Children 14 and younger could receive more flexibility entering the workforce after House Bill 1132 cleared its first hurdle. Under current law, children younger than 14 are not allowed to work when public schools are in session. House Bill 1132 seeks to change that definition to, the child’s own school rather than public school. That way, businesses consider home, private, and parochial schools’ schedules when scheduling workers. Monica Tanner with the South Dakota Christian Home Educators says it allows flexibility with changing schedules.
“For example, a homeschool student could have Saturday as a school day, and thus work Tuesday or Wednesday, or simply have a four day school week. A private school student with a different spring break than public school could work during public school hours while his own school is on vacation. Another example is the block schedule that Central High School in Rapid City has, where some students attend every other day so their own scheduled school is not in session on opposite days,” Tanner says.
Other proponents say it gives parents more discretion in their children’s activities. No opponents testified against the bill, but Representative Scott Parsley says he’s concerned about changing child labor laws and voted against the bill. House Bill 1132 doesn’t change the weekly hour restrictions on minors. Members of the House Commerce and Energy Committee passed the measure 12- 1.