Parents for School Options (PSO) firmly believes in a simple truth: parents know their children best. When families are trusted with the ability (and the resources) to choose the learning environment that fits their child, students thrive.

That belief is why PSO submitted the following letter to Mississippi lawmakers in support of the Education Freedom Act (House Bill 2).

As Mississippi lawmakers consider this important legislation, the state has an opportunity to continue its momentum in education reform. The Education Freedom Act shifts the focus from systems to students, ensuring that education funding follows the child and empowers families to make meaningful choices.

In the letter below, PSO Board Member Donishia Arso-Frison shares her personal experience how education freedom has allowed her family to find the right school fit academically, socially, and emotionally for her children. Her story reflects what we hear from families every day: one size does not fit all, and educational freedom changes lives.

We are grateful to Mississippi leaders for listening to parents and considering legislation that puts children first. We are proud to stand with families who are asking for options, flexibility, and trust.

Read the full letter submitted to Mississippi lawmakers below.

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January 12, 2026

Mr. Governor, Mr. Speaker, Chairman, Vice Chair, and Members of the Committee:

My name is Donishia Arso-Frison, and I serve on the Board of Directors for Parents for School Options (PSO). More importantly, I am a mom of two children who attend a school outside of the traditional district system in our home state of Louisiana. We are an example of how education freedom works in real life—not in theory.

PSO is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering families with educational choice. We support a network of state and local chapters across the country that provide resources, advocacy, and on-the-ground support for parents as they navigate Education Savings Accounts, vouchers, private school choice, microschools, homeschools, and other alternative learning models. While our reach extends nationally, our impact is felt most locally, where laws are implemented, and parents are directly affected.

Across the South, families are demanding the same thing: the ability to choose the learning environment that best fits their child. Too often, parents feel trapped, by a system designed to maintain the status quo, not what’s necessarily best for their child’s needs. House Bill 2 changes that by giving Mississippi parents access to real educational freedom through the Education Freedom Act.

While many Southern states are still debating how to put parents first, Mississippi is stepping out as a leader. You are signaling that you not only hear parents, you trust them. My family is living proof that trusting parents leads to positive results. My children are thriving academically socially and emotionally because I had the option to choose a non-traditional school that matched their needs.

When legislatures trust parents with the responsibility and the resources to direct their child’s education, the outcomes speak for themselves.

HB 2 puts Mississippi firmly in the camp of states that understand the future. It aligns policy with reality that each child and family is unique, and therefore education should not be one-size-fits all.

This bill ensures funding follows the child, not a building, bureaucracy, or system. It acknowledges parents as the primary stakeholders in their child’s success. And it honors the simple truth that there is nothing conservative, compassionate, or educationally sound about trapping kids in schools that don’t fit them.

Mississippi has already earned national attention for the “Mississippi Miracle” in literacy. HB 2 represents the next chapter of that leadership by moving from outcomes-based reform to family-driven access. Other states will take notice.

On behalf of the families we represent across the South, I strongly support HB 2 and encourage the Legislature to affirm that parents matter, children matter, and educational freedom matters. I would be honored to appear in person and speak to this committee. I live just two hours away in Louisiana and will gladly make the drive.

With respect and appreciation,
Donishia Arso-Frison
Board Member
Parents for School Options (PSO)

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