As Phillip Blanchard would say, this is simple: If adding a hyphen to a compound modifier makes something more clear or more accurate, then add it. If leaving the hyphen out makes it inaccurate, then for God’s sake put it in there.
The key point is: adding a hyphen must add meaning. If it’s not adding meaning it’s just taking up space. If you want go around hyphenating “peanut-butter sandwich” and “middle-school teacher” and other stuff that’s crystal clear without the hyphen, the best I can say is you’re not doing any harm. But you’re not doing any good either.
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