Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-11-08
DUTY TO OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS.
A Card From Supt. Hook to Parents,
Teachers and School Officers.

AS the winter terms Of school are
now opening wish to invite your
attention to the following provision ons
Of the Compulsory Education Act
passed by the Twenty-ninth General
Assembly Of Iowa.
Duties Of Parents and Guardians.
ANY person having control Of any
child Of the ages of seven (7) to four
teen (14) years inclusive, in proper
mental and physical condition to gc TO
school, shall cause such child to at
tend some public, private or parochial
school where the common school
branches of reading, writing, spelling,
arithmetic, grammar. geography,
physiology and United States History
are taught, or to attend upon equiv
alent instruction by a competent
teacher elsewhere than at school, for
at least sixteen (16) consecutive weeks
in each school year, commencing with
the week Of school after the first day
of September, unless the board of
school directors shall determine upon
later date, which date shall not be
later than the first Monday in Decem-
ber''
Provided. that this section shall not
apply to anv child who lives more
than two (two) miles from any school
by the nearest travelled road except in
those districts where pupils are trans
ported at public expense, or who is
excused for sufficient reasons bv anv
court Of record or judge thereof. Any
person who shall violate the pro-
visions of this section shall be guilty
of misdemeanor and upon conviction
thereof shall pay q fine of not less than
three ($3) dollars nor more than twenty
($2O) dollars for each offense.
Enforcement
"It shall,,be the duty of the director
or the president of the board of
directors, or of any truant officers
appointed by such board of directors,
to enforce the provisions Of this act,
to sue for and recover the penalties
herein provided, and to institute
criminal prosecution against any per-
son violating the provisions OF this
act, and any such officer neglecting
to do so within thirty (3O) days after
written notice has been served upon
him by any citizen of said district
within which the offending person
shall reside, shall himself be liable
for fine of not less than ten ($10)
dollars nor more than twenty (S20)
dollars for each offeuse.''
Duties of Teachers and School Officers.
"All teachers of the public schools
of the state, and county superinten-
dents and school officers and employees
shall promptly report to the secretary
of the school corporation any viola
tions of the provisions of this act, of
which they may have knowledge or
information, and he (the secretary
shall promptly inform the president
of the board of directors thereof and
such president shall, if necessary, call
a meeting of the board of directors to
take such action thereon as the facts
shall Justify. and any child placed in
any truant school may be discharged
therefrom at the discretion of the
hoard, upon sufficient assurance of the
future good conduct of such child"
Provisions for Punishment of Delinquent
Pupils.
"The board of directors IF every
school corporation is hereby authorized
to provide such reasonable methods of
punishment of children who are
habitually truant from school, or who
hapitually frequent or loiter about
public places during school hours with
out lawful occupation, as may be
necessary to carry out and make
effecsual the provisions of this act.
Note carefully the provisions of this
act, for it is constructed in the in
terests of the children of today who
will be the citizens-fathers, mothers.
and lawmakers of the near future. If
good citizenship is to be promoted,
good homes established, and good laws
enacted they must be based on intel
ligence. The safety and perpetuity
of the institutions of republic de-
pend, not upon the intelligence OF a
few, but rather upon the intelligence
and MOI lality of all.
The school, as an institution, is
becoming, each year. more and more
factor in the preparation of the
youth of intelligent participation in
civic affairs.
The strenuousness Of present dav
life is too great for men to meet and
discuss in the presence Of their
families the affairs of the city, state
and nation, hence if the children are
to become interested and able to take
an intelligent part in the affairs OF
state and nation they must receive the
impetus and intelligence through the