Jackson Jambalaya

Mrs. Voyles is right. We need more mothers like her in America. Fuck your soft feelings if you disagree. You send your kids to private school (and pay many many thousands of dollars) so they can escape the human filth and animals that are plaguing public schools. Why would you pay lots of hard earned money to send your kids to a glorified public school? All in the name of football? JA won their championship. It’s time to end this whole ordeal and get back to being an academically superior school that has a mile long waitlist. Football just does not matter. It really doesn’t.

So, Eddie’s response to the email JA now claims was “racist”—and relies on as the focal point of its defense—was:

• Thanks and appreciation for sending it
• A commitment to addressing her concerns
• An admission that JA can do better
• Complete understanding of her feelings

Hmmm…

JA is the politician in a debate that slings mud at his opponent using half-truths and deception because he can't defend his record. It happens in politics but not in education. For a private school to use these slimy, immoral tactics against the Voyles or any other family is a disgrace. JA should be ashamed and embarrassed.

This whole situation is such a joke. The Voyles reek of entitlement and self-righteousness. It is laughable that they’re claiming JA is conducting a smear campaign when that is literally what they are also doing.

The Voyles need to simply move on. This is not a good look for them. No matter how you try and spin it, Mrs Voyles’ email is atrocious. Good luck to the next school they attend.

Does anyone care about what the Voyles kid "C.V" is suffering through? This kind of crap is what's leading young people to believe they can "sue" every corrupt bureacracy, every time they don't get their way. That's not the real world. This is all about the mother and father missing the opportunity to role-model for their son how to have the grit to get through when things don't go your way, and still succeed. You've got a Narcissistic "Mama/Papa Bear" showcasing their exaggerated sense of selves, while using their poor son - who likely just expressed as anyone would "it's just so unfair" that got this ball rolling. But now he's likely mortified by it all. Hang tough C.V.

The whole complaint is about the fact that their son who had been there all his life was most likely bumped off a starting position by a transfer who doesn’t pay any tuition. I understand their complaint but it’s a win at all costs mentality. South Panola moved parents into their district so the children could play. Jerrion Ealy at Prep, from Carthage, lived with a family in Jackson. MRA recruits two or three basketball players a year.
If a family has a child who comes to school say in the 4th grade and has been there 5 years I have no problem with that. Life is tough and the kids and parents better realize that just because you have been at a job 3 years your not entitled to become the president next year.

I hope the school disciplinary records and interviews with the teachers of the “student” athletes come out in discovery.

JA won their league title. They had what, 4-6 schools in their league? MAIS does not have a state footprint and therefore does not play for state championships.

Nothing about race was ever mentioned!!! So sick of the false race baiters. Culture is culture and you can just look at the news for examples of this. Some public s hooks are dangerous. That’s not limited to race alone though.

Shame on Jackson Academy and their lawyer for trying to make the Voyles look racist. You cherry pick a couple comments and made it look like it was the whole letter. She was basically describing how her high school experience was compared to Jason‘s wonderful experience of Jackson Academy.

Wow! You are looking even worse JA

If 100% of tuition paying JA parents were given a confidential survey and asked if they would be okay with non-tuition students being recruited for appearance purposes that were going to take away cheerleading positions, band awards, drama awards, art awards, journalism awards, debate awards, the Mr. JA award, the Miss JA award, most beautiful, class favorite, etc., etc., etc., could JA round up enough tools dumb enough to support this totaling even 5%?

If the meatheads running JA were stealing opportunities from enough of the student body, this wouldn’t be a discussion, would it?

I went to JA, had a kid graduate and have kids that go other schools. All of what she said is dead on. We experienced all of it! This whole thing is so sad. Where are the adults in the room?

She’s right you can’t be an elite private academic school and a top notch athletic program. Pick your poison. Smart money is on elite athletics and mediocre sports. .01% of JA, prep, MRA, Clinton, NWR, insert name here, students will be professional athletes. Sports used to be the “extra”curricular activity. For many sports are becoming the only activity. Parents choose the college savings account over the Yankees, Thunder, or Rush monthly fee. Only one of these has a guaranteed return.

