Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Kerry McDonald
“When my home state of Massachusetts became the first to enact a compulsory school attendance law in May 1852, it set a troubling precedent. For the first time, parents were compelled to send their children to school under a legal threat of force. … just three weeks ago, a Florida judge sentenced two parents to jail for not sending their kids to school. These laws have got to go. If schools are desirable places to grow and to learn, then families and students will happily flock to them, as they do to the schools and spaces featured in my new book, Joyful Learning. … The current ‘chronic absenteeism’ epidemic in schools across the country, typically defined as students missing at least 10% of schooldays, is a sign that forced schooling isn’t desirable for many students and their families.” (06/12/25)
https://fee.org/articles/now-is-the-time-to-eliminate-compulsory-schooling-laws/