The Florida House and Senate are again considering legislation that has spurred concerns among local school officials who fear the bills’ potentially damaging impacts on students and their education.
This time, members of the Legislature want to relax – and, in some cases, remove – state restrictions on child labor.
“I don’t know who’s pushing this or why, but I don’t agree with kids being asked to be a bigger part of the workforce,” said local School Board Vice Chair Peggy Jones, a former Sebastian River High School principal.
“There’s nothing wrong with kids getting part-time jobs in their junior and senior years,” she added. “I did it when I was in school, and a lot of kids do it now. But there’s no reason to change the law to allow them to work more, especially on school nights.”
Proponents of the like-minded bills, which would noticeably loosen restrictions on when and how much teenagers as young as 13 may work outside the home each week, say parents – not the government – should make those decisions.
Among the bills’ supporters is Gov. Ron DeSantis, who said younger workers could help replace the “dirt cheap” labor currently provided by undocumented migrants. “What’s wrong with expecting our young people to be working part-time now?” DeSantis asked. “I mean, that’s how it used to be when I was growing up.”
The proposed legislation, which would amend the state’s existing child-labor laws, would effectively remove all limitations on how late and how much 16- and 17-year old children may work – and eliminate the teenaged employees’ guarantee of a meal break.
The current law prohibits children aged 16 and 17 from working before 6:30 a.m. or after 11 p.m. on a school day, and they cannot work during school hours unless they are in a career education program. They aren’t allowed to work more than 30 hours in a week when school is in session, unless they get their parents’ permission.
The proposed amendment would also remove employment time restrictions for 14- and 15-year-old children, if they already have graduated from high school, earned an equivalency diploma, are home-schooled or are enrolled in virtual school.
School Superintendent David Moore joined Jones and School Board Chair Teri Barenborg in expressing concern that easing the state’s child-labor restrictions could have a detrimental effect on their classroom performance and, ultimately, their overall education. “There’s the potential to allow kids to come to school tired – and if students are exhausted from working jobs, they’re not going to learn anything, no matter how good the teaching is,” said Moore.