This has gotten boring.

That's the Mississippi Way. "Racism" isn't in your face out loud.....it's the the machinations and innuendos that are perpetrated throughout the halls of power and those connected within the state that quietly whisper, "Not in my backyard....". Reconstruction never happened in Mississippi like it's surrounding states.

The Voyles should likely quit while their behind.

There’s no denying Voyles assertions in her letter. You can’t hide bigotry by disguising it as a concern of “culture”. We all know what she was saying.

DJAX circle is up and at ‘em early this morning. Don’t be late for carpool.

Upper middle class white bread slap fight. Rage on, northeast jacktown!

I hope this rehash wasn't the "Stay Tuned" teaser, what a rug pull. Thought maybe you'd tracked down the Madison bomber or something interesting...

They're, Einstein.

Surely do 7:16: "Recruiting last minute "athletes" to take the place of loyal, financially contributing students and families of many years is just plain shortsighted, STUPID, and wrong."

If my aunt had nuts she would be my uncle…

Atrocious for speaking the truth? You are the problem today 5:14!!

Go PREP!!

Whose positions did the new football/baseball transfers at Prep take this season?

Conflating the awful public school experience that she describes with the reality of Clinton High School is offensive enough for me to call BS. That is offensive to JA and Clinton (whose athletic programs may hate each other). I'm pretty sure that Clinton HS produces more perfect 36 ACT scores than JA.

7:33 hits it straiight on, but the meathead homers can't handle the truth.

You gotta love all of the JA pro-recruit to win pre-tend championships HYPOCRITES like 7:13 AM playing the RACE CARD since they can’t win the debate on merits.
Wonder how many of these JA hypocrites live in Jackson, not behind gates, and right up in the middle of the inner city, maybe the Bailey Ave corridoor?

And the big JOKE QUESTIONS we all know the answer to is: why are they even sending their privileged kiddos to a use to be elite private school in the first place? If everybody is so equal, if neighbors don’t matter, if crime is not real, then why do these JA RACE CARD playing HYPOCRITES not get the best deal on a home possible, live right next door to the people they pretend to love, and save those $$$’s by sending their babies to the public schools?

She's not wrong. We need to compare enrollment numbers from this year to next. I know of multiple JA families moving their kids over this. If the surrounding area doesn't do it in, things like this will be the downfall of JA.

No dog in this hunt, but to the people (Mrs. Voyles included) who claim you can’t have a top tier academic and athletic educational institution, you really need to venture out beyond the NE Jackson bubble. Steady yourselves as this may come as a shock to most of you, but it’s a big world out there beyond Oxford and Starkville. There are numerous high level academic/athletic educational institutions scattered around the U.S., specifically in the Northeast, California, and Florida. I’m not intending to cast our area private schools into that bucket, but to claim otherwise is simply narrow minded and ignorant.

This is stereotypical "rich people who have never been told no" conflating wealth with power. They certainly have the right to disagree with JA's decisions, policies, admissions criteria, etc. They do not have the right to force JA to open up their books, enrollment and student records, etc. for parental inspection simply because they're upset little Timmy lost his spot on the football team. That's absurd. If they don't like the policies, they are free to send their kids elsewhere. I'm glad the school didn't capitulate to their tantrum.

This lawsuit is the two worst people you know having an argument in public.

What has quite a few people ticked off is the school is seen as taking whatever problems they have with the parents on the kid. That's probably the most common complaint I hear about this story.

No dog in this hunt ... is simply narrow minded and ignorant.

No dog in the hunt but you felt compelled to interject that your thoughts on the matter are definitive and superior.

Concur, strongly! Bad look for JA.

Two things can be true at the same time. It is true that JA's use of booster funds to cover the tuition of athletes is out of control, that this act potentially violates MAIS rules, and that the MAIS should bear some fault for allowing this happen. When the MAIS backed off Hartfield's blatant violations, it gave the green light
to JA to go full steam ahead.

