Is it time to reconsider mandatory public high school education?

First off, let me say that I am a huge proponent of the idea that any child who wants to go to school and get a good education, should get the ability to do that, regardless of where they live, their parent situation, etc. At the full expense of the state. Education is the ONE way that poor students can pull themselves up.

Under current LA law, students are required to attend school until they turn 18 or graduate high school, whichever happens first.

With parental consent, 17 year olds can also drop out.

A significant amount time, resources, and attention is paid to a relatively small number of high school students who don't know how to act, don't want to act right, and in all reality, don't want to be in school. They don't want to go to class, do homework, play sports, join the band, etc. They are only there because they are forced to be there, and while they are there, they are screwing up things for the vast majority of kids who DO want to be there.

In most Louisiana public high schools, you can learn a trade if you want and get put on an alternative diploma path. So if the typical education pattern isn't right for them, they hafve options.

But these kids don't want that either. They don't want to be there. And due to state and federal law, they have to be. And most of these kids - and their idiot parent - now know how to get their kid on a "behavior plan" and despite that sounding like a good idea, it's basically a get out of jail free card. It's insanely hard - due to state and federal law - to punish a kid on a behavior plan, much less kick them out.

Something has to give.

As a society, we need to change our focus. We need to focus on the 90 percent of kids who WANT to be in school and want to be successful. Tell the 10 percent to shape up, or they can get out.

If a kid doesn't want to attend school after 8th grade and that kid is doing nothing but causing trouble, let them go.