Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-12-05
EDUCATIONAL MATTERS.

TruancyEDIsoussed at Yesterdays Meet E- Ing ofith.IBoard of Education. Ths board of education held its regular meeting at o'clock yesterday afternoon. Truancy among the school children was one of the principal topics. It seemed to be the general opinion of the board that parents are responsible for a good deal of the trusncy. They shield their children | in every possible manner and do all in their power to prevent the truant officer | from learning the true state of affairs when he calls to inquire why children
 have been absenting themselves from school.
 Dr McDCnald said that the number of | boys of school age to be seen running around the streets during school hours was surprising He stopped one the other day and wanted to know why he was not at
 school. The boy sad he had sore throat.
 but when the doctor asked that he be per
 mitted to see it the lad begged to be ex-
 cused and disappeared into another street The doctor met another boy on Scovill
 street and asked why he was not attending
 school and received for an answer: I'm
 over fourteen years of age"
 Chairman Mulcahy thought it the duty
 of the trusnt officer and the policemen to
 arrest all boys of school sgs found run
 ming around during school hours. He
 also thought that the law was a little too
 severe on these matters. He said if the
 punishment was milder it would bs
 administered little oftener than it is and
 be productive of much more good. ''If T
 boy happens to be arrested for truancy, he said, "the court can send him to the
 state reform school" If the parents wer, [ fined for their neglect and still left ir , possession of the child he thought it would
 be much better.
 Judge Cowell wanted to know how thI , truant officer could manage to catch tn,
 bows 'As soon one of them sees tn, l officer" he said. he has n way of sayin. Cheese it, so that all are out of sight iu m instant"
 The board voted that the superintend 3 ent be instructed to look after the matte 6 of truancy and call in the assistance of tn, r state agent If he found it necessary
 Dr Hayes brought up the matter of al s lowing children who live in the sam - block with those who are ill with scarlatin { tp attend the public schools t He said it was an infectious aud contn
 cious disease and that there was no reasol
 why it could not be carried into the publi
 schools by children living in the sam
 block where the disease exists. H n thought much of the truancy now reporte
 from the public schools was due to tn s fact that parents were afraid to send thei
 
 n sickness. He spoke of three tenemeu if house on Leavenworth street where scal n latina exists in two of the tenements an A the children in the other tenement ar s attending the public schools. Dr Haye Il complained of this to the health office - but that gentlemen thought it WIS al ?. right He went on to prove that the di: D. ease was likely 10 be carried to the schoC a by the children by showing that the di. |, ease first started in one of the tenement r. and then worked its way into the othe IT without the children having any commit :. nication with each other. He thought ,f the duty of the boarl to protect th d children attending school from being eI $ posed to such danger and concluded b II saying that the system of fumigation d conducted by the health officers is a farce ,t Doctors O'Hara and Mcdonald thougl y there was no danger so long as each fan of lily had a separate entrance. You wi " find it pretty hard to keep child out @ school" said Dr Mcdonald. unless yo le can show that it has been exposed to Il
 disease" There was a long discussion c
 the subject, but the board took no actiol |. Teachers who make n business of absen
 ing themselves from school without givii ed notice to the superintendent. came in f.
 some nice rubs and Mir Crosby was i lC structed to call the attention of all Il a teachers 10 rule ten, relating to the q Il tendance of teachers. n
 ;' The resignation of Miss Josephine Fit Al patrick. as teacher at the Clay strr
 school. was read and accepted. Mi as Nellie E Carroll. who has been filing | ly position made vacant by the resignation SC Miss Fitzpatrick. was appointed to a p, cs manent position in that room