PIERRE, S.D. (AP) — A South Dakota bill that would have let 16-year-old students drop out of school has been rejected.Representatives voted 40-27 Monday against the bill. It would have reduced the mandatory school attendance age from 18 to 16.

The Argus Leader reports supporters have said current law puts too much of a burden on schools to manage kids who don’t want to attend class. Republican Rep. Lana Greenfield, the sponsor, says the state is doing an injustice to its schools, parents, taxpayers and students.

Republican Rep. Fred Deutsch, an opponent, says he doesn’t want to give up on the state’s children, and that’s what the bill did. The state Department of Education opposed the bill in committee.

The Legislature in 2009 raised the compulsory attendance age to 18.

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