Talk:Canton Academy

Edits February 2019

Hello Cantonacademy, welcome to Wikipedia. Substantial changes to an article, including removal of all references but one should be discussed on this page first. You would be well advised to review your user name, as it implies connection with the subject of this article -- and the only topic you have edited WP:SPA. Rhadow (talk) 17:31, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Hello Cantonacademy, first was a suggestion. Then you edited a second time in what is known as edit sparring. A third time is an edit war and you will lose the ability to edit. Rhadow (talk) 22:25, 20 February 2019 (UTC)

Now an IP editor 174.126.213.6 has jumped in. Canton Academy meets the definition of a Segregation Academy, founded between 1954 and 1976 and specifically mentioned in Coffey v. State Educational Finance Commission (Appendix A), "4 - No Negro pupils enrolled in the private school," and "5 - No Negro pupils would be admitted to the private school." While this may be offensive to school supporters and may be to the readership at large, it is referenced material and should stay. Recurring and unhelpful edits make page protection necessary. Rhadow (talk) 11:33, 21 February 2019 (UTC)

Yes, the problem is, this is what makes the school notable, so I don't feel we can downplay it. --Aquillion (talk) 17:02, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

Editing the tag line and TYPE

Here is a discussion I have been having: I am not trying to get tagged as a vandal. I am trying to update the schools tag lines. After reviewing wikipedias policy, as long as I am trying to have a civil discussion with the sites editors I cannot be banned or tagged as vandalism. I am not altering the schools history. I feel it's disingenuous of you to continually revert to 50 year old tag line especially of a program you have no knowledge of. What is the problem with identifying the school as " A Christian based private school in central Mississippi serving 280 students"? Let's discuss this ~2026-22904-71 (talk) 19:16, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

There's nothing wrong with it. The issue is that you're removing the part about it being founded as a segregated school. EvergreenFir (talk) 22:01, 27 April 2026 (UTC)

So If I use " A Christian based private school in Canton, Mississippi serving 280 students originally founded as a segregated school now fully integrated to match national demographics." Is that acceptable? The "Type" continues to be reverted. It hasn't been a segregation academy in 30 years. Why can that not be changed to Private or Christian? Again, I understand the need to keep the History as is. That is history. It can not be changed but the school itself has changed and the negative visual is only keeping the divide not unifying. While I have you as well, How is it that so many different editors are reverting it. I could understand 1 or 2 having feelings one way or another but there have been 15 different editors reverting to the same "OLD" information? ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 16:41, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

That sentence would seem much more acceptable to me. Use the talk page to see what others think. EvergreenFir (talk)

Is this an acceptable tag line for the school? I would really like to stop with the editing battle. Thank you all for your input ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 17:12, 28 April 2026 (UTC)

It's foundational. The reason Canton Academy even came to exist is because it is a Segregation academy. The reason Canton Academy came to be notable is because it is a segregation academy. They can do better - are doing better, but the reason for its creation and its notability cannot be erased. It cannot un-become a segregation academy, no more than David Berkowitz can un-become a murderer. — Jacona (talk) 12:13, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

AGAIN! I'M NOT CHANGING THE HISTORY. The reason for its creation is in the history section but that doesn't mean It can't/didn't improve. I am changing the tag line to it's purpose today. Coca-Cola was founded using drugs but it's tag line isn't "a cocaine based drink that masks pain and hooks millions on narcotics" Things change. Do you want to be known by the worst thing you ever did? Also, to liken the school to a serial killer is completely out of line and unconscionable and you should remove that. ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 14:56, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

What's the source for the school now "[matching] national demographics"? InfernoHues (talk) 15:54, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

census.gov

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States

shows national demographics of white 75% and black 13%

https://www.niche.com/k12/canton-academy-canton-ms/students shows the demographics of CA to be White 77.2% Unknown 12.9% African American 7.7%. So, the school is "matching" national demographics. ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 17:17, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

Connecting two sets of data (independent of any reliable source doing such) to have the article say that the school is no longer segregated is pretty much the textbook definition of original research. Crystalespeon (talk) 19:14, 1 May 2026 (UTC)

