Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1903-09-08
CAREFUL EXPLANATION
OF NEW SCHOOL LAW
Law as Amended Was Not Understood by
School Officers.

Law as Amended Was Not Understood by
School Officers.
State Supt. Cary has sent through |
out the state letters to the free high |
school boards explaining the new law
passed by the last legislature govern
ing the entrance of nonresident pupils
into free high schools and the manner
of the tax levy authorized for these
pupils in the school district in which
they reside. The law as amended by
the last legislature was not under
stood by the school and town officers
and there was danger that it would be
imperfectly followed, if not, in fact,
utterly ignored.
The letter of the state superinten-
ent fully explains the new law and
will doubtless result in its proper
application. Supt. Carey's letter is
as follows:
Gentlemen: Chapter 800, laws of
1903, amending chapter 1873 of the
laws of 1901, relating to encouraging
attendance upon free high schools by
residents Of towns and villages hav-
ing no free high schools, and preScrib-
ing the conditions emitting persons
to attend, apparently needs some ex-
PLANTATION. This chapter as amended
requires that certain documents shall
be filed with the board of education
Of the free high school district before
persons residing outside of said dis
trict may be permitted to attend.
Section Breads as follows: "Whenever
persons, not residing in any free high
school district, and having completed
the course of study in the school dis
trict in which he resides or one equiv
alent thereto enter any high
school, the free high school board of
that district shall be entitled and is
hereby authorized to charge tut
tion fee for such pupils not to exceed
so cents per week. On or before the
first day Of July in each year, the
secretary of the free high school
board shall make a sworn statement
to the clerk of the city, town or vii
age, from which any person may have
been admitted to said free high school.
Said statement shall set forth the
residence, name, age and day of
entrance to such school and number
of months attendance during the
preceding school year of each person
so admitted from such city, town or
village. Section 3 reads as
follows: The usual diploma issued by
any school or school district organized
under the laws of the state shall be
sufficient evidence Of the completion
of the course of study. **** A
duplicate of such diploma or copy
therefor duly certified as such by any
of the persons signing the original
shall be delivered upon request to the
person named therein and shall be
filed by him with the secretary of the
free high school board of the free high
school district, upon his admission to
it's high school. A certificate from
the county superintendent of the
completion of such course or that the
diploma hereinbefOre referred to has
been properly issued to the person
named therein, shall have the same
effect as such diploma or certified
copies thereof, or certificates of county
superintendent so filed, shall be
attached to the sworn statement of
such secretary Of the high school
board.
cit appears that the law was
passed for the purpose of restricting
the attendance of non-reSidentS upon
free high schools to persons who have
graduated from the common schools
or who are able to present a certificate
of qualification obtained from the
county superintendent of the county.
1t appears to make it necessary that
each applicant applying for admission
to high school shall now furnish
himself with one of these documents,
and that hereafter the board of edu-
cation an the principal of the high
school are not authorized to admit pu-
pills upon an examination given by
them as heretofore. 1t also appears
to make it necessary that the required
certificate shall be filed with the sec
rotary of the board of education SO
that he may be able to make the state
ment necessary to the town, city Or
village clerk, as the case may be, in
order that the said officer shall be
authorized to provide for tax levy to
pay for the tuition of such non-rcsi-
dent pupils.
81 have deemed it worth while to
call your attention to this law at the
present time in order that complica-
tionS may not occur in the opening of
the school year and that high school
officers, principals and all non-resi-
dent pupils may be prepared to do
what the law, as amended, requires. )"