Show of Hands

No. What will happen is some school would then make it part of their detention program and have children doing labor for free.

...as a parent YOU limit the hours and approval of your child working; if grades suffer, simply take then out...FYI I worked in my moms business at 12: b/c I WANTED to, made me $, built a sense of pride and also didn't interfere with school at all...boom

HA u guys love using scapegoats! 1st u say KIDS are irresponsible, lazy and want everything handed to them; yet if they had the option to work sooner NOW you say no AND that they would take our jobs?! The jobs you prob never thought about?! WOW Contradiction?! 1st of all a part time job is OPTIONAL

The point is, kids don't need jobs. Adults do. Giving kids a job an adult is doing is basically purposely creating more economic strife.

Kids don't have families to support, and if they do, the answer is not higher ate higher unemployment amongst their parents' generation. The public high school I attended before boarding school had a daycare center for students with their own kids, and it was a source of revenue for the school.

The most important factor is not what you think about child labor. Personally, I'd be fine with high school students doing more to help with their school's upkeep. I did at boarding school for two years. But replacing janitors with children is bad economics. Kids don't have bills to pay.

Kids should work by cleaning their bedrooms and getting an allowance, not by being exploited by employers wanting to save money. Kids are still developing and learning life skills by playing and being social with friends. You as a parent should teach work ethic at home, NOT big businesses.

I don't see why not, they aren't learning much in public schools anyway.

What happened to the complaint "kids are growing up too fast"??!! Kids should be allowed to be kids. Have them do chores at home, or babysit if they want to make money-that's how my children were brought up-and all 3 either have, or are presently, working to put themselves through college.

When I heard Newt's talk suggesting this-I thought I'd missed something and it was a comedy sketch.
I can't believe the results of this poll. I usually hear people complaining that our kids aren't learning enough in school-but people want them to WORK??!! Newt mentioned age 9-10, that's INSANE!!

so basically, give kids jobs that are paid using gov funds that we dont have, right? funding source aside, its not a bad idea.

when my daughter was 13 she helped out in my office for pay. she learned how to save and spend money. really sucks when you run up the phone bill and mom makes you pay.

Worked out great and he learned how to benefit society from it.

Adults can get jobs if they want to get jobs. It's about work ethic. If an adult wants to work bad enough, they might have to lower their standards, but they can get a job. And my dad worked in the cafeteria in high school and made money to put himself through his first to years of college so it

Melissa745, I can't get a job until I'm sixteen where I live. I think the age requirements are different for each business, but I've liked EVERYWHERE and you have to be sixteen. It's pretty unfair. I want to earn money for myself instead of making my mom buy me everything-I feel so irresponsible.

If we want to work, why can't we work? I just don't get it. Not only should we be able to work in school, we should be able to work anywhere(given our education permits it). If you're old enough to legitimately make a decision about wether or not you want to work, you should be able to work.

This ties into some other questions recently, like are the generations getting dummer... This would ensure "yes" to be the answer. And "are our children's lives harder than ours were", the answer would be yes if this crazy idea succeeds. People are all for it until its their kid slaving at 13.

No let them go to school to learn,not work.

*for

Yes, only allow kids who have As and Bs. That will give kids with Cs something to work for

school is or school. let's not make our education system any worse

How young is young? At 14 teens can get any job that will hire them (no more than 4 hours a shift and can't work past 7pm). That's plenty young enough.

there is more in this than just janitorial jobs for kids. another smoke and mirror attemp to throw us off the main topic.

Young adults can't even get jobs...what's the point.

the union won't allow it.

This is a stupid idea!

Sorry - anyone who wants to work at an available job and who is suitable for that job should have barriers removed if at all possible.

I don't even understand this being questionable. Anyone

hell yes! as long as their grades don't suffer.

Too many of you complain about the education these kids get. If we take them out if class and have them perform these work tasks, that is less time for them to learn and study.

What job will we have for those who currently are employed to do that?

Totally agree with GWDon.

if this is sayin what i think it means, then yes. if schools would have optional jobs that were minimum wage, many kids would apply. and not necessarily just poor kids.

No. It's their school, they should be required to maintain it.

Silly idea. Intergenerational wealth doesn't come from rich kids doing menial chores. It comes from their access to enriching activities and a leg up from grownups in their economic class. I think the rich kids could benefit more from toilet scrubbing than poor kids would.

Obviously not. Absolutely ludicrous proposal. Let kids be kids rather than have them mop poop & pee up.

We all beed jobs. The little boy from Penn State that as he was cleaning the toilets he bent over to scrub the seat but then he felt someone behind him and took his pants off to say that the weirdo loves him. But all the bit wanted was a job so the weirdo gave him one.

No! This is a recipe for bullying. Kids would mercilessly tease them for being poor! I'm in High school and trust me it happens. It's mean.

@mysterygirl, I agree completely. And it'd teach kids a good work ethic so they'd probably end up benefiting our economy when they got older rather than milking the system

I would have done it as a teen. My parents cut me off except for food and a place to live when I was 13. I had to earn my own money to pay for clothes, toiletries, etc. that stuff is hard to pay for when you're mowing lawns and trying to find under the counter jobs. I think it'd be a good idea.

* "them" meaning the teens... Sorry for the thread, but changing the laws doesn't make it mandatory that every teen works, parents who oppose can simply not make use if it...

..headed families, n the xtra income will allow them to get what they "want", gets them from behind the computer, away from the xbox and when they become of age, they already have job experience...and fact that they worked at a younger age than most, I believe that will play in their favor

yes: I don't believe this question is meant as being a fix to our economic problems; I see it as a benefit 4 those teens and their families. 1st-- u pay your kids $ for chores right? What's the difference w/ this? 2nd, a lot of families are either struggling (although most wont admit) or are single

Absolutely, it would teach the kids a lesson while potentially earning (or saving) money for the schools.

Anyone that wants to work should be allowed to do so. Children should be protected but not totally kept out. As far as working in schools. Gosh isn't there a way we can get ALL the kids to do some work. Maybe they would stop trashing it!

Yes, but only let them use that money for school lunches, field trips, or even books. Make it in-school "money" that they have to use on an educational outcome. Some kids would love to have books, instruments, etc. that their parents cannot afford.

How is this a fix? You could maybe employ a very few kids this way in each school. Too small of a percentage to have anything like the effect Newt proposes. Also, dismantling child labor laws in this way will just lead to more. Dumb idea.

No. Changing labor laws so a child can legally be employed as a janitor and clean her school, is a poorly thought -out idea.

Yes this is the fix to our unemployment problem in America! Take jobs away from more people and give them to young kids! Great idea

Yes. It builds character and fires over paid union janitors.

No. The idea will hurt working families, not help them.