A Florida teacher on Tuesday denounced a Republican bill that would allow employers to schedule 16- and 17-year-olds for shifts of more than 8 hours on a school night and over 30 hours a week.
“In my second-period class every day, I have a student who routinely comes in and cannot stay awake. He’s talked to me after class and explained that he’s so sorry but he’s been working late and long hours and physically cannot stay awake. His grades are slipping in all of his classes, and he’s not able to prioritize his education because of his working hours, which is necessary to help his family. If this is happening with our current laws, I don’t want to imagine the negative impact that this is going to have on him and other students if this bill is passed. I ask that you consider the impact that this will have not only on my student’s education and future, but the thousands of other students who are in this similar position,” Emily Griest, of Hillsborough County Public Schools, told the Florida House Commerce Committee.
The committee ultimately advanced the bill and it now heads to the full chamber, where Republicans have the majority.
