The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-03-17
SCHOOL RULES
AS TO ABSENCES
WHY REASONS MUST BE GIVEN
IN EXCUSES

Rules Are Established BY State Board
of Education and Are Mandatory
--Limtt of Detention After School
Is Thirty Minutes.
THERE appears to have been
~ some criticism by few patrons
# the public schools Of Friday Har-
Dor because the teachers require pu-
pills who have been absent to bring
excuses stating the reasons for such
absences, and also because pupils are
sometimes detained after four o'clock,
either because of some infraction Of
the rules or by reason of failure to
perform the work assigned them.
Parents should understand that
these requirements are in strict ac-
cordance with the rules and regula-
tions prescribed by the state board
Of ed cation for the government Of
the public schools and that neither
the teachers nor the directors have
any authority to ignore or evade
them. They are printed in the teach
ers' registers for the guidance of tee
teachers, and they are expected to
comply with them. A little over
four years ago when the board of di-
rectors consisted of N. E. Churchill,
L. B. Carter and H. S. King, and be-
fore any one Of the present teachers
was employed, the board formally ad-
dopted a set OF rules and regulations
for the government of the teachers
and pupils Of the school and printed
copies were furnished to all patrons.
Since then copies have been distrib-
uted from time to time and pupils
nave been informed of the character
of the rules and of the authority for
them. One of these rules, copied
verbatim from the regulations OF the
state board, says:
..Teachers SHALL require excuses from
the parents or guardians of pupils, either
i'll person or by written note, in all cases
of absence, tardiness or dismissal before
the close OF school, and NO EXCUSE shall
be deemed VALID except that OF SICKNESS
or NECESSARY EMPLOYMENT. The teacher
shall be the judge of the sufhcieEcy Of ex-
cuses, subject to an appeal to the direct
ors."
It should be obvious to everyone
that teacher cannot Judge of the
suffic:ency of an excuse if the excuse
is not given.
Rule IL of the state board, follow
ing the one above quoted, says:
"Whenever the unexcused absences Of
auy pupil d ring any term shall amount
in the aggregate to five days, he SHALL
BE REPORTED to the directors, and the
teacher SHALL SUSPEND HIM until the
opinIon of the directors shall be given.
For this purpose an unexcused tardiness
or unexcused absence for 1alf day or
less shall be deemed q half q days abb
sence, and any unexcused absence for
more than half q day at one time shall be
reckoned as al absence for . whole day."
The above rules are mandatory,
not discretionary. Their object is
to promote efficiency, and the good
results Of their enforcement have
been so apparent that the teachers
and directors are in the fullest sym
pathy with them.
Another rule says: Pupils shall
not be detained more than forty min
utes after the regular nour for dis
missal." The limit here, under the
local rules, is thirty minutes. In
great majority Of cases when 2 pupil
is required to remain after four O.
clock it IS in order that individual as
sistance may be given TO enable him
to keep up with the work Of the class.
If through absence, idleness. inatten-
ton or other cause . pupil fails 10 his
examinations he must spend two
years 10 doing what he should have
done in one, and IN such cases pupils
are apt to become disturbing factors
If parents who have been inclined TO !
criticize the reasonable application Of
this reasonable rule win stop to think
Of the matter . moment, it may oc-
cur to them that they should be
grateful to the teachers tor their ex-
-. a4Enr4a e aid their children and