The Newark journal., 1909-10-29
COMPULSORY SCHOOL LAW
A Act 10 Regulate and Enforce At-
 tendance al the Schools

A Act to Regulate and Enforce At
 tendance al the Schools
 Section l. Every parent, guardian or other person in the State of Arkan sas, having charge or control of any child between the ages of and t years, shall cause such child to attend regularly some day school, public private, paroehial or parish, not les: than one-half of the entire time the public school said child attends is ir session, during any one year, or shall provide such child at home with such regular daily instruction during the usual hours as shall be, in the judg- ment of court or school board having competent jurisdiction, substantially equivalent to at least the instructions given the children of like age and ad- vancement at the day school in the To- cality in which said child resides. Provided, that every parent, guardian or other person in the State of Arkan- sas. having charge or control of any child between the age of Is and 20 years, who is not actively and regu- larly and lawfully engaged in some useful employment or service, shall cause said child to attend school as hereinbefore provided for children from 8 to Is years.
 Section ,. Any child between the ages aforesaid may be excused tempor- arily from complying with the provi- sions Of this Act, in whole or in part, if it be shown to a court of competent jurisdiction, or school board of said district, that said parent or guardian, or person having charge of said child, is not able, through extreme destitu- tion, to provide proper clothing for said child, or that said child is men, tally or physically incapacitated to attend school for the whole period re- quired, or any part thereof, or that there is no public school taught within two and one-half miles of the residence of said child by the nearest travelled road, or that the labor of said child is absolutely necessary for the support of the family, or that said child has completed a common school course, including seven grades, and has cer- tificate of same from the school said child attended. If any child, or child ren, are unable to attend school, as hereinbefore required, by not being able to procure books, on satisfactory proof of same, the respective school board shall purchase said books out of the general school fund of said district.
 Section 5 The board having charge of public school in city or district shall appoint, for period of one year, one or more attendance officers to enforce the provisions of this Act The fees of said attendance officers shall be the same as that of peace of- ficers for similar service, and said fees shall be paid from the public school funds of the city or district. The at tendance officers shall serve written or printed notices upon the parents or guardians, or persons who have charge and control of any child or children as aforesaid who violate the provisions of this Act, and shall, when reason able doubt exists as to the age of any child, require properly attested birth certificate or an affidavit stating such child's age, the date of birth and physical characteristics; and shal have the right to visit and enter any office or factory or business house employing children, as aforesaid; and the right to require a properly attesteC certificate of attendance of any chile or children at such day school; anC power to arrest, without warrant, al truants and non- attendants, as afore said, and place them in some public school, unless the parents, guardian: or persons in charge and control O said children, respectively, shall a once place them in some other day school as aforesaid. Such attendanc, officer shall serve the legal notices anC subpnnas of the court, without further fee or compensation than that paid by the board as aforesaid, and he shall carry into effect such other regulation: as may lawfully be required by tho board appointing him.
 Section f. The board having charge of the public schools of any city ol district having 10000 or more popula'