Anyone object to me making the following two changes? If they're not still segregated these do seem inaccurate:

Infobox:

−

type = Segregation Academy<br />Private

+

type = [[Private school|Private]]

Short description:

−

Segregation academy in Mississippi, United States

+

Private school in Mississippi, United States

--tony 15:56, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

Fine by me. InfernoHues (talk) 15:58, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

I've made this change now, but anyone is free to revert. tony 17:21, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

census.gov

U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: United States

shows national demographics of white 75% and black 13%

https://www.niche.com/k12/canton-academy-canton-ms/students shows the demographics of CA to be White 77.2% Unknown 12.9% African American 7.7%. So, the school is "matching" national demographics. ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 17:17, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

TAG lines

Given the above information, I come to the decision makers of this site to ask. Can we change the tag line to "A Christian based private school in Canton, Mississippi serving 330 students originally founded as a segregated school now integrated to mirror national demographics.? ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 17:21, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

Adding "to mirror national demographics" without a reliable secondary source stating that fact is original research which isn't allowed in articles. It's fine to state that it's integrated now and include a sourced blurb with the demographics as of a specific date. Daniel Quinlan (talk) 23:13, 29 April 2026 (UTC)

If we're going to bring up wider demographics, it would only seem natural that we include the demographics of Canton, Mississippi itself, rather than "national demographics". I'm not sure why we would compare to the national demographics rather than those of the town the school is in. tony 00:40, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Based on the article for the town, it's 73% black, 16% white. The TA said above that the schools demographics are "White 77.2% Unknown 12.9% African American 7.7%." The school demographic still seems skewed. InfernoHues (talk) 01:07, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Revert Back to Original Version?

I know I supported the change from segregation academy to private school above, but I've done a little bit more reading, and I'd like to change it back to the original. Our article on segregation academies refers to them in the present tense, and so do a lot of articles I've looked at online. Example: . This other article, despite the headline, also refers to them in the present tense, and mentions Canton specifically: .

There's also been a longstanding effort to whitewash the article. Diff examples: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8.

Given all this, I think the lead should be changed back to the long-standing "segregation academy" version.

Pinging all participants above: TonySt, Daniel Quinlan, Jacona, EvergreenFir, ~2026-22904-71, @~2026-21861-90. InfernoHues (talk) 02:11, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Adding ping for Aquillion, who I forgot originally. InfernoHues (talk) 02:24, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

No objections from me. It would be good to include those references and maybe a wikilink to segregation academy as well. tony 02:19, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

After reading the references you listed I don't feel comfortable with my change away from the status quo. I self-undid and included the Huffpo reference which describes it as a segregation academy. tony 02:59, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I don't think that approach (edit to clarify: specifically, reviewing another article or looking at the article history Daniel Quinlan (talk) 03:02, 30 April 2026 (UTC)) is consistent with our policies and guidelines. Wikipedia and past Wikipedia edits aren't reliable sources. The article should be based on reliable sources. If reliable sources refer to the current schools that were founded as "segregation academies" as "segregation academies" today then the article should use that term, and if they use "former segregation academies" or similar phrasings, then the article should reflect that instead. Ideally, we would have a reliable source or two that's specific to this particular academy.

Regardless of which term is used based on reliable sources, I think it would be informative to include the demographics of the area (ideally, the demographics for a similar age range) in the demographics section of the article. Daniel Quinlan (talk) 02:56, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

To be clear, the ProPublica source is fine, but I'd prefer a source that mentions this specific school. The Huffington Post article isn't one I'd use based on WP:HUFFPOLITICS. Daniel Quinlan (talk) 03:00, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Maybe this existing Daily Mississippian source would be more appropriate. --tony 03:07, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Found another one here that refers to academies in general: https://www.teenvogue.com/story/segregation-academies-south-taxpayer-dollars. I couldn't find anything besides the HuffPost one that refers to this specific school. InfernoHues (talk) 03:09, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Also, just for clarity, I know that Wikipedia articles and edits can't be used as sources. I was just trying to provide context. I also agree HuffPost isn't the best source, but I included it to show that at least someone had referred to this specific school. InfernoHues (talk) 03:14, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

