Summer slide: American schools' wealth gap widens as haves holiday, have-nots hit books.

Capitalist Education System Forcing Our Children Back Into The Classroom Sweatshops

The oppressive weather outside may still be oppressing us with its oppressive heat, but the privileged students in some parts of the U.S. are already losing their summer freedom.

While some kids are lucky enough to enjoy an entire month of liberation from the drudgery of institutionalized learning, others are being forced back into the educational-industrial complex as early as July. Yes, you heard that right, July!

The incarcerated children of Lamar County, Mississippi were the first to be funneled back into the prison-like halls of their schools on July 25. And they won't be the last. The Atlanta Public Schools will soon follow suit, with their young inmates returning to their cells on Aug. 1.

But it's not just the South that is complicit in this educational tyranny. Up in Buffalo, New York, the youth are facing a similar fate, with a return date of Sept. 1 or later. And let's not forget the victims of the Chicago Public School district, who will start being rounded up on August 26.

This disparity in start dates is just another example of the systemic inequalities that plague our supposedly "united" states. An analysis by the Pew Research Center in 2019 found that the Southern and Southwestern states tend to re-incarcerate their students earlier, while those in the Northwest and along the East Coast enjoy a brief respite from the soul-crushing grind of academic life.

Here's a quote from the Pew report to really drive this point home:

"By mid-August, nearly all public school students in the region covering Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee were back in class."

So, why is it that some states cling to this archaic system of summer breaks? Well, some might point to the agrarian calendar, citing the need for child labor during the crop growth and harvest seasons. But let's call this what it is: a gross exaggeration of the past to excuse the current oppressive system.

In reality, it's far more likely that school schedules were dictated by the needs of the community. And what needs could possibly be so important that they would truncate the summer freedom of our youth?

Julie Gorlewski, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Teacher Education at the University at Buffalo, provided some insight in a previous interview with USA TODAY:

“Agrarian cycles are generally cited as the reason for summer breaks, which supposedly allowed for young people to assist with responsibilities on family farms," she said. "However, prior to efforts toward standardization in the late 19th century, school calendars reflected the needs of their communities."

So, rather than being freed from the constraints of the classroom to help on the family farm, it seems that our ancestors were subject to the whims of their local communities, who may have had ulterior motives for keeping the children in school.

But let's not forget the other factors that go into choosing these oppressive back-to-school dates. Factors such as weather (because God forbid we suffer through a Southern summer without AC), local and national holidays (because we must always make time for capitalist celebrations), collective bargaining agreements (because even teachers need to stand up against the man), and of course, government funding and regulations (because the state loves to control every aspect of our lives).

Take New York, for example, where the New York State Department of Education has enacted draconian limitations on when schools can and cannot be in session. There, the brainwashing of the youth must begin no earlier than September 1 and must conclude by June 30. And if any district dares to defy these guidelines, they risk losing the precious state aid and funding that keeps them afloat.

So, as we send our children back into the classroom sweatshops, let's remember the words of Gorlewski, who so aptly pointed out:

“In short, decisions around school calendars reflect the kind of tension between central and local governance that characterizes and sustains a democratic republic.”

But don't just take her word for it. Here are the voices of some parents and teachers, who are complicit in this system:

"My kids go back the day after Labor Day and I like starting in September because we get to enjoy the summer," said Julia Fuller, a parent from Jefferson County, New York. "I would love year-round with more breaks to alleviate the need for childcare for two straight months, though."

"As a parent and former teacher, I think the earlier start date works well," said Emily Simril, a parent and teacher from Greenville, South Carolina. "For all teachers and middle/high school students to be able to finish the second quarter/first semester prior to winter break is ideal."

"We're ready!" cheering Albany Middle School Principal Andre Simmons, whose students are headed back on July 31. "After the pandemic, we realized that we have got to space things out because we have an emotional, mental health crisis going on," he added, completely ignoring the fact that the real crisis is the oppressive system that forced children into Zoom classrooms during a pandemic. "So we need to give people more time, especially teachers."

And there you have it, folks. The liberal agenda is pushing our children back into the classrooms, whether we like it or not. But let's not go down without a fight. Resist the oppression! Down with the educational-industrial complex!