Ben Sasse Says 40-Hour Public Schools Were Built to Separate Catholic Children
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 7
Ben Sasse Says 40-Hour Public Schools Were Built to Separate Catholic Children
1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 7
Summary
Ben Sasse said at a Trinity Forum event that the rise of U.S. public schools in a factory model was "overwhelmingly" aimed at separating Catholic children from their parents and parish priests.
The former Nebraska senator tied that critique to a broader attack on institutional schooling, arguing the 40-hour weekly model fosters passivity instead of producing self-motivated workers for a disrupted post-digital economy.
Sasse said education will likely splinter into shorter, mixed formats — including 2-hour, 5-hour, 10-hour and 15-hour blocks combined with digital learning, new community structures and different youth activities.
The remarks come as parents push for more classroom influence and as Sasse, who disclosed metastatic Stage 4 pancreatic cancer in December, has spoken publicly about family, work and intentional parenting.