It is also true that Voyles' email is wildly racist, and that JA probably had a legal basis to dismiss the young man under the enrollment contract.

Both sides here need to come to a a divorce settlement and move on.

Donors (parents) that can stroke a check for a few million aren't everywhere even at JA, so they'll need to cultivate a few more.

Their best hope could be the athletes headed to the big NILs and lucrative NFL careers. Just be sure they remember all that JA did for them and theirs. It won't be long until these folks and their grateful families can be the replacement loyal donor and enrollment base for JA!

To be fair, even some of the best people in Jackson don't have much experience or knowledge about with the kind of schools or educational culture that you describe.

It's not really something you learn about unless you leave the Mississippi bubble. Which they typically don't.

Going to Disney World or Disney World doesn't count.

Bold move by JA. If I had private school money, which I don't, there is no way I would send them to JA.

The school has demonstrated it will resort to the fabricated racism accusations just to defend its need to win at sports?

I don't know the Voyles personally and while I do enjoy sports and agree there is value to team work and lessons in responsibility...I think I would pick St Andrews instead and just avoid these private school athletic novelas entirely.

A few thoughts.

1. The Voyles email was poorly written. Never send an email, especially in a contentious situation like this, that you would not want public because it very well could end up in the public forum.

2. It is a big assumption that items stolen are being taken by the new athletes. I've heard enough complaints from Pinelake Academy about non-athletic kids stealing from other kids, and it being covered up. I promise you the rest of the kids there are not all angels.

3. Also, a big assumption that all athletes from Clinton, Jackson, and elsewhere are poor trouble makers. Some might come from lower income families and be wonderful kids of character. Their parents may be well off, but did not want to write a check for $25k a year when they could just as good an education for free. Or they could be poor, degenerate thugs. You probably have a mix of all those, just like every other school.

4. It doesn't sound like any of them are there on scholarships through the school. If Billy and Bob decided to write checks for someone else's kid and pay their tuition, that is their decision. Unless there is a school rule that says the student's tuition can only be paid by a family member, then it's a non-issue as far as the school is concerned. And if they are eligible to play according to MAIS rules, then again, the coach is going to play the best kid.

The mom is just part of the 39211 elite class pure and simple. You let a few black kids in she goes crazy. These people don't want to admit it but they are racists. They come are from the old blood line in Jackson who established these schools so they didn't have to go to school with blacks or poor people. The one thing that gets me though is I have never heard any of these schools Prep, JA, MRA apologize for being racist bafoons back in the day.

As a JA parent, I appreciate the Voyles for exposing JA for having made an extremely wise decision in hiring Eddie as the HOS. His email reply to her baseless, unsubstantiated ramblings was about as respectful and professional as one could be. I don’t know how anyone could read that and think otherwise. He said he would investigate her claims and asked for time to do so. I guess Jason thought two weeks was long enough before creating his PDF.

"If the meatheads running JA were stealing opportunities from enough of the student body, this wouldn’t be a discussion, would it?"

This is the truth.

February 6, 2026 at 8:25 AM
Way to intentially misconstrue the dialog. This is about Mississippi not the entire country. Wonder if you're in JA administration.

Academics were so important to this family that the sent CV to Tri County where they knew he could play on the baseball team.

Funny that it was ok for DJAX players that didn’t look like CV to enroll in JA but when they came from other teams it wasn’t ok.

I remember one of the reasons for the establishment of segregation academies in the first place was to give White students a better opportunity to participate in football and basketball because back then (1970) football and basketball were the main high school sports. The belief by parents was those sports in integrated public schools would be dominated by Black students.

It seems JA has made it clear what is more important to them.
Recruits and sports trophies.
What remains to be seen is if the tuition paying parents will accept this new trajectory or find different educational institutions to contribute to financially.
To each their own.

Hi Kingfish, I don’t think the school wanted to kick the child out, but having him there would mean having the parents there. Which means ongoing friction, etc. The parents must have thought the school wouldn’t make this decision. Whether or not the school kept him enrolled, at some point, it seems, we’d be right back to where we are now. Hearing it/seeing it/reading this current blog lol….

