Perth Amboy evening news., 1905-10-11
Will Ask the Chief of Police to
Detail a Man TO Look After
the Children.
THE EXCUSES.
Superintendent ShuII Tells Of
the Letters Received frOmPar-
entS Regarding Absences.

"SO~'~'"O ""SS"SoSs
The subject of truancy was
brought up by Superintendent OF
Schools S. r. Shull, at the regular
monthly meeting of the Board OF
Education last night and remedies
were suggested for stopping the in
crease, which has been alarming in
this city of late. Three plans for
truant officers were available for
correcting the evil, as follows:
rst:-The Board of Education
can appoint a truant officer.
Second The janitors of the sew
eral schools can be assigned to such
work
hird:-The police department. Of
a city shall. upon written request,
detail one or more officers as truant
officers, who shall nave the same
powers as truant officers regularly
! appointed by the school board (Ac-
cording to the state school law).
Because of lack of funds, Super
intendent Shull said, the first means
is impracticable, and the second is
not feasible because thfs janitors
may be needed at all times at the
school buildings. Therefore. the
third scheme is the q9y one which
seems possible, and NJ Shull recon-
mended that the bo Hd consider the
matter with view 10 early action.
Commissioner Pgulson moved that
committee be appointed to confer
with the Superintendent of Police
and see what arrangements can be
made President Walker appointed
I the teachers committee and they are
4 expected to report at an adjourned
meeting to be held October "a.
Up to the Police.
Mr.. Shull said that he realizes
! that the local police department. has
no men to spare, but that some ac-
! tion is necessary to check the spread
of truancy among boys. He said
that there are a number of habituaI
truants Frequently he notices in
| the daily press the names OF boys In
police court who have been truants-
These boys, he said would not, II
/ they attended school, be in mischief
during those hours, at least, and
thus the checking of truancy would
be a help to the police department.
According to the law the school au-
thorities can, If they have sufficient
room, compel every child between
t1o ages of seven and fourteen years
10 attend school.
Mr.. Poulson said that, because OF
insufficient seating facilities, they
could not make all children go to
school, but those for whom there are
seats ought to be forced to attend.
1 Mr.. Shull read some letters sent
by parents to principals of local
schools recently, in cases where the
principal has demanded an excuse
for a pupils absence and where
truancy was suspected. Such ex-
cuses as the boys being unable to
come because he had no shoes are
common, and in one case, Mr.. Shuli
said, he had read such a letter, ant
then, looking out of the school win
dow, saw the boy in question playing
with other boys and with his feet
properly shod. Mr.. Shull read one
letter in which the irate parent ask
ed the principal If he thought she
was a certain brand of fool to be
writing letters all the time for her
boys absence, as one letter, she
thought, should be enough, no mat
ter how many times the boy was abb
sent.
Attendance Records Broken.
The record for attendance was
broken during September, according
to the superintendent monthly re-
port. 1t actually reached 1913 per
cent, the percentage of daily att
tendance on the average enrolment.
This is attributed to the fact that
pupils attended religiously because
they were afraid that they might
lose their seats because of the over
crowding
There are 710 more children now
enrolled than in June last. The en-
rollment is 1896, divided as follows:
Boys, 2,057 girls, 1898. The aver
age enrolment is 3,619; pupils pres
ent every day, 2,404; cases Of tardi-
ness, 1856; number of classes or di-
visions, $50; sessions during month,
3S; visits by superintendent, So; by
commissioners, 8; by citizens, 1S.
Chairman Poulson, of the build
ing committee, reported that they
have large room in view for the
annex for school No. 5. The matter
was left in that committees hands.
Holiday for Pupils November 4.
The Teachers Institute will be
held at New Brunswick November 1,
and the schools will be closed on
that day. 1t is compulsory for the
teachers to attend the institute,
which has formerly been held in