At a rally in Keota, Iowa Tuesday, Democratic presidential candidate Hilary Clinton said the following:

“Now, I wouldn’t keep any school open that wasn’t doing a better-than-average job.  If a school’s not doing a good job, then, y’know, that may not be good for the kids.”

Her statement has been discussed widely in the media, with some extrapolating that she intends to close half of America’s schools, as seen in the Daily Mail. Others, such as Philip Bump in the Washington Post, have taken it to statistical extremes.

In Mississippi, where many of our schools are performing below national average, we take comments like these seriously. Mountains of statistical data draw strong correlations between school performance and the community’s economic situation, so we’re always the whipping children for politicians. When candidates introduce sweeping plans to “fix bad schools” while ignoring factors such as poverty and background, it doesn’t just raise our eyebrows in Mississippi; it raises our blood pressure.

Upon further investigation, however, it does not appear Clinton has a new plan to close schools.  From Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post:

No, Hillary Clinton didn’t say she wants to close most U.S. schools. Here’s what she actually said.

James Comans is an 8th grade science teacher in Southaven and contributor to MSEdBlog. His views are his own and do not represent the views of any other entity.