CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Monday's editorial correctly said West Virginia is among 19 states allowing teens to drop out of school at age 16 -- but the dropout age will rise to 17 in a couple of years.
In 2010, in the final hours of their session, legislators raised compulsory attendance to 17, starting for freshmen who entered high school last fall. The High School Graduation Improvement Act (Code 18-8-6) was written to take effect in the future, to provide time for alternative classes and teen drug courts to be developed as remedies for school failure.
Therefore, West Virginia needs to raise compulsory attendance only one more year to meet President Obama's call for a nationwide dropout age of 18.
