by segregation academies, merged into the MPSA.[7]

Citizens' Council connections

Historian Joseph Crespino has stated that members of the White Citizens' Council "doubtless" played a role in the founding of the Association.[8] Sociologist Kenneth Andrews says that the MPSA built "on the earlier foundation of the Citizens' Council and the Council School Foundation."[9]

Classification

The MAIS, until 2019, divided its schools into five classifications, in which Academy AAAA represented the largest of the private schools, while the 8-man league represented the smallest schools. In 2019, after several smaller schools dropped down to 8-man football, the MAIS moved to six classifications.

For the sport of football, as of the 2023-25 reclassification period, Class 6A would consist of a single district of the six largest private schools in the MAIS: Jackson Prep, Jackson Academy, Madison-Ridgeland Academy, St. Joseph Catholic School (Madison, Mississippi), Hartfield Academy, and Presbyterian Christian School. The other 46 schools that support 11-man football were then divided as thus: the top third would be Class 5A, the middle third as Class 4A, and the remaining 11-man football schools would be Class 3A. The 8-man schools, 31 in number, were then divided into Class 2A (the top half of the 8-man schools) and Class 1A (the bottom half of the 8-man schools). The championship site for the 1A thru 5A football title games is usually at Jackson Academy. The 6A championship game is usually held at Mississippi College.

In most non-football playing sports, the MAIS is organized into five classifications. Class 6A, like football, is represented by the six largest schools in the organization. Classes 5A, 4A, 3A, and 2A (the smallest classification for non-football sports in the MAIS) would get 24 schools apiece. For sports such as soccer and volleyball in which not as many schools support the sport, they are divided into divisions instead.

References

  1. ^ Mack Spencer. "When is a recruit not a recruit? Good question". Franklin Banner-Tribune. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  2. ^ Suzanne E. Eckes (2002). Separate by design, unequal by mistake: the current barriers to educational integration in Delta County. University of Wisconsin—Madison. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
  3. ^ Wilson, Robert (April 2, 2000). "MPSA gives black school membership". Clarion Ledger. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
  4. ^ "First all-black team to play an MPSA game, in Pheba, Mississippi". August 19, 2000. p. 24 – via newspapers.com.
  5. ^ The Clarion-Ledger: Miss. sports group MPSA changes name; Archived at WebCite
  6. ^ "Changes to MAIS High School Athletics". July 31, 2019. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
  7. ^ "L.I.S.A., including Riverfield, joins Mississippi Association". The Richland Beacon-News. 10 October 1991. p. 9. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  8. ^ Joseph Crespino (2007). In Search of Another Country: Mississippi and the Conservative Counterrevolution. Princeton University Press. pp. 353–. ISBN 978-0-691-12209-0. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  9. ^ Kenneth T. Andrews (March 2002). "Movement-Countermovement Dynamics and the Emergence of New Institutions: The Case of "White Flight" Schools in Mississippi". Social Forces. 80 (3): 911–936. doi:10.1353/sof.2002.0001. JSTOR 3086461. S2CID 145679289.