Should Children Have to Go to School Younger?

If you have a question or concern about special education law, school administration, federal standards, or the overall rights of a student, please feel free to call the expert education law attorneys at Maya Murphy, P.C. in Westport today at (203) 221-3100.

Several states are trying to expand the age range for mandatory schooling, from making kindergarten mandatory to raising the legal drop-out age. Just last week, the Nevada legislature proposed a bill that would require children to start school at age 5, which was then amended to age 6. Nevada’s current law sets the mandatory age at 7.

Supporters of the bill admit that it wouldn’t greatly affect enrollment numbers, as state officials estimate that about 95 percent of 6-year-olds are already in Nevada’s schools. Nevada Assemblywoman Olivia Diaz has said that the purpose of the bill is to send a message that Nevada is taking active steps to improve its deficient school system. She stated, “I believe every child deserves a fair and equal shot at the American dream and that starts with school…I just think it’s going to be a philosophical argument and we’re just going to have to agree to disagree. As a teacher, and as an assemblywoman who represents a very at-risk population, this is fundamental.”

The compulsory school age issue became a hot topic back in 2012 when President Obama urged states to raise the dropout age to 18 in his State of the Union Address. Advocates emphasize the importance of access to education, especially for poor, disadvantaged children. Over the past ten years, legislators across the country, have pushed for laws that would expand the compulsory attendance age. Just this year, eleven states have considered such legislation: Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, New Jersey, South Carolina, Montana, Mississippi, and North Carolina.

Currently, almost all states require free education to be offered by age 5, but about half of the states don’t require children to start school until age 6. Several states have mandated kindergarten; meanwhile Pennsylvania and Washington don’t require children to attend school until age 8. Pennsylvania and Washington don’t require attendance until age 8. Most states allow teens to drop out of school at age 16.

Opponents of compulsory attendance argue that parents should have the authority to decide when and how their children are educated. Parents who home-school their children claim that the classroom environment is not appropriate for every child, and that many children who are not in school are likely in unregistered home school programs. Grover Whitehurst, an education policy expert from Brookings Institution’s Center on Children and Families, claims that raising the dropout age to 18 doesn’t actually increase the high school graduation rate. South Dakota has proven Mr. Whitehurst right, as the state’s graduation rate has not increased since it expanded the compulsory school age to ages 5 through 18. However, Melody Schopp, the state’s secretary of education, has said that the law helped incentivize schools to create new career-focused programs to keep older teens engaged. Regarding the younger children, she stated, “Being fed and kept warm. School is where there is a caring adult…There’s other benefits you can’t measure on an academic scale that are really important to me.”

If your child is faced with compulsory attendance issues, contact the experienced education law attorneys today at 203-221-3100, or by email at JMaya@mayalaw.com. We have the experience and knowledge your child needs at this critical juncture. We serve clients in both New York and Connecticut including New Canaan, Bridgeport, White Plains, and Darien.