• Yeah, like I said above, it's a big part of Canton Academy's notability. --— Preceding unsigned comment added by Aquillion (talk • contribs) 2:32, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

InfernoHues, I agree. The subject is WP:N primarily because it is a Segregation academy. Barack Obama is still referred to as President Obama, Derek Chauvin as a police officer and murderer, and the schools that were founded to provide White people a place to have a Black-free education are still referred to as Segregation academies. It is certainly appropriate to devote space to the current demographics of the school, but the circumstances of its creation are still its primary reason for notability. — Jacona (talk) 17:56, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

This LLM-generated text has been collapsed and should be excluded from assessments of consensus.

The following discussion has been closed. Please do not modify it.

To continue labeling this institution as a “segregation academy” fails to account for its present-day mission, policies, demographics, and values. While historical origins should never be forgotten, institutions must also be evaluated by what they are today, not solely by what they may have been generations ago.

A more accurate and responsible description of this school is that it is a private Christian academy that has evolved beyond its historical context into an educational institution focused on faith, academic rigor, and parental choice. The school’s present mission is centered on providing families with an educational alternative rooted in academic expectations, faith formation, and parental choice. Families increasingly seek alternatives to public school systems they perceive as overly focused on standardized testing requirements rather than mastery-based learning, individualized instruction, and character development.

— Preceding unsigned comment added by ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 13:57, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Please don't use LLMs to respond for you, see WP:NOLLM. InfernoHues (talk) 14:59, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm at a loss. That was the most eloquent way of saying what needed to be said. All of you "admins" have no skin in the game. You're congratulating yourselves on kicking a small school under the guise of being correct. However it started, It's something different now but you guys don't care to know. Do what you want. pop the champagne for "winning" your little battle. Continue to use your little bit of power to divide. Canton Academy will continue to Nurture hearts and challenge minds. ~2026-22904-71 (talk) 16:38, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I'm not an admin. Are you associated with Canton Academy in any way? InfernoHues (talk) 16:45, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I am not. I teach at a completely different school in a different district ~2026-22904-71 (talk) 18:20, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

Did you use AI for this? Yes or no. Gnomingstuff (talk) 23:55, 8 May 2026 (UTC)

I'm not sure this was LLM-generated. I'm usually the first to hat but I think this is probably human-written. tony 17:15, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I think it has a good amount of AI signs, such as WP:RO3. I could be wrong of course and will self-revert if someone requests that. InfernoHues (talk) 17:32, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

References

You win

I'm at a loss. That was the most eloquent way of saying what needed to be said. All of you "admins" have no skin in the game. You're congratulating yourselves on kicking a small school under the guise of being correct. However it started, It's something different now but you guys don't care to know. Do what you want. pop the champagne for "winning" your little battle. Continue to use your little bit of power to divide. Canton Academy will continue to Nurture hearts and challenge minds. ~2026-22904-71 (talk) 16:38, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

~2026-22904-71, just as a note, I'm not an admin. You appear to be closely associated with the school and are trying to do PR work for the school, rather than improve the encyclopedia. Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not your school webpage. Use that to brag about how greatly inclusive you are today. Perhaps that will attract attention, reliable sources will take note, and it will eventually make its way back into the article.Jacona (talk) 18:04, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I am not related to the school in any way. As a matter of fact, I teach at a completely different school in a different district. So, continue your power trip ~2026-22904-71 (talk) 18:19, 30 April 2026 (UTC)

