The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1909-08-12
To Guard Health of School
Children.

matter OF interest in connection
with the opening of the new school
year in September, is the act passed
by the last legislature relative to the
appointment OF school physicians, be-
ing Chapter 70 of the Public Laws of
1909. The act went into effect July 3,
and is expected to prove OF much
value In the prevention and restric-
ton of disease among the pupils
of the public schools of the State.
The first section of the act provides
that the school committee of every
city and town shall appoint one or
more school physicians and shall as :
sign one to the medical inspection of
not over 1000 pupils of the public
schools within its city or town, and
shall provide them with all proper
facilities for the performance of their
duties as prescribed in the act, pro-
vided however, that the said commit
tee has been SO authorized by vote of
the town at regular town meeting or
at special town meeting called for
that purpose. The succeeding sec
tions of the act are as follows:
Section 2-Every school physician
shall make prompt examination and
diagnosis of all children referred to
him as hereinafter provided, and
such further examination of teachers,
janitors and school buildings as in his
opinion the protection of the health
of the pupils may require.
Section 3-The pupils so examined
by school physicians when treatment
is necessary shall not be referred to
the school physicians for such treat
ment except the school physician be
the regular family physician of such
pupil, but shall be referred to the
regular family physician of such pupil
through the parents or guardian.
Section 1.-The school committee
shall cause to be referred to school
physician for examination and dag
nosis every child returning to a
school without certificate from the
board of health or family physician
after absence on account of illness or
from unknown cause, and every child
in the schools under its jurisdiction
who shows signs of being in i'll health
or of suffering from infectious or con-
tagious diseases, unless he is at once
excluded from school by the teacher;
except that in case of schools in re-
mote and isolated situations, the
school committee may make such
other arrangements as may best carry
out the purposes of this act.
Section 5-The school committee
shall cause notice of disease or de-
70 uuh n q
found to be suffering to be sent home
ever a child shows symptoms OF
smallpox, scarlet fever, measles,
chicken pox, tuberculosis, diptheria
or influenza, tonsilitis, whooping
cough, humps, scabies or trachomo,
he shall be sent home Immediately or
as soon as safe and proper convey
ance can be found, and the board of
health and superintendent of schools
shall at once be notified.
Section 6-The school committee of
every city or town shall cause every
child in the public school to be sep
arately and carefully tested and ex-
amined at least once in every school
year to ascertain whether he is suf-
fering from defective sight or hearing
or from any other disability or defect
tending to prevent his receiving the
full benefit of his school work, or re-
curing a modification of the school
work in order to prevent injury to
the child or to secure the best educa-
tional results. Tests of sight and
hearing shall be made by the teachers
or by the school physicians. The
committee shall cause notice of any
defect or disability requiring treat
ment to be sent to the parent or
guardian of the child, and shall re-
quire a physical record of each child
to be kept in such form as the state
superintendent of public schools shall
prescribe after consultation with the
State board of health.
Section The State superinten =
dent of public schools shall prescribe
after consultation with the State
board of health the directions for
tests of sight and hearing, and shall
prescribe and furnish to the school
committees suitable rules of instruc-
ton, test cards, blanks, record books
and other useful appliances for carry :
ing out the purposes of this act. The
State superintendent of public schools
may expend during the year nineteen
hundred and nine sum not greater
than five hundred dollars for the pur-
pose of supplying the material re-
quired for this act.
Section S-Expenses which city
or town may incur by virture of the
authority herein vested in the school
committee shall not exceed the
amount appropriated for that pur-
pose in cities by the city council and
in towns by town meeting. The
appropriation shall precede any ex-
penditure of any Indebtedness which
may be incurred under this act and
the sum appropriated shall be deemed
sufficient appropriation i'll the NUM-
cipality where it is made. Such ap-
preparation need not specify to what
section of the act 1t shall apply and
may be voted as total appropriation
to be applied in carrying out the pur-
poses of this act.
Section 9-The provisions of this
act shall apply only to cities and
towns having population of less
than forty thousand inhabitants.
Mrs. Lydia Creation.