CANYON COUNTY, Idaho — With students doing school work remotely during the coronavirus pandemic, officials say more youths are filling their days by doing farm labor and other agricultural jobs.
The Idaho Statesman reports that has some educators and farm-worker advocates worried about the toll it could take on students' education and health.
Harold Nevill, administrator for the Canyon-Owyhee School Service Agency, estimates that 30 to 50 percent of his students are working, most in the hop fields.
Officials worry that students as young as 12 or 13 may start joining their families in the fields as childcare gets scarce and economic hardship increases.