ProPublica Journalists Successfully Establish Private Schools with Minimal Oversight in Three States
ProPublica reporters, in collaboration with local journalists, successfully established private schools in Arkansas, West Virginia, and North Carolina with surprising ease, highlighting a lack of stringent oversight in these states. In Arkansas, the process involved a few clicks on the Secretary of State's website, a $45 fee, and purchasing an American flag. No questions were asked about the founders' backgrounds or qualifications, nor about the curriculum or student learning assessment. In West Virginia, a handwritten notice of intent and a college transcript were sufficient to establish a microschool, bypassing building health and safety requirements. In North Carolina, journalists filed an online notice of intent from a brewery, using the brewery's fire and sanitation inspections, though they later encountered a snag requiring school-specific inspections. This experiment was conducted to demonstrate how easily individuals, some with questionable backgrounds, can open private schools, often in unconventi...
