The Mississippi Association of Independent Schools (MAIS) is a consortium of schools in Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas. It is responsible for accreditation of its member private schools as well as governing athletic competition for its member schools.
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The organization 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. Many of those schools no longer exist and many today have minorities enrolled and are accredited by other bodies such as the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. In July 2009, the organization changed its name to the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools.
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. Sociologist Kenneth Andrews says that the MPSA built "on the earlier foundation of the Citizens' Council and the Council School Foundation."