Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1907-03-15
IMPORTANT AMENDMENTS
TO SCHOOL LAW
Iruent Law Is Made More Rig
orous-District High
Schools.

Two of the most important amend.
ments made to the school law by the
recent legislature were those of max
ing the truant law more rigorous and
providing for district high schools.
Oregon now has the strictest oompul.
sorry educational law of any state in
the United States and after May, when
it goes into effect there will be hur.
rying into shcool of the scores of boys
and girls now loafing on the streets or
working in the various towns in Ore
gon for the punishment is so severe
on both parents and children that they
will not care to incur is enforcement.
The following are the Requirements
of the law:
"All children beween the ages of
y and IA years must 60 TO public
school all the term. The Children
from IA to 16 must either work or 90
to school. The exception to these re-
quirements are children in private
schools, pupils physically unable to
attend, pupils under 10 living more
than one and one-half miles from
schools. pupils of any age living more
than three miles from school and
pupils under private tutors at home.
The steps for the enforcement of the
law are as follows:
l. Appointment of truant officers In
each district 2. First class districts
have power to call on police.
3. County Superintendent furnishes
officers with list Of teachers.
Teacher compares record with
census each monh. 8. Teacher re-
ports delinquents to seceretay of
boundary board. 6. Secretary reports
to traunt office. T. Officer notifies
parents and teachers 8. Offices
makes complaint to Justice of Peace.
8. Justice issues warrant and con-
ducts trial. The punishment for
truancy is fine of from $5 TO $50 or
Imprisonment of from two to 10 days
and all officers, including the School
Superintendent and teachers, may be
fined from So to $20for failure to per-
form the duties incumbent on them
under the act.
The following are the principal
features of the law providing for dis
trict high schools:
Two or more districts may unite in
founding high school and all dis
tricts thus interested in high school
will be exempt from a county high |
school tax. The chief incentive for |
the establishment Of these schools, |
however, lies in the fact that a pupil |
may demand his school money from |
any district which does not maintain |
a high school and go elsewhere to
school,
Several changes in the laws govern.
ing teachers salaries and qualifica-
tions are made. Under the old law a
teacher could secure third. grade Ger.
in one county and then secure
another third.grsde in another county.
If not able to qualify for second
grade certificate. This cannot be
done now. The same condition pre-.
walls in regard to second grade GER
tictiates, with the result that a
teacher must keep studying in order
to raise the grade of his certificate.
A teachrer must also pass in two
branches-physioal geog-
raphy and English literature-in order
to secure first grade certicfate.
While these changes mean more
work for teachers, they are given
large salaries by the provision that
districts must apply at least SO pec
cent OF the amount received from the
county and state school fund for
teachers salaries. As the amount
by the county has been
increased from So to 81 per capita, il
means substantial increase in
Hereafter districts are compelled to