Could child labor laws that governors in states like Arkansas, Missouri, and Iowa are passing be required in public education? Could it become one more brick in the wall of Christian nationalism?
Here’s one-way child labor and public education could go.
The supreme court recently ruled that an employer can sue people who strike. With that in mind, there are bills being written to make public schools require students to participate in the workforce under the guise of career development. This would apply to public schools only and not private schools.
If parents do not allow their children to operate within those workforce requirements for school, they cannot attend public school. But you would be truant if you can’t attend public school, meaning the student would be considered willfully absent.
Forced Child Labor
This could open the door to forced child labor. In other words, if you don’t want your kid to participate in workforce requirements as part of their public school education, then the child would be forced to work.
When you attempt to take your child out of school, negatively affecting a workplace, and then say your child wants to unionize, companies would then have a way to sue the parents.
We’ll see if something like this plays out. Will our children become cannon fodder?
Thoughts for the future and how conservatives might be playing the long game.