Republican politicians are passing bills that use tax dollars to privatize public schools. They are doing this through vouchers. This is a threat to public education. And public education is the foundation of democracy. But republican politicians and their white evangelical christian nationalist backers want that money.
In Missouri, 30% of schools are on a four-day school week. The high schoolers on that fifth day usually go to work. They’re working at Casey’s, McDonald’s, or they’re babysitting other kids who aren’t in school that day. And it’s happening in state after state.
Republican governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders is attacking public schools in her state of Arkansas. There is an Arkansas bill to remove work permit requirement for children under 16. They call it the Youth Hiring Act. House Bill 1410:
Iowa is also passing a school voucher scheme. “A new bill rolling back child labor laws in Iowa to allow 14-year-olds to work hazardous jobs in the mining, meat packing and logging sectors.”
They are trying to get rid of public schools by privatizing them. Eventually, we will go back to the feudal system where everyone has to pay to get their kids into education, even K thru 12.
And those kids whose parents can’t pay for them to go to school, what are they going to do? They’re going to go to work.
These people don’t want to educate all kids. They want to make your kids, work for theirs.