Educators Warn Against Child Labor Rollbacks

When students at Brunswick High School’s alternative education program begin missing class, Rie Larson knows it’s time to ask questions. 

“Sometimes when we start to notice a student’s drop in attendance, and we follow up with them, we find out they’ve been working a lot,” says Larson, a teacher who has spent the last three of her 14-year-career helping students balance academics and life. “They just are too tired to come to school.”

Larson’s concern is part of a rising chorus of alarm from educators nationwide as state lawmakers pursue or pass legislation to roll back protections for teen workers. Proposals include longer work hours on school nights; entry into hazardous jobs, such as construction sites and poultry plans; and subminimum wages—raising serious concerns about students’ well-being and education. 

“We already see evidence of stress, fatigue, and burnout in students who are working too much,” says Larson, pointing to 18-year-old students who are not protected under current child labor laws. “What happens if the safety nets are gone?”

Why Child Labor Laws Exist

Child labor laws were created to protect children from exploitation and dangerous work that threatened their health, safety, and education. During the Industrial Revolution, many children worked long hours in factories, mines, and farms under dangerous and inhumane conditions.

These laws ensure children can grow up in safe environments, attend school, and develop physically and mentally without being forced into labor that could harm their future. While these protections have been in place for decades, recent efforts to weaken child labor laws threaten to undo this critical progress.

Local Consequences

These rollbacks have largely been framed by their supporters as necessary steps to address workforce shortages. But educators say they overlook the real consequences for students.

“I’m not seeing students or parents asking for this,” says Larson, underscoring that these rollbacks aren’t being driven by what’s best for kids. “They’re being driven by what some businesses want.”

Alan Yuodsnukis, a longtime educator in central Maine, agrees. 

“Employers are looking to fill entry-level, hourly positions, and young people are a convenient source of labor,” says Yuodsnukis, who has spent 16 years helping students pass classes, earn credits, and graduate. “A lot of [my students], given the choice, will choose paid work over academic work—it’s hard to compete with that.”

Education Can’t Compete with a Paycheck

Yuodsnukis has seen firsthand how paid work can overtake academic responsibilities. “During COVID, I had students scheduled by employers to work during the school day,” he says. “It was illegal at the time, but it happened anyway.”

He recounts instances of students skipping out early to get to work or showing up exhausted after closing shifts. “Our day starts at 7:30 a.m.,” he says. “If you’re getting home at 11:30 at night because your shift ended at 10 p.m. and you had a long commute, there’s no way you’re going to write that paper.”

And while some proponents argue that work builds character and responsibility, Yuodsnukis isn’t convinced that later shifts and 30-hour weeks do that. 

“There’s plenty of opportunity for kids to work and learn soft skills under current laws,” he says. “Working until late at night or 32 hours during the school week doesn’t build character—it supplants education as a primary responsibility for students.”

Larson’s program, for example, has strong partnerships with local employers, and she supports student work experiences, but only when they’re structured, safe, and educationally relevant.

“Our program works pretty well for a lot of our students,” she says, adding that if restrictions are loosened, “we really run the risk of undoing years of progress.”

Maine Says No—for Now

Maine legislators considered three major bills this session to relax child labor laws: One allowing longer work hours during the school year and summer, another eliminating rest-day requirements, and a third that would allow employers to pay high school students just 50 percent of the state’s minimum wage. All three proposals were voted down in the House and Senate, but not before receiving sharp criticism from educators and the Maine Education Association (MEA).

In official testimony, MEA General Counsel Ben Grant wrote, “Subminimum wages for minors have a long and scandalous history in this country. Making this change invites abuse and exploitation of children." He added: “More than 6 hours of work on a school day is too much,” emphasizing that young people should be focused on their education.

A Broader Message—and a Warning

For educators like Larson and Yuodsnukis, the issue is about more than policy—it’s about values. 

“If we value our children and their futures, we need to look at what is best for them and in balance with all the other things they’re trying to pursue,” Larson says. And when it comes to solving broader economic challenges: “Our children are not responsible for rescuing our economy.”

But for many students, skipping class or arriving exhausted after long shifts has less to do with extra spending money and more with survival. Low-income students, immigrant students, and unaccompanied minors often feel pressure to work to help their families. A New York Times investigation, for example, revealed how thousands of migrant children were being pushed into grueling, often dangerous jobs to make ends meet. 

“It says to [students] that education doesn’t need to be your first priority,” Yuodsnukis says. “And if you’re a kid who’s living at home without a lot of personal expenses, and you can make $18 to $20 an hour … and somebody offers you the chance to work lots of hours during the week—that looks really good. And what do I have to offer? ‘Well, I’ll give you a math test.’”

The Union’s Role

Educators are often the first to notice when something is wrong. Whether it's persistent absenteeism, students falling asleep in class, or unexplained injuries, they have a unique window into students' daily lives.

A photo essay by The Guardian, dubbed "They Were Little," highlighted the role of one such teacher who reported her concerns after noticing acid burns on a student's hands and watching kids nod off during lessons. The intervention helped uncover a slaughterhouse illegally employing children in overnight cleaning shifts.

Child labor rollbacks have been a troubling trend NEA has seen for decades in its international work. What's new is how rapidly these rollbacks are now surfacing across the U.S.

In response, NEA has joined the Campaign to End U.S. Child Labor, a coalition of nearly 50 organizations across academia, nonprofits, and trade unions. Together, they're developing resources to help educators recognize warning signs of child labor in their classrooms, equipping them to better advocate for the safety and well-being of their students.

As a longtime MEA member, Yuodsnukis sees advocacy as essential to safeguarding both student learning and the future of public education.

“This is why we go to Augusta and … pressure our legislators because … there's not a lot of other folks other than educators who will speak up about these issues,” Yuodsnukis says. “If we don’t do it, then I’m not sure who else will.”