How much should a good education cost? How much is it worth? Well, in Louisiana, the answer is quite simple: it’ll be 465 dollars, please. That’s how much it costs a person who hasn’t done a day of learning in their life to buy a high school diploma from one of it’s religious unaccredited institutions. They should simply be called diploma mills, where the right price gets you the air of legitimacy.

There’s been a growing home schooling movement in the US ever since the outbreak of Covid-19. Religious organizations have been busy lobbying the state to drop any form of certification process, which means that if you open up a “private school”, which also has no real requirements for size, you can hand out diplomas without a “student” ever having to step into a classroom. All you need is a wallet and a heartbeat.

If that isn’t enough, these fake schools will also lie for you. For instance, you can have the diplomas backdated, so that it looks like you graduated in any year you wish. They will also put false information, like “approved by the Louisiana Board of Education”, even when this is a blatant lie. These schools advertise themselves on being “state-approved”, even when they aren’t.

Now you might be wondering what the state of Louisiana is doing to stop these obvious fraudsters. I’m glad you asked. Since Christians have been lobbying so heavily for the right to lie, the state has no power whatsoever to stop them. Lawmakers occasionally try to repeal laws that allow for this ludicrous insult to education, but as soon as they do, well funded lobby groups will ensure that these efforts are in vain.

At least two unapproved institutions have had abuse scandals, but the state Department of Education says it has no authority to do anything in response.

One of the most infamous is T.M. Landry in Breaux Bridge. A 2018 New York Times investigation found the school abused kids and made up transcripts to get students into Ivy League schools. It was still open as of last school year with 15 children, according to state records. Another unapproved school in Baton Rouge, Second Chance Academy, has come under scrutiny since its head teacher was arrested on charges of sexually abusing students.

Is that all you need to do to get away with abuse these days? Simply make sure that you’re unaccredited, and then you needn’t worry about pesky things like governmental oversight. Talk about perfect for religious organizations! No longer do you need to worry about police involvement when you abuse the children in your care. Who wouldn’t want to keep their flock stupid, uneducated, and primed for abuse?