Arkansas Private School Reinstated After Abuse Scandal, With Founder Still Linked to Property

Tracy Morrison, the founder of The Delta Institute for the Developing Brain in Arkansas, was sentenced to 30 days in jail, 120 days of house arrest, and five years of probation after pleading guilty to permitting child abuse. The sentence follows an April 2025 incident in which Morrison directed students to choke, slap, and punch a 13-year-old classmate during a 40-minute session. The Arkansas Department of Education suspended Education Freedom Account (EFA) funding to the school immediately after the incident but reinstated payments two days later after Morrison resigned as head of the school and a new board was formed.

Morrison remains the registered agent for a private school at the same address, which has been renamed North Star Academy, though current staff deny her involvement. ProPublica obtained over 500 recordings of phone and video calls made by Morrison while she was incarcerated, showing she continued to direct school finances and administration. In these calls, Morrison referred to the abuse as a "restorative" technique and called the victim’s mother "evil."

One staff member, Kathrine Lipscomb, accepted a pre-trial diversion program involving probation and community service rather than a conviction. The Craighead County Sheriff’s Office had received prior reports of abuse, including allegations of waterboarding and children being taped together, before the April 2025 incident. A parent who complained about safety at Homestead Academy, another EFA-funded school, stated she was unaware the state had reinstated funding to that school until contacted by reporters.

The case highlights the minimal oversight governing Arkansas private schools, which are required only to maintain an American flag and conduct fire drills. State records indicate that the Education Department has intervened at only two schools during the three-year history of the EFA program, and has never permanently blocked a school from receiving public funds.

Despite the criminal conviction, Morrison’s occupational therapy license was surrendered, and she is prohibited from working with children during her probation. However, state business records confirm she retains ownership ties to the property where the school operates, raising questions about the accountability mechanisms within the state’s voucher system.