Legislation Could Increase Drop-Out Age to 18

Should Maryland require high school students to be 18 years old in order to drop out? 

The General Assembly is expected to pass a bill proposing to increase Maryland's minimum school dropout age from 16 to 18 years old, according to a report by WTOP.

Express your opinion on the topic in the comments section below. 

The change will align Maryland with Virginia and Washington, DC, where the dropout age is already set at 18.

"Gov. Martin O'Malley is expected to sign the bill, which is on its third and final reading in the House," according to the report.

The change—according to the bill—is gradual, with the minimum age first increasing to 17 on July 1, 2015, and to 18 two years later.

The bill provides some exceptions for students to dropout early, including: kids who graduate early or get a GED, are married or are in the military, provide financial support for their family or are taking classes through an alternative program.

While supporters said the legislation would recognize a "moral obligation" for students to stay in school, the opposition has said the bill's financial effect on the state would be negative, according to a report by Southern Maryland Online.

Delegate Herbert H. McMillan (R-Annapolis) said in the report that the bill increases the state deficit. McMillan said there's no guarantee that students won't simply skip class if they wish to drop out, but can't because they're not the legal age to do so. 

Ray Leone, president of Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs, told Patch he agrees that it will be extremely hard to force kids to attend classes if they just want to drop out.  

"When was the last time you saw an Anne Arundel County police officer arrest a kid for truancy?" Leone said. 

What do you think of the proposed legislation that will increase the Maryland's minimum dropout age to 18? Is the change justified or should it stay at 16? Tell us in the comments!