Democrat files bill to raise mandatory education age to 17

Democrat files bill to raise mandatory education age to 17 in Georgia

One Georgia Democrat thinks the age at which mandatory education is no longer required is too low in the state of Georgia.

State representative Erica Thomas wants to raise the age of mandatory education to 17, up from the current cutoff of 16 years of age. The bill reads “Mandatory attendance in a public school, private school, or home school program shall be required for children between their sixth and sixteenth seventeenth birthdays. ” This would mean all children in Georgia would be required to attend school until they turn seventeen to avoid breaking the law.

Georgia isn’t alone in the cutoff at age 16. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), 19 states and the Virgin Islands end compulsory education at 16 while 11 states carry the requirement to age 17. 20 other states, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico all require mandatory education until age 18.

In terms of neighboring states, Florida and North Carolina are set at 16 while Alabama, South Carolina, and Tennessee are 17.

Read more: evans.allongeorgia.com/democrat-files-bill-to-raise-mandatory-education-age-to-17-in-georgia/