If you have the money and academics are important to you, then you send your kid to St. Andrews. It might be hard for a kid to adjust after spending years at JA though.

I too am a JA alum (91') and had some really great years there and also sent my kids to Jackson Prep , it was the best decision I ever made. This is truly embarrassing for all parties involved. Jackson Academy has never been the same since Peter Jernberg left ....................................

They just think they're upper middle class white bread.

They're really great value white bread!

JA should have a system of "affirmative action" or a quota system which protects certain slots on the sports teams for whites who may need a "leg up" to compete with the black athletes. This would at least temporarily solve the problem of whites having less chances to play. It may be cumbersome but effective, especially if done discreetly.

KF is right. This is about the " kid".
And, despite what some of you think, Jackson Academy and Prep and St. Andrews have students whose parents live in CCJ or Eastover or Fondren or LOHO or the Old Canton Road and Meadowbrook road neighborhoods. We pay the property taxes. Some of us vote or hold public office as Republicans.
And, while some of us benefitted from our parents hard work, most of us earned the money we have. We did well at school and at universities and started our own professional careers.
Biting the hands that pays the most taxes is not smart. You might be welcomed at campaign rallies, but you will not make more money or have more clout. And some of us travel enough to know all cities ebb and flow. Richmond and Atlanta and Raleigh and Birmingham and Houston neighborhoods all survived suburbia and are still the most expensive residential areas in those states. One big reason is how well those homes were built.

Truly shameful that JA chooses football over the safety of their children. Never sending my kids there.

The parents "used" their child to express THEIR grievances, THAT is the real story Fish. The school has no relationship with the parents except that they pay the bill. If they didn't like the service, then go somewhere else. End of story.

If my son went to work at Wendy's, and I didn't like how they scheduled him, and how they recruited/hired other folks to work on better shifts even while he's been there longer - for whatever reason - it would be ludicrus for me to sue Wendy's. They would most certainly fire my son very quickly to "settle" the dispute by severing any relationship with them. And my son would likely be mortified by it all. The Voyles are embarrassing themselves.

@9:06 You obviously haven’t spent any time at the school. There is way more to JA than just sports. Thousands of kids and families thrive there. Most of which are very pleased with their experience, as we are. Only the sports obsessed people are making an issue over this. The Voyles do not speak for us, nor do they speak for the vast majority of families at JA. They decided to make themselves the central focus at the school, at the expense of everyone else who goes there and works there. I’m sure they didn’t venture far out of their elitist bubble when they “surveyed” other parents displeased with JA. I bet they only talked to the ones that attend their exclusive social clubs, and thus think like they do. There are so many wonderful teachers and coaches at that school who are dedicated to serving and making an impact in the lives of their students. They are doing a wonderful job only to be dismissed and smeared by these people. It’s truly disgusting and shameful. I’m proud of Eddie for the stand he took. He is a wonderful person and Headmaster, along with the rest of the administration and staff there. Like Palmer told her, if you aren’t happy here you are welcome to leave. I wish they would have taken that advice. Instead, she decided to stay and be miserable and then try to make everyone else miserable. Good riddance.

9:39: Fair point.

How dare JA use Voyles own racist words to show her racist intent. Not fair. We are not rednecks here! Even in Philadelphia we know such language is not meant for public scrutiny. The e-mail was meant to be private, whispered among discrete white elites not shouted from the rooftops. We are appalled!

Public fight over private academy football. There are no winners in this.
Some people need a grasp of real life problems.

Wonder why JA fired their Offensive Coordinator yesterday? Timing is interesting.

A big fish in a small pond is still a big fish and all the winning players still get their conference championship participation trophies. They'll lord it over people for the next 50 years!

@9:39 JA is not a for profit business as is the Wendy’s example you mentioned. Assuming JA is a nonprofit corporation governed by a board of trustees, those trustees have an obligation to the tuition payers, not meathead coaches.

