California Sen. Kamala Harris (D) on Wednesday introduced the Family Friendly Schools Act, which would aim at making schools stay open from 8 a.m. until at least 6 p.m. during the school year, with the only exception being federal holidays, weekends and emergencies. The goal is to have kids’ school day align more closely with parents’ work day. The bill would also prohibit schools from closing for parent-teacher conferences, professional development or any other reason unless they offer “full-day enrichment activities free of charge for students.”
During those extra three hours of school, Harris wants “community partners to develop high-quality, culturally relevant, linguistically accessible, developmentally appropriate academic, athletic, or enrichment opportunities for students.” Basically, anything and everything that could possibly keep kids occupied while their parents are at work.
She wants schools to be open until 6 p.m. throughout the school year but she doesn’t want to increase the amount of time teachers and faculty are at work “unless they choose to work additional hours and are compensated fairly.”
In other words, she wants schools and teachers to become glorified daycare workers. And it’d come with a whopping $5 million price tag for a five-year grant per school district. And when that’s done, she wants $1.3 billion to go to 21st Century Community Learning Centers to provide kids with summer programs.
Apparently the California senator was inspired by her mother who worked long hours while she was a kid.
“My mother raised my sister and me while working demanding, long hours. So, I know firsthand that, for many working parents, juggling between school schedules and work schedules is a common cause of stress and financial hardship. But, this does not have to be the case,” Harris said in a statement. “My bill provides an innovative solution that will help reduce the burden of child care on working families. It is time we modernize the school schedule to better meet the needs of our students and their families.”
There are so many things wrong with this proposal:
1) The federal government has trillions of dollars of debt. Kamala wants to pull money out of thin air and put it into this program. Where is this money coming from?
2) Teachers go to college and get an education so they can pass their knowledge on to their students. They didn’t obtain a college student to babysit children. Because, honestly, it doesn’t take a higher education to make sure children are safe and taken care of.
If a teacher decides to oversee a club, organization or athletic team, it’s because he or she wants to offer something to their students. It’s not because the kids need someone to make sure they stay out of trouble.
3) Part of being a parent is being responsible for your children and making sure they’re adequately taken care. If your child needs daycare, it’s up to you, as a parent, to make sure your child has that. It’s not the government’s responsibility to make sure you’re covered. And it’s definitely not up to the taxpayer to fund your kids’ childcare needs.