Sen. Harold Caskey, D-Butler, said taking away licenses from early dropouts unfairly penalizes students in rural areas. People who drop out in those areas don't have cars. The only areas punished are rural ones. Sen. Bill Clay, D-St. Louis, said he has a different reason for opposing the driver's license provision.
Kids can understand the law too.
If we raise the age, they can still be locked up for truancy. Another point of debate is whether forcing students to go to school will disrupt classrooms. The Senate bill attempts to deal with this problem by allowing school boards to establish alternative schools, something Gov. Mel Carnahan has said he wants to focus on this legislative session. Without such alternative school provisions, the bill would hurt the learning environment in classrooms, said Bob Quinn, legislative director of the Missouri National Education Association.