This is not rocket science. You either think its ok to recruit non-tuition paying students to steal ALL of athletic positions, all of the cheerleading positions, band awards, drama awards, art awards, journalism awards, debate awards, the Mr. JA award, the Miss JA award, the most beautiful awards, class favorite awards, etc., etc., etc.,…..from the children of the tuition paying parents the board of trustees is supposed to be looking out for, or you do not.

This is an integrity “do unto others as you would have them do unto to you” issue. And you can’t get a little bit pregnant.

Man, I sure wish we had some school choice to fix all this!

9:39- Repeat this statement for a public high school and see if it makes sense to the extent that the school has no significant relationship with the parents of their students other than at a monetary level.

Now project a similar statement upon the backers of school choice and charter high schools.

It makes little sense on a number of levels.

Particularily when most of the students at any high school school are minors.

8:57 You sound like someone who has actually given this matter more than five seconds of rational thought. You must be from out of state.

It's a perfect microcosm of Jackson's finest though.
Sounds like it might be a good made for streaming movie plot too.

Just need to use some writer's license and add in some side squeeze revelations and or pronoun dramas to spice up the situational dialog.

I appreciate JA's efforts to enter the national mainstream of private education. Academic AND athletic success is an integral part of the well-financed private schools outside Mississippi. Some schools can afford it, many cannot, but in this state JA can. But it is a fight against Mississippi's past that JA has chosen and it will not be easy. It is ironic that the latest voice of doom and gloom is from Philadelphia MS. A real link to the past. In spite of the good ole boys warnings of doom Ole Miss has only recently taken a spot on the national scene that other Southern schools have long ago occupied. Go forward JA, it can be done but it will be a tough fight. In Mississippi the past is never past.

What eventually will happen is that the Voyles are so politically connected there will be some legislation passed that will stop all of this. Stay Tuned!

I have a feeling JA is about to start losing that old money, along with paying parents who will look elsewhere for their kids.

It is a "Private" school, just like a private business, you can choose who you want to provide services for. A restaurant can deny you service, so can a school. Move on Voyles, you are beginning to look like fools. JA do better. Same goes to MRA.

10:07 You will not find anywhere, and certainly not at JA where recruits "steal all' of the athletic positions, cheerleading, academic slots, chess team, etc. It is your exaggeration and unreasoned fear mongering that makes a reasonable improvement in athletic performance through even the most "selective recruitment" impossible. A few athletically gifted students who meet the academic requirements will not destroy an otherwise strong academic institution. They will however alarm the privileged and the competition.

@9:39…Hi Carolyn! Racist much? Seek therapy, please. You're embarrassing yourself.

Meant for 10:07 not 9:39.

Since JA files a 990 there might possibly be some compliance issues, including whether the organization's purpose is being supported with the organization's actions.

There might also be some governance issues.

10:48 That is what most of these critics of JA really want. They hated JA before any of this happened and they hope this will be the disaster that destroys their enemy. Don't be deceived by their self-righteous bullshit.

I’m not sure what the schools have to apologize for considering most of the folks involved weren’t even born yet “back in the day”.

I am slightly embarrassed to admit it but I just finished reading all 70+ pages. Those of you saying Carolyn is racist should spend the time actually read the documents.

Credit to JA's lawyers - they successfully shifted the focus on race when race doesn't have anything to do with the case. Yes, it is true that JA chose to exploit, I mean recruit primarily black athletes but their race is not relevant to the lawsuit. Replace all of the black recruits with white recruits. Nothing in the lawsuit changes. Nothing.

The lawsuit is really about a good kid getting kicked out of JA because the dad unintentionally embarrassed the school.

JA's lawyers want you to believe the Voyles were aggressive and hostile towards school staff/board and demanded to get their way. The documents prove these allegations are false. Go read them.

Also found it interesting that this entire lawsuit could have been avoided if JA would agree to allow a confidential audit of public school transfer tuition. Seems this would have been better for both sides.

