Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1908-12-02
DUTY TO OUR SCHOOLS.
A Gard From County Superintendent
Hook to Parents, Teachers and
School Officers.

School Officers.
AS the winter terms of school are
now opening / wish to invite your at
tenton to the following provisions oil
the Compulsory Education Act pass
ed by the Twenty-ninth General AS
sembly of Iowa.
Duties of Parents and Guardians.
ANY person having control of any
child of the ages OF seven 90 to
fourteen G4) years inclusive, in
proper mental and physical condition
to attend school, shall cause such
child to attend some public, private
or parochial school where the COM
mon school branches of reading, writ
ing, spelling, arithmetic, grammar,
geography, physiology and United
States History are taught, or to at
tend upon equivalent instruction by
a competent teacher elsewhere than
at school, for at least sixteen G6)
consecutive weeks in each school
year, commencing with the week of
school after the first day of Septem-
Der, unless the board of school direc-
tors shall determine upon later
date, which date shall not be later
than the first Monday in December"
Provided, that this section shall
not apply to any child who lives more
than two GU miles from any school
| by the nearest travelled road except
in those districts where pupils are
| transported at public expense, or who
is excused for sufficient reasons by
any court of record or judge thereof.
Any person who shall violate the
provisions of this section shall be
guilty of a misdemeanor and upon
conviction thereof shall pay a fine
not less than three ($3) dollars nor
more than twenty ($20) dollars for
each offense
Enforcement.
1T shall be the duty of the direc-
tor 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 officers neglecting
to do so within thirty 600 days
we'd upon him by any citizen of said
district within which the offending
person shall reside, shall himself be
liable for a fine of not less than ten
($10) dollars nor more than twenty
| ($20) dollars for each offense."
Duties of Teachers and School
Officers.
''All teachers of the public schools
of the state. and county Superinten-
dents, and school officers and en-
ployes shall promptly report to the
secretary of the school corporation
any violations of the provisions of
this act, of which they may have
knowledge or information, and he
| (the secretary shall promptly in
form the president of the board of
directors thereof and such president
shall, if necessary, call meeting of
the board of directors to take such
action thereon as the facts shall JUS
tify, and any child placed in any
truant school may be discharged
therefrom at the discretion of the
| board, upon sufficient assurance of
the future good conduct of such
| child"
Provisions for Punishment of Delin-
quent Pupils.
THE Board of Directors of every
| school corporation is hereby author
| lied to provide such reasonable
methods of punishment Of children
who are habitually truant from
school, or who habitually frequent or
loiter about public places during
school hours without lawful occupa-
ton, as may be necessary to carry
out and make effectual the provi-
sions of this act"
Note carefully the provisions of
this act, for it is constructed in the
interests of the children of to-day
who will be the citizens-fathers,
mothers, and lawmakers of the near
future. If good citizenship is to be
promoted, good homes established,
good laws enacted they must be
based on intelligence. The safety
and perpetuity of the institutions of
a republic depend, not upon the in
ltelligence of few, but rather upon
the intelligence and morality of all.
The school, as an institution, is be-
coming, each year, more and more
a factor in the preparation of the
youth tor intelligent participation In
civic affairs.
The strenuousness of present day
life is too great for men to meet and
discuss in the presence of their fami-
lies the affairs of their 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 agency of the school. This con-
diton is not of our conscious making,
but it has come about gradually, and
results from the completely OF
modern methods of life. If the child
rem of Today are to have anything
like an even chance in the struggle
for place" when they are thrown
upon their own resources they must
be given the essential elements in the
preparation of themselves for this
struggle. knowledge and character
are the most essential elements in
this preparation. These the schools
are pledged to give, and the purposes
of the compulsory law are in har-
| r,ony with fhic purnosa Of the school