The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1898-10-20
Compulsory Attendance Act.
Mr.. ENRON MANY 81,

Mr.. EDITOR Very many Sec
retaries of School Boards and teach-
ers throughout the county have been
writing me respecting their several
duties in reinforcement of the Com
pulsory Act, that an article on this
important subject may not not be
amiss. The Act as originally pass
ed and approved May l6, 1895,
comprehends the regular attendance
of all children between the ages of s
and l3 years at some school, either
public or private, for period OF six
teen weeks. If the children were
sent to Il private school the cert; ;fcatc
of the teacher of said school should
be regarded as Il sufficient voucher
for the attendance of those children
at that school. School Boards could
exercise no authority over children
or parents and guardians armed with
the certificate of attendance issued
by the teacher OF said private school
or by Il private tutor, unless evidence
We're produced that would clearly
show that such certificates were
fraudently obtained or illegally is
sued.
|, All children not attending a pri-
vate or UNCONVENTIONAL school or re-
ceiving instructions in the English
branches by private tutor, come
within the immediate jurisdiction OF
the School Board, and, if between
s and Is years, the Board could
compel regular attendance fora term
of sixteen weeks, unless some valid
excuse could be offered to the Board
and by it accepted for the non-at
tendance of such child or children.
1t will be remembered that the
law did not state when the compul-
sorry period 0he sixteen weeks in
each school term should become opcr-
ativc. 1t was clearly the intention
of the legislature that the law should
be enforced at the beginning Of the
, term as was shown from the debates
on the bill prior to its passage, but
. since the statute itself did not state
in concise terms this importantpoint,
much misunderstanding and contu-
sion resulting theretrom some boards
contending that the law should be
observed from the beginning OF the
term, others the middle of the term
and still other, the last sixteen weeks
+ Of the term.
Coupled with this disturbing part
y of the law was the provision direct
ing the several assessors to make Il
correct list of all children subject to
= the provisions of the Act at the time
that the spring registration OF voters
was taken. The Commissioners OF
, the County received no official intor-
q nation of the passage OF the law, 80
, | am reliably informed, until the fail
, of the year long after the assessors
- had taken the registration OF voters.
To compel or direct the assessors to
! travel through their respective dis
tricts again tor the express and sole
purpose of registering the children
= AS provided was regarded by the
: Commissioners and the Department
}, of Public Instruction as needless
e burden and at the direction OF the
:. Department was entirely abandoned.
Consequently lists were not fur
: nished Secretaries of School Boards,
: and they in turn could not furnish
lists of the children subject to the
!. provisions of the Act to the teachers
: of their schools.
y The law was barely observed in
5 any OF the counties OF the State and
!. to all intents and purposes it was a
5 dead letter.
The Legislature of 1897 sought to
u remedy theinefhciency and iuadequa-
cy Of the Compulsory Act and on
:. the 18th of July, it succeeded in
y amending sections one, two, three,
n four and five of the Act of 1895.
n The salient changes made in the
. original Act was an extension of the
S age limit, making children subject
n to the provision OF the Act between
Il s and Is years instead Of between s
$ and IS years. Also making the Law
d operative from the beginning Of the
term unless the board Of dirsesess, $ $
NJ ~ ~ 80