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Unfortunately, it affects all states. Minnesota and Oregon have real scary policies for their public schools. Several years ago, in NJ, the state wanted high school juniors and seniors to devote one day a week (which meant that they would lose 20% of their educational time)to go to a worksite. If they wanted to stay in school five days a week, they would be required to work on their vacation or free time. Parents went ballastic, but that doesn't mean that the state is exempt from School-to-Work laws. Now, the schools are dividing up into academies and in some places, kids will have to declare an area of interest in their sophomore year, which they will "major" in. Read the Maple River Coalition website. In Minnesota, kids in eighth grade are required to pick an area of interest and be TRAINED in it in high school. These areas of interest depend on local WORKFORCE needs, not necessarily what the kids want to do. How would you like some government lackey (public school employee) deciding your kid isn't going to go to college, buy maybe into a vocational school or right out into the workforce?

Don't think the Republicans are against this. School-to-Work is very popular in certain areas of Texas. That Republican who likes to wear a flannel shirt got (can't remember his name offhand) it started in Tennessee (see Wilson County Parents Coalition).

Schools exist to teach students academic subjects, not vocational subjects (unless that's what a student chooses). They have no place in training students for menial jobs based on local workforce needs.