@11:00 15 is not "a few". Nice try though. It is a fact that JA brought in 15 public school high school athletes this year alone. That is absurd and indefensible.

People that go to private schools are weak people!

Ma Voyles is racist, but JA recruits ringers and isn't? Yeah. Right.

"The Voyles should likely quit while their behind." 7:13, you take the prize. The thing about this whole PRIVATE SCHOOL brouhaha, which eclipses all other issues, for me, is how unbelievably-badly everybody writes. The School, the Voyles, those commenting... Nobody (except a few out-of-state posters, here) can write intelligibly. Not only would my HR fail to vet your hiring, but you'd have never made it into the development pipeline leading to your even being CONSIDERED for a position.

I used to think that it was individuals' inability to mask heavy Southern accents, which kept people trapped in Mississippi (once Dallas and Atlanta ceased to be Southern). Now, though, I see that there are other factors.

Carolyn, why do you even live here? Just take your money and live in Jackson Hole. It’s not like you have to work for a living!

Wait a minute!!!

Shay got fired.

I don't personally know the Voyles and am glad I don't. However, as a parent with several JA kids, I say good riddance to them. They created this situation for themselves and their child. Years from now, the only thing people will remember about the Voyles' child is that his parents sued JA and got thumped, and he was dismissed from the school. Sadly, nothing more.

I wholeheartedly agree with 8:58 about Eddie. He handled the situation with the Voyles with grace and restraint. Much more than I would have shown to the Voyles.

How many public school transfers did not or will not have a starting position in the sport they play at JA? Zero. They wouldn't transfer unless they knew they would get a starting position. That is reason #832 why recruiting non tuition paying public school athletes to the detriment of those paying the bills is not a smart or sustainable strategy.

If you have an issue with recruiting, you should have chosen a better mate or spent more time with your children in sports. I not once had my spot taken on any sports team from a kid recruited into my school. My father had a fierce regimen growing up of sports, agility training, and proper nutrition. I was disciplined for B’a or worse via food withheld, half marathons I had to lunge, and countless hours of bows and toes. I’m grateful every day for the alpha dad I had. My therapist has made me understand what my loving father was instilling into his young man.

@11:00 and you won’t find @10:07 where it was stated that JA recruits "steal all' of the athletic positions cheerleading, academic slots, chess team, etc. What you will find is:

“You either think its ok to recruit non-tuition paying students to steal ALL of (the) athletic positions, all of the cheerleading positions, band awards, drama awards, art awards, journalism awards, debate awards, the Mr. JA award, the Miss JA award, the most beautiful awards, class favorite awards, etc., etc., etc.,…..from the children of the tuition paying parents the board of trustees is supposed to be looking out for, or you do not.”

Now, we all know the meathead coaches and those so-called running JA can do the math and will never recruit too much; because they know they will find their sorry a____s out on the street looking for a job. So, they will steal juuusssst enough opportunities to keep from upsetting too many of the tuition paying parents. Juuusssst enough so the other parents will think “it’s not affecting my kiddo.”

Steal from 7 or steal from 70; it is still stealing…..and you can’t get a little bit pregnant.

You see this guy right here! This is what it’s about guys! Mental toughness. If you come from a good family you have no excuse not to excel. Fuck your feelings and get to work. You gotta work your ass off night and day then you kick some ass!

Did JA fire Shay Hodge, or did he leave on his own to take another job? This is not a rhetorical question. I really don't know the answer.

Racists are gonna racist and Philadelphia, MS is gonna Philadelphia, MS. That is all.

Dude the reason you are in therapy now is because of your alpha dad. Find another therapist!

Yea “this is what it’s about” - be “grateful every day for the alpha dad” – that “withheld food” – so says the therapist.

Ahhhhh - meathead coach satire?

@2:06 What do you mean stealing? A position on a damn football team does not belong to your kid because you were there first. If the kid from JA transfers to Prep and moves last year's starting center did he "steal" something? Does "stealing" only apply to a certain segment of society? Watch when you call someone a thief or use the term "ALL" because it fits your emotions but not the facts.