Drop Outs Can’t Drive

The Oklahoma senate pass a bill on Monday that would yank a teenager's driver's license if the teen drops out of school.

This is a modification of the current OK law that says teens who drop out must work at least 24 hours a week to keep their driving privileges.

Some believe taking this strong stance to keep kids in school will only help bolster the somewhat weak driving laws for teenagers.  Others think this will put a hardship on families and kids who depend on that child to take care of family members or help support the family financially.

Does anyone REALLY think this will help?  If a teen is going to drop out of school, holding back their license is probably not going to stop them.  Times are gone when a family pulled a child out of school to help work on the farm or to help raise the younger siblings.  That's going back to Little House On The Prairie thinking.  If a kid drops out in our modern times, there are issues:  pregnancy, lack of parental supervision, unwillingness to actively participate in society.

In the modern age of online charter schools, alternative schools and the easy access to the GED, is there any excuse for a child to drop out of school permanently?

And, why are we punishing the children alone?  What responsibility do the parents share?  If a minor drops out of school, should we be holding JUST them accountable or is there room to hold accountable parents and guardians, too?

While it is understandable that legislators want to find some way to reduce the dropout rate in Oklahoma (which is one of the highest in the nation), they are merely putting a Barbie Band-Aid on a wound that requires major surgery.