I have done some research on the segregation academies in Mississippi from Wikipedia. Segregation academy. There are 57 schools listed in the encyclopedia as such. 7 have closed, 12 have no Wikipedia page. That leaves 38 schools. Of these 14 have been allowed to change their tag line to include the mission as of today while including the statement of being formed originally as a segregation school while 8 have no tag at all of being a segregation academy. I also checked the view history and talk pages of the 15 schools that have the tag line "School is a private school in City, Mississippi, which was established in 1970 to formally preserve racial segregation in schools." Guess who is a common denominator that reverts anyone trying to update. Jacona. Why the hatred? "A Christian based private school in Canton, Mississippi serving 330 students originally founded as a segregated school now integrated to mirror national demographics." is a perfectly unbias and updated tag line. I'd like to be unbanned and allowed to change it . I am not related to the school in any way. As a matter of fact, I teach at a completely different school in a different district. tony Aquillion TonySt, Daniel Quinlan, Jacona, EvergreenFir ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 18:42, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

Articles are based on reliable sources, not permission being granted or denied for the subject of an article to change the content based on how they want to be described. And failing to assume good faith on the part of another editor, without any evidence of disruptive behavior, is not helping your argument. Finally, you are not blocked. The article is semi-protected which means only established and registered users are able to make changes. If you want to make a case to change the article, you will need to provide reliable sources that support the change you want to make. Daniel Quinlan (talk) 19:46, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

It cannot un-become a segregation academy, no more than David Berkowitz can un-become a murderer. — Wikipedia is an encyclopedia, not your school webpage. Use that to brag about how greatly inclusive you are today. [added template to make it clear this is a quotation Daniel Quinlan (talk)] Both of these are quotes from the other editor. How is that good faith? I have provided reliable sources and I am blocked from registering as an editor ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 20:10, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

I don't think Use that to brag about how greatly inclusive you are today. is in keeping with the civility policy, but that isn't a license to escalate and violate policies and guidelines in response. If you are blocked from registering an account due to your IP address or another reason, you can make a request at Wikipedia:Request an account. Daniel Quinlan (talk) 20:36, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

Your statement that the school is "...now integrated to mirror national demographics" is WP:Original research. In any case, it makes much more sense to compare to the town demographics, not national. The school does not mirror the town demographics at all, and is still heavily skewed.

Either way, it's really weird to call this "hatred" by Jacona. InfernoHues (talk) 23:48, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

InfernoHues, I agree. I would also point out that it is disingenous to compare a school whose population we can assume is derived from the local population to national, rather than local demographics. While I try to assume that the edits are made in good faith, these edits appear to be an attempt at promoting the school via whitewashing. — Jacona (talk) 13:43, 5 May 2026 (UTC)

Also, I just checked a bunch of Mississippi segregation academy articles, and they're all described as such. I didn't see any that weren't called that. I don't have an issue with adding in the school's slogan, my issue is with the removal of lead text. InfernoHues (talk) 23:52, 4 May 2026 (UTC)

TonySt,Daniel Quinlan (talk),InfernoHues (talk)" A Christian based private school in Canton, Mississippi serving 330 students k-3 through 12th grade .originally founded as a segregated school" Is this acceptable? There is nothing promotional about it, the history stays the same and no whitewashing being done. These are on the Wikipedia page Segregation academy yet have no refernce to being such in the tag line. Bayou Academy is a non-profit school located in unincorporated Bolivar County, Mississippi, near the City of Cleveland on Highway 8. The school serves about 500 students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12. The school is accredited by the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools. Delta Academy is a private school in Marks, Mississippi, United States serving about 154 students with a student-teacher ratio of 9:1. It offers a basic academic curriculum aimed at both college-bound students and those entering the workforce. It serves K-12, with elementary school, junior high school, and high school.Madison-Ridgeland Academy (MRA, Madison-Ridgeland) is a private, co-educational school in Madison, Mississippi, for students from K-3 through 12th grade. There are 4 divisions; the Kindergarten (K3-K5), the Elementary (1st–5th grade), the Middle School (6th–8th grade), and the High School (9th–12th). That is 3 of the 8 that don't have any connection to segregation schools in the tag line. ~2026-21861-90 (talk) 16:34, 5 May 2026 (UTC)

Sounds like those should be changed then, most modern articles I've seen still refer to these schools as segregation academies in present tense. InfernoHues (talk) 23:14, 5 May 2